Romania in way of hosts' dream

Neither Portugal nor Romania have played in a UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-final before – but one of them will put that right this week, after a Wednesday encounter in Gondomar that is effectively a knockout tie.

Portugal ahead
The hosts followed their 0-0 opening-day draw against Italy with a nervy 5-3 defeat of the Czech Republic to move a point above Romania in Group A, though behind the Azzurri on goal difference. Romania, in their first finals, beat the Czech Republic 8-4 but a 7-1 loss to Italy on Sunday showed the size of their task – they must now get maximum points against Portugal to pip the home nation to the last four.

Support
Portugal will, of course, have another fervent crowd behind them, and their support was vital in helping the local favourites recover a 3-1 deficit against the Czechs. Coach Orlando Duarte said: "I really want to thank all the fans. They have been extraordinary throughout the tournament. I hope we will win all our games because we want to give them something back for all the support they have provided. And we will try to progress as far as possible."

Improvement wanted
Nonetheless, Duarte wants his players to improve on their second showing. "The first half of that first half [against the Czechs] can be bettered, and we will try to do so in the coming games," he said. "It's not just about running and being enthusiastic on the pitch, there is a tactical side to respect and to always keep in mind. Of course, I would like to win and play well, but it's not that easy and I know what needs to be done."

Romanian achievement
Although Portugal are yet to reach a European semi-final, they have scaled such heights in the FIFA Futsal World Cup and their progress has been widely tipped in this tournament. By contrast, Romania were rank outsiders and for them to be in contention going into their last group game is a creditable achievement.

Goal met
Romania's coach, Zoltán Jakab, who in four years has taken the side from futsal novices to contenders, accepts that they remain underdogs even now – yet the fact they will definitely finish above the Czech Republic in the section means they have already exceeded many people's expectations. "Portugal's team are probably better than ours, they are top class," Jakab said. "But we will try to do our best against them and try to win. Our objective in this tournament was to avoid finishing bottom of the group. We have achieved it."