Three in three for Castellón

Playas de Castellón F.S. made it three wins from three to set up a titanic tie with Sporting Clube de Portugal in the UEFA Futsal Cup semi-finals.

Charleroi thwarted
The Spanish team finished top of Group B after beating injury-hit Action 21 Charleroi 3-1 in Lisbon on Thursday. Despite their defeat, the Belgian team have also progressed to the last four and will play MNK Split 1700 in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Joan scores again
It was a close contest in the first half with Tangana Mokulu firing home from close range for Charleroi in the 15th minute to open the scoring. Castellón's Joan equalised by converting a direct free-kick for his eighth goal of the competition, a strike which further extended his lead at the top of the scorers' chart.

Cupim sees Castellón home
Brazilian player Cupim then added two in the second half to give the Spanish side a stranglehold on the game that they never relinquished. Javi Rodríguez, wearing his distinctive yellow trainers came close to extending the lead, but Castellón had to settle for their least emphatic victory so far after 9-0 and 7-1 victories earlier in the week.

Belgians hope for better luck
Their Belgian opponents, who showed some neat touches and effective passing, will hope for better luck in front of goal if the sides meet again in the final.

'You can never let your form slip'
Rodríguez, who was involved in a lot of Castellón's good play, is enjoying playing in the tournament and in an in-form team. "It is great to play in such a team, surrounded by great players," he said. "It is a big motivation because you can never let your form slip, knowing there are others waiting to take your place."

'We still played a good match'
Charleroi, who were missing key players including Luca Cragnaz and Valery Celli, will have a stronger pool of players to choose from for Saturday's semi-final. Considering the absentees, coach Ricardo Menezes da Silva was particularly pleased with his side's showing especially as they were aware they had already progressed. "We had a lot of players out but I think we still played a good match," he said. "We had to take care not to lose any more players."