Charleroi keep final dream going

Belgian champions Action 21 Charleroi are targeting a UEFA Futsal Cup final place for a third year in a row after a strong performance tonight.

Decisive match
In a close contest, despite the final score, Charleroi kept their nerve to make it a second straight win in this Group B second qualifying round mini-tournament. They now face a decisive match against hosts SL Benfica on Saturday, with the winners making it through to the two-legged final on 24 April and 1 May.

Feller off
Italian title-holders Prato started strongly and tried to catch Charleroi goalkeeper Luca Cragnaz unawares with some long-range drives from goalkeeper Alexander Feller. However Feller was then sent off after just two minutes when he handled a chipped shot from Lúcio Rosa, after being caught out of his area following a blocked shot on goal.

Deadlock broken
Feller's replacement, Claudio Fiori, was soon called into action and found himself facing a barrage of shots by Lúcio, Jerry and Andre. However, Charleroi could not be kept at bay for long with Leonardo finally breaking the deadlock in the eighth minute after Prato gave away possession. Eder then made it 2-0 four minutes later by converting a quick counterattack.

Strong finish
There was to be no more scoring in the first half. However Andrè Mauricio Vicentini cut the deficit with a goal in the 21st minute but Prato were unable to build on that boost. Charleroi restored their two-goal advantage through Marcelo's tap-in in the 26th minute.

Scoring completed
Three minutes later, Jerry capitalised on a misunderstanding between Fiori and Franco Bernardi to make it four, and in the 38th minute, Luiz Aranha finished the scoring with a cross-shot from the left side.