Courtesy: UEFA.com


Spain planning for 2016 after Portugal win

Spain beat Portugal 8-4 for bronze but the deposed champions are already planning to get their title back in 2016; for Jorge Braz "we deserved the place we finished – fourth".

Saturday 8 February 2014

by Gonzalo Aguado & Nuno Tavares from Sportpaleis

José Venancio López , Spain coach
In the first game [drawing 3-3 with Croatia] we were not good, but it is true that we always go from strength to strength. We made the error of not playing with the necessary intensity in the first match, but we also knew that we were going to qualify. We made the semi-finals and we lost in the last minute of extra time [to Russia]. We leave with a bittersweet taste.

On Thursday, we had a hard time but today we played a great game. We have shown that we are a great team. Games like the Russia one can always be lost.

This [third-place] match is tricky and nobody likes to play it. But the players have shown the mentality they have. We have created a winning philosophy and had to show what we could do. We played it like it was the first game of the next tournament. There are two years to go, but we're already thinking about it.

Juanjo, Spain goalkeeper
We are happy that we got third place – it was very important to us. We have shown that we are a great team, and to me we are the best. We had no luck against Russia.

Personally I'm happy to have played [having previously been on the bench behind Rafa], but the important thing was the victory. We have all worked hard and third place – as far as it goes – OK. I think we've competed in every game but we lacked luck against Russia. We look forward to our next EURO to show that we are still the best.

Pola, Spain forward
Yes, we're feeling good about the game that we've played. It has been difficult to think about the match over the last two days because no one had ever played it. We have to think that we are a great team and we have always given our best. Russia won the semi-final due to small details and we will work now to ensure it does not happen again.

We are down, because we came here to be champions, but I think the team's performance has been positive and everyone has seen that we have had great games. Sometimes we have not shone, but we have been efficient. We have to keep working, which is what I always say. And we hope to be champions in the next tournament.

Jorge Braz, Portugal coach
It was all very bad. In the first half, and in two crucial moments, we completely lost our balance. When that happens everything becomes more difficult. Besides that we must not forget that we were facing the reigning European champions and not any other team. Our emotional balance was completely destroyed and that led to us losing our discipline.

There were moments where we only showed desire and will to go forward but that is simply not enough, especially when you are facing opponents of this quality.

We managed to get back into the game for a first time after conceding three goals in one minute and in the second half we almost managed to do the same but in the end we got what we deserved. We still seem to have a lot of difficulty in understating the intensity and concentration level needed to succeed in a demanding competition like this one.

It was fair enough to lose against Italy [in the semi-finals], but it would have also been fair enough if we were the ones to go through to the final. Nobody can take away from us the quality we displayed in Antwerp. We finished in the place we deserved: fourth.

Pedro Costa, Portugal defender
I scored a goal on my comeback after recovering from injury but I would gladly trade that goal for the bronze medal. Spain were better than us and we have to congratulate them for their win. I think that in terms of mentality we were at the same level when compared with the other teams in the tournament. Maybe in this third-place play-off we were a bit mentally shaken after conceding the first goal. They managed to score two more goals very quickly and that takes a toll on any team.

We did manage to respond but after that we had another breakdown in terms of mentality. This tournament is not only about a single match and I think people should recognise what we have done since the start of the competition. Tonight's we did not do ourselves justice and now we have to lift our heads and start to think about the next competition.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Eder Lima claims adidas Golden Shoe

Russia's Eder Lima finished ahead of Fernandão and Gabriel Lima to claim the UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 adidas Golden Shoe as top scorer, his eight-goal tally the best for 15 years.

Saturday 8 February 2014

by Paul Saffer from Antwerp

Russia's Eder Lima claimed the UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 adidas Golden Shoe as top scorer, striking in their 3-1 final defeat by Italy to reach eight goals.

The forward, also the nine-goal top scorer at the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup to complete a unique double, scored two in each of Russia's group games, and hat-trick in the 6-0 quarter-final defeat of Romania took him to seven, already the highest total since the first 12-team tournament took place in 2010. His eventual haul has only been bettered in a single UEFA Futsal EURO by one man, the late Russia forward Konstantin Eremenko, who managed 11 in 1999.

Also the first player to finish outright top scorer since Nando Grana of Italy in 2005, Eder Lima was three clear of Spain pivot Fernandão, whose two goals in the third-place play-off against Portugal earned him the adidas Silver Shoe on five goals. Italy's Gabriel Lima scored one and made one in the final, to pip team-mate Fortino and Slovenia's Gašper Vrhovec to the Bronze Ball on assists.

Roll of honour
Golden Shoe: Eder Lima (Russia) 8 goals, 4 assists (5 games)
Silver Shoe: Fernandão 5 goals, 0 assists (5 games)
Bronze Ball: Gabriel Lima (Italy) 4 goals, 3 assists, 1 yellow card (5 games)

Full statistics

Criteria
1) Higher number of assists:
• Player delivering the intentional pass, cross, header or shot leading to a goal
• Player shooting and ball rebounding from woodwork, goalkeeper or defender and entering the goal
• Player passing, shooting or crossing and leading to an own goal
• Only one assist per goal can be awarded
• No assist for player winning a penalty or free-kick
2) Higher ratio of converted double (ten-metre) penalties
3) Higher ratio of converted (six-metre) penalties
4) Higher number of goals scored in fewer matches
5) Fair play record (red, yellow cards)

Past final tournament top scorers
2012: Torras (Spain)*, Dario Marinović (Croatia) 5
2010: Saad Assis (Italy), Biro Jade (Azerbaijan), Javi Rodríguez (Spain), Joel Queirós (Portugal) 5
2007: Cirilo (Russia), Daniel (Spain), Predrag Rajić (Serbia) 5
2005: Nando Grana (Italy) 6
2003: Serhiy Koridze (Ukraine) 7
2001: Serhiy Koridze (Ukraine) 7
1999: Konstantin Eremenko (Russia) 11
1996: Konstantin Eremenko (Russia) 8

*Torras won Golden Boot on assists






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