Futsal « mCalcio.com

Posts Tagged ‘Futsal’

Brazil Win Futsal Gold, Big Samba Party Ensues (Brazil 2-2 Spain, 4-3 p.s.o, FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008)

Monday, October 20th, 2008

For the fourth time in FIFA Futsal World Cup history, Brazil conquered the gold medal on home turf Sunday morning. It was a match which all pundits anticipated to be a clash of the titans, with reigning World & European champions Spain providing a very worthy opponent for the Auriverde.

It the end, only a penalty shootout could settle a tied 2-2 score after extra time, during which substitute goalkeeper Franklin (stepping on precisely for that purpose) made two key saves on the Spanish shooters. After their gold in the Netherlands (1989), Hong Kong (1992), and Spain (1996), Brazil can chalk up a fourth title on the big Futsal chalkboard.

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Tags: Alvaro, Brazil, FIFA Futsal World Cup, Futsal, José Venancio Lopez, Marquinho, Paulo De Oliveira, Spain, Torras, Vinicius
Posted in Futsal, International Competitions | Comments Off

Russia 1-2 Italy: Third Place Consolation Prize for the Azzurri (FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008)

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

After their disappointing and controversial loss in the semi-finals, Italy grabbed the bronze medal in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Third Place final against Russia Saturday. It was hard-fought match full of spectacular plays, in which the Azzurri obtained their 2-1 win thanks to a last-minute goal by Saad Assis.

Nevertheless, one can’t help but think that under different circumstances, this team could have made a serious contention for the title tomorrow. In the end, Italy will not be remembered for their good third place ranking, but rather for being denied a chance to play for the gold.

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Tags: Adriano Foglia, Alessandro Nuccorini, FIFA Futsal World Cup, Futsal, Italy, Konstantin Dushkevic, Oleg Ivanov, Russia, Saad Assis
Posted in Azzurri, Futsal, International Competitions | 2 Comments »

Spain 3-2 Italy: Overtime Slap in the Face, Azzurri Title Hopes Crushed in Semi-Finals (FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008)

Friday, October 17th, 2008

As far as Spain vs. Italy goes, sure isn’t a good year for Italian fans. First, there was the UEFA Futsal Euro 2007 final (lost 3-1)… then this Summer’s Euro 2008 quarter-finals story we all know. Now, for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 Semi-Finals and for the third time in less than a year, a Furia Roja team got the upper hand on the Azzurri.

This time however the slap in the face couldn’t have been bigger, because Italy lost 3-2 in overtime: a match which the Azzurri deserved to win, and by the looks of Spain’s last goal, really did not deserve to lose.

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Tags: Adriano Foglia, Alessandro Nuccorini, Daniel, Fernandao, FIFA Futsal World Cup, Futsal, Italy, José Venancio Lopez, Nando Grana, Spain
Posted in Azzurri, Futsal, International Competitions | Comments Off

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 – Five-A-Side Football Kicks Off in Brazil

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

Futsal, FIFA’s officially sanctioned version of Five-a-side football, may not be as widespread (or receive as much TV coverage) as the 11 vs. 11 “real thing”, but its popularity is very much on the rise. A popularity which can only grow further, with the 6^th edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup kicking off last Tuesday.

As title favorites Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Italy, and Portugal step onto the synthetic turf of Nilson Nelson Gymnasium and Ginásio do Maracanãzinho (the tournament’s two venues in the cities of Brasília and Rio de Janeiro), all eyes will be directed towards the soccer state for the biggest indoor footy showdown of the year.
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