Konstantinou feels Cypriot pride

Cyprus may have needed a favour from Romania to reach the UEFA European Futsal Championship qualifying round, but as they now come up against holders Spain, coach Petros Konstantinou is taking a realistic view of their chances.

'Very pleased'
When Cyprus lost their final preliminary round Group C match in Malta 6-3 to Kazakhstan, they knew they needed Romania to defeat Latvia in the Group B decider to allow the islanders through as the second-best runners-up on goal difference. Romania won 7-1 to ensure Cyprus were rewarded for defeating Malta by that very score and Georgia 4-1. "We are very pleased with our performances," Konstantinou told uefa.com. "Our target was to qualify from the preliminary stage and we achieved that goal."

Spain trip
Konstantinou's side are now in qualifying round Group C next month against F.Y.R. Macedonia, Poland, and pool hosts Spain, who will be in no mood to relinquish their title without even reaching the finals in Porto. The 32-year-old coach was a player when Cyprus lost 13-0 to Poland in 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifying, and soon afterwards in the previous European edition they also progressed past the first stage but then lost to Andorra before an 8-0 defeat by Portugal ended their hopes.

'Extremely difficult'
Konstantinou knows that on paper his side have little if any chance of toppling the world champions on their own territory. "We have to be realistic about our chances when we play Spain - a side who are one of the best in the world," he said. "Our chances border between extremely difficult to impossible. However, we will hold on to the idea that nothing is totally impossible."

Building blocks
Futsal is a sport on the rise in Cyprus and is quickly developing into a leading pastime for many locals. In the last five years, scores of futsal pitches have sprouted up around the island with an official league being launched in 2000. "There has been some significant steps made forward in Cypriot futsal," Konstantinou said. "Our aim is to build a futsal team worthy of doing themselves proud but to also continuously develop a new generation of players."

National pride
Having only retired from playing two years ago, Konstantinou knows only too well the motivation of wearing the national shirt. And should a shock result occur, it would not be the first time that the Cypriots had humbled the mighty Spaniards. In UEFA EURO 2000™ qualifying, the island's footballers shocked Javier Clemente's side 3-2 in Larnaca. "We need to play for our country with pride and not to simply make up the numbers in the group," Konstantinou said. With that mentality in mind, Spain should be wary of yet another shock defeat.