Grana prize for Italy goalscorer

Nando Grana, top scorer in the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship, has not been as prolific this time around in Portugal but his second goal of the tournament probably eclipses in importance any of his six from two years ago.

Crucial goal
Less than three minutes into their semi-final against Russia, Nando Grana's strong free-kick deflected in off Cirilo. That gave Italy the lead they needed to stifle their opponents, notably the aforementioned Cirilo, before scoring again to claim a 2-0 victory and place in Sunday's final against Spain. Italy captain Grana told uefa.com: "Thank God I was fortunate enough to score from the free-kick even if it was with Cirilo's help, but I'm just happy I was able to help Italy to get to the final."

Cultures combined
Darley Fernando Grana, to give him his full name, was born in Brazil like much of the Italy squad, and the 28-year-old sees both futsal cultures repesented in the Azzurri's play. "I think the team displays a combination of Brazilian technique and Italian defending and it's exactly for that reason that we have qualified for the final," said Grana, a veteran of Italy's 1-0 victory against Ukraine in the 2003 decider.

Next step
However, a repeat of that triumph is far from secure. "We haven't finished the job yet," Grana warned. "We took it one game at a time starting with Portugal [the opening 0-0 draw] and now we have achieved our first goal, which was to play in the final. Now we may rest a bit and enjoy some quality time with our family before we start preparing the final game."