Courtesy: Soccer Nation


2012 UEFA Futsal Cup Finals Set

by Stephen Prendergast

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The final four of the 2012 UEFA Futsal Cup are set following the November elite rounds. FC Barcelona, Marca Futsal, MFK Dinamo Moskva and Sporting Clube de Portugal will face off in April 2012 to determine the top futsal club in Europe.

Sporting Clube de Portugal was the first to punch their ticket to the finals when they tied Iberia Star Tbilisi of Georgia 5-5. The Portuguese team needed only one point to secure first place in Group C, and that was what they got. Iberia, which was in the running for the top spot, gave Sporting a scare when they took a 3-0 halftime lead. Sporting got one back in the opening seconds of the second half, but Iberia, which was looking for its first trip to the finals, answered shortly thereafter. The Portuguese side then struck for three goals to knot the match at 4-4. Each team netted one more goal in the closing minutes, giving Sporting the one point it needed to advance.

The day after Sporting moved into the finals the other three teams were decided. Marca Futsal of Italy, MFK Dinamo Moskva of Russia and FC Barcelona all added their names to the final list following a day of exciting futsal.

Marca Futsal was in an enviable position, leading defending UEFA champion ASD Città di Montesilvano C/5 in Group D competition. The two Italian teams had fought hard to reach the top of the group in the elite round, which Montesilvano had reached as defending champions. Current Italian champions Marca had shown their strength through the earlier rounds and were up to the challenge, winning their first two matches. As with Sporting, Marca needed only a draw to move to the finals and, again as with Sporting, that was the final. As hard as they tried, Montesilvano was unable to pull out a winning goal and the match ended at 2-2.

In Moscow, Group A hosts Dinamo Moskva had easily won their first two group matches by 9-1 and 5-2 scores as they prepared for arch-rival Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, who also had gone 2-0 in group play. Dinamo was looking for the chance to repeat as UEFA champions (2007), but had to work for it. Kairat, which had trailed at the half, put on a burst to take the lead with just over two minutes remaining. Then, with about 30 seconds left to play, Dinamo’s Brazilian star Cirilo scored his 33rd goal in 34 UEFA Futsal Cup appearances to put the Russian side into the big dance.

In Spain, Group B hosts FC Barcelona are looking to become the fourth team from their country to take the UEFA Futsal Cup. After winning their first two matches, Barça also needed just a single point to move to the finals. In the third match of the round, the Spanish side took on Araz Naxçivan from Azerbaijan, who were close behind at 1-0-1. A win by Araz would have thrown the final decision into goal differential, but it was not to be. Barcelona managed to hold off a late Araz attack for a 2-2 draw and the point needed to move on.

Since the UEFA Futsal Cup went to a system of a four-team one-venue knockout final round, there have been five different teams representing four countries that have gone on to win the championship. In 2007, Dinamo Moskva topped the list, and they are the only team to have reached the finals four different years. Sporting reached the finals this past year, falling to Montesilvano, while Marca and Barcelona are both in their first years of UEFA Futsal Cup action. April will see the crowning of the newest UEFA Futsal Cup champion. It should be an exciting series.




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