UEFA Futsal EURO quarter-final preview | EURO futsal
Eight teams prepare to attack the UEFA Futsal quarter-finals at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Monday and Tuesday, with three former champions and a trio of debutants in action. Portugal face Finland.
We preview all the action.
way to the end
QUARTER-FINALS
Monday, January 31:
Portugal – Finland (16h00)
Kazakhstan – Ukraine (19h00)
Tuesday, February 1:
Russia – Georgia (16h00)
Spain – Slovakia (7pm)
SEMI FINALS
Friday, February 4th:
Portugal/Finland – Spain/Slovakia (time to be confirmed)
Kazakhstan/Ukraine – Russia/Georgia (time to be confirmed)
FINAL/THIRD PLACE MATCH
Sunday, February 6th:
Third place match (1:30pm)
Finals (4:30 pm)
All times in mainland Portugal
Monday
Portugal – Finland
The trophy holder faced a debutant at the start of the quarter-finals, but despite winning all three of their Group games to qualify with, there are reasons for the world championship and European Portugal to be nervous.
The last time these two teams played was exactly in the qualification for the World Cup, by the way, two years before the clash in this Futsal EURO. Finland went 2-0 up, thanks to goals scored by Juhana Jyrkiäinen and Miika Hosio, until two minutes from the end, before Bruno Coelho and Cardinal in a draw that proved crucial to save Portugal’s director of qualification for the stage final in Lithuania, where he would become world champion.
Finland will count on Jani Kopela, showed tactical intelligence and will not win Eslové, matchday three and matchday of Group B, on Friday, after having imposed a 33 on Italy and losing 6-2 against Kazakhstan, this in a game where they were twice in front of the marker. A historic victory against Portugal: no Finn has won an elimination game in a final tournament of any UEFA national team tournament.
Jorge Braz, Portugal coach: “We’re going to have to be a very strong Portugal if we want to beat Finland. It’s a team that always knows how to always be in a game. for the result. Tomorrow will be no different. nobody.
Mićo Martić, Finland coach: “We believe that miracles can happen. We know how difficult it was to play against Portugal, but that game ended 2-2. They are stronger than the champions and it is a great honor for us to play against them.
key statistic: Portugal are undefeated for 31 official games, more specifically since they lost 5-2 to Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2016 World Cup.
Kazakhstan – Ukraine
Kazakhstan have an extremely positive record in the quarter-finals: they won that phase of the competition in their two participations in Futsal in 2016, as well as last year’s World Cup, although they had a penalty defeat against Japan in the Asian Championship of 2001 Futsal, before his transfer to UEFA.
Their journey in the group stage suggests goals: they drew 4-4 against Slovenia despite being at odds three times, they beat Finland 6-2 after having seen their opponents lead the scoreboard twice and then beat Italy 4-1. However, Taynan and Edson saw the second card in the competition ahead of Italy and are yellow, while Azat Valiullin was injured. Chingiz Yesenamanov has yet to play in the competition.
Twice runners-up, Ukraine were defeated by the smallest margin by the hosts Netherlands and by Portugal they registered in Group A, but in the middle a 6-1 win over Serbia who maintained his feat of reaching the quarter-finals in ten successive editions of Futsal EURO.
However, reduced to ten players when they faced Portugal due to the absences of Volodymyr Razuvanov, Vitaliy Radevych, Oleksandr Pediyash and Artem Fareniuk, and, to make matters worse, Mykhailo Zvarych suffered a finger injury.
Higuita, captain of Kazakhstan: “It’s a huge loss, you can’t count on Taynan and Edson for the quarter-finals and we’ll have to adapt, but I’m sure we’ll be at our best.”
Oleksandr Kosenko, Ukraine coach: “There’s not always a lot of add-on about the tournament.
key statistic: Ukraine have been in the quarter-finals in every edition since this stage was in 2010 and have lost five times each time.
Tuesday
Russia – Georgia
Russia was perhaps the team that stood out the most in the group stage, scoring 16 goals when they lost Slovakia 7-1, Croatia 4-0 and Poland 5-1. Countless, since they were often not brought to the brink of their title, important and unique and unique to overcame the destruction that their enemies and their foes stood on the brink of glory, with Artem Ashkin at EURO in 1999 currently the top scorers list, with five goals and three assists.
Georgia, like Russia, qualified after two rounds, this will allow Azerbaijan to revive 3-2 and Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1, thus becoming the first rookie to start their campaign with two victories since 2010. However, an 8-0 defeat against Spain on Saturday means that Georgia now have to face Russia, opponents against whom they lost by 4-0 in Tbilisi and for 3-0 in Schelkovo last year in qualifying.
Chaguinha, Georgia player: “It was a very hard lesson for us [contra a Espanha] and we will have to be fully focused on Russia to ensure that none of this happens again. I don’t think this affects psychologically, because many of our players have a lot of experience at the highest levels, they know how to handle all the effects until the effect and a result like this can provoke.”
key statistic: Russia have won four straight Futsal EURO quarter-finals since losing to Spain in 2010 on penalties.
Spain – Slovakia
Spain went unnoticed when they started Group D by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-1 and then drawing 2-2 with Azerbaijan. However, Georgia’s 8-0 rout, equaling their own record winning margin in the tournament, is a sign of intent from a team that has never gone two Futsal EUROs in a row without lifting the trophy.
Nine different players were scored by Spain in the finals, including two goals by Adolfo against Georgia on his return to the national team, and another by Solano, newly called up to replace the injured Esteban.
Slovakia’s 5-3 run to Croatia to secure the a, after losing to Russia and drawing to Poland, has seen three of the four debutants before all group wins, more past than drawn. like previous editions after 1999 together.
Much can depend on Tomáš Drahovský, the Santa Coloma player who was the top scorer in the Spanish league last season and who is second only to Ferrao and Adolfo this season.
Fede Vidal, Spain coach: “Slovakia is going to be a very tough game for us, just like everyone else. There are no favorites in the tournament or in the games. If we want to win, we have to play a great game.”
key statistic: Spain has always been in the semi-finals in all 11 previous editions of Futsal EURO.