Spain send warning to rivals
Monday, February 26, 2007
Article summary
Spain captain Javi Rodríguez says the holders were "at their best" as they earned a place in the Porto finals with three wins and 22 goals in qualifying Group C.
Article body
Holders Spain qualified for the UEFA European Futsal Championship finals in Porto with three wins from as many games, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two, and captain Javi Rodríguez says his team are already gearing up for November's tournament in Porto.
'Very important'
Having taken control of Group C by beating F.Y.R. Macedonia 6-1 and Cyprus 11-1, Spain wrapped up qualification yesterday in the Madrid suburb of Pinto thanks to a 5-0 victory against Poland. Javi Rodríguez said: "The win was very important for us and now we have eight months to work hard and improve."
Top scorer
Javi Rodríguez scored twice against Cyprus and matched that tally in front of a 5,000 crowd against Poland to finish as the mini-tournament's leading goal-getter. "To be the top scorer is just a bonus as the important thing is to have qualified," he said. "I hadn't scored many goals for the national team over the last two years.
'At our best'
"There are games when you feel great, and others where you play just as well but you don't score and it seems you've actually played worse," he continued. "Against Poland we were all at our best. Poland played to defend and didn't want us to score, to see if we got nervous. For us to score so early in the game was a heavy burden for them, and they struggled physically with the rhythm we imposed."
