Nice one Cirilo, let's have another one

Brazil is considered the cradle of futsal and it was also the birthplace of the man who is looking to gun down Ukraine tonight having inspired Russia's 5-3 victory against Serbia on Saturday.

'Excellent debut'
Cirilo is now a naturalised Russian having settled in the country to play for MFK Spartak Moskva and then UEFA Futsal Cup holders MFK Dinamo Moskva, and his hat-trick of sublime strikes earned him the Carlsberg Man of the Match award in the opening UEFA European Futsal Championship Group B defeat of Serbia. It was his competitive bow for his adopted nation and he was thrilled. "It was an excellent debut especially because we managed a win in as difficult a tournament as this one," Cirilo told uefa.com. "Our team wasn’t at their best at the start of the second half and Serbia equalised but we showed our strength in the end."

Russian invitation
The 27-year-old came into the Russia set-up this year with club-mate Pelé Junior, and Cirilo admits that much has altered since his days playing in South America. "Being part of the national team of Russia is very different, of course," Cirilo said. "They invited me and I accepted, and now I am very happy to be here at the European Championship." Coach Oleg Ivanov is also delighted to have him, saying: "I don't care that he is Brazilian. The most important thing is that he is the strongest in this position in Russia and is the top scorer in the league."

'Tough game'
Today's fixture matches two old rivals, meeting for the eleventh time in 12 years - with Russia leading 8-2 in wins despite a loss in the 2005 EURO finals. Cirillo, who knows a ninth victory could be enough to seal a spot in the last four at the expense of their neighbours, said: "Ukrainian futsal is very similar to that played by Russia. The passing, the counterattacks - it’s pretty much the same so it’s going to be a tough game for us."