Boomerang withstand home surge

By Paul Saffer at the Pavilhão do SL Benfica

Boomerang Interviú FS ensured the Spanish monopoly of the UEFA Futsal Cup continued, but they were grateful for their 4-1 first-leg lead as SL Benfica pushed them hard in Lisbon.

Hat-trick in vain
Daniel and Marquinho's first-half away goals seemed to have put Benfica in control, but the home side came close to scoring the goals they needed as captain André Lima struck a hat-trick, the second and third coming in a pulsating one-minute spell.

Julio suspended
Buoyed on by a boisterous crowd in excess of 2,500, Benfica only changed their reserve goalkeeper from last week. Boomerang were without their suspended captain Julio, and opted to start with eleven men rather than 12, with second-string goalkeeper Jesús filling Julio's leadership role.

Early exchanges
A second-minute goal last week in Spain had set Boomerang on the right track, and Benfica soon had a distinct sense of déjà vu. There had already been a warning in the opening seconds as Daniel, who scored two goals in the first leg, sent through Orol only for Zé Carlos to save with his legs.

Daniel's magic
Not long afterwards, though, Zé Carlos was beaten. The same two Boomerang players combined, but this time Orol was the supplier as his kick-in was turned in from close range by Daniel. Still, Benfica - and their fans - were not giving up easily, and always looked to put the Boomerang defence under pressure.

Benfica score
Daniel and Ricardinho both picked up bookings in the next couple of minutes as the struggle became even more intense, and Benfica then reignited the tie. Lukaian jinked down the left and sent the ball through the legs of team-mate Majó for Rogério Vilela to gratefully turn it in.

Second away goal
Schumacher was proving a rock in defence for Boomerang, though, as Benfica looked to at least force the game into extra time. With four minutes to go in the half, Luis Amado made a great save from Chico, and at the other end Daniel could not convert a one-on-one. But Boomerang added a vital second away goal soon after, Marquinho picking up the ball on the left, turning and shooting powerfully.

Home spirit
Even though they needed to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 6-2 lead after the break to win the tie, Benfica still attacked with spirit in the second half. Lukaian was again the inspiration, having a free-kick blocked before creating another goal.

Captain on target
It was a fine piece of play as he picked up the ball on halfway, strode forward and slid a diagonal ball through the Boomerang defence for his captain André Lima to turn in. This seemed to awaken Boomerang, and only the heroics of Zé Carlos kept out Daniel as the visitors counterattacked at pace.

Treble completed
Twins Andreu and Joan showed their intuition with a quick move nine minutes from the end which resulted in the No10 hitting the post. At the other end, Luis Amado dived at full stretch to stop a goal-bound Arnaldo shot. However, he could do nothing to keep out two André Lima goals within seconds of each other as he completed his hat-trick to give hope of a stunning comeback. The first came after a corner, the next was a long shot that left his side within two of their target.

Tie settled
But Daniel then turned in Marquinho's through-ball to settle Boomerang's nerves, and the task proved beyond Benfica. Their passion, though, had made this final a thriller.