Fantasy becomes reality for recalled Bordignon
Saturday 13 December 2008
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Andrei Bordignon (left) delights in his goal against Spain (©sportsfile)
Andrei Bordignon watched Italy's last two UEFA European Under-21 Futsal Tournament group stage matches from the stands. Last night he scored the only goal to give the Azzurrini a memorable 1-0 semi-final victory against Spain in St Petersburg.
Winning goal
Bordignon's strong shot late in the first half proved to be all Italy needed to defeat many people's favourites for the title and earn a Sunday final against hosts Russia. Having played in the disappointing Matchday 1 draw against Slovenia and then been dropped for the subsequent group encounters with Croatia and Russia, Bordignon earned a recall for the semi-final and more than justified his selection.
'Dream come true'
"A day like today is a dream come true," Bordignon told uefa.com. "After two years of work this squad deserves to go to the final. What were the secrets of defeating Spain? In my opinion they were above all the heart, the head and the will."
Keeping the faith
The Brillante C/5 player looked back at his roller-coaster week and revealed that he never lost heart after being dropped. "In the first match I didn't play very well in my opinion," Bordignon said. "But I remained calm and kept concentrating because I knew that my moment could come again. I trusted the squad and I knew I would have to give my best when I was recalled to the cause. Against Spain I expected to play, like all the others: I only thought about doing well, like all my team-mates."
Final task
Russia await now, a team Italy held 2-2 in Bordignon's absence on Thursday, not that he is bothered about who the Azzurrini face. "Now we don't have to think about our opponents," he said. "We must gain the European title."
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