Courtesy: UEFA.com


Futsal kings Ekaterinburg in ominous form

Monday 8 September 2008

UEFA Futsal Cup holders MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg posted a warning to rivals for their title with two victories this weekend at home to fellow European entrants and reigning Russian champions MFK Dinamo Moskva – the first time that team has failed to take a point in a league double-header.

Ekaterinburg delight
Dinamo had won their first four games this season while Ekaterinburg had dropped two points, but it was the team that replaced the capital club as European champions in April that were victorious in the opening encounter. Pavel Chistopolov's early opener was cancelled out by Joan but Dmitri Prudnikov struck midway through the second half and Konstantin Agapov's goal with two minutes left meant another Joan strike was in vain.

Late goals
The next day it was a similar story as although Cirilo gave Dinamo the lead, Hamad equalised and scored again with five minutes left. Sergei Ivanov equalised but Ekaterinburg goalkeeper Sergei Zuev and Prudnikov struck in the last two minutes. Only four times in their six-year history have Dinamo even taken so little as one point in a two-game series. Joan said: "If we want to win this classic encounter in the future we will need to come up with something new."

Interviú reverse
Ekaterinburg have never won the Russian title but are now four points clear of Dinamo, level at the top with MFK Dina Moskva and MFK Tyumen, though there is a long way to go in the season. Both teams will enter the UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round draw on 19 September and compete for final four places from 8-16 November. Of the other teams automatically through to the final four, Interviú FS lost 5-4 at Pinto FS on Saturday and are eighth in the Spanish league, six points adrift of ElPozo Murcia FS with a game in hand while Kairat Almaty are yet to start their campaign in Kazakhstan.





Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com