Old rivals to do battle
Friday, November 26, 2004
Article summary
A four-way European showdown stands out in the FIFA Futsal World Championship second stage.
Article body
Eight left
The original 16 finalists have been cut to eight with Friday's conclusion of the first group stage. The remaining countries have now been split into two pools of four, with each team playing three matches in either Taipei City or Tao Yuan County, the two tournament venues.
UEFA interest
Group E is dominated by European nations with Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Czech Republic competing for the two semi-final places on offer. Group F features Ukraine going up against South America's top two sides, Argentina and Brazil, as well as the United States. The games will be played on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
Final repeat?
The teams finishing first and second in each section will contest the semi-finals on Friday 3 December, with the winners of those ties in Taipei City going on to the final on Sunday week at the same location. Spain are the holders after beating three-time world champions Brazil in Guatemala four years ago and a repeat of that showpiece is still possible.