Candelas urges caution

By Paul Saffer in Torrejón de Ardoz

A 4-1 lead going into the second leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup final is far from enough to guarantee the trophy - so says Boomerang Interviú FS coach Jesús Candelas.

Crucial advantage
His team have a crucial advantage ahead of their trip to Portuguese champions SL Benfica next Saturday, but the Spanish title-holders' team chief admitted to uefa.com: "I don't know whether the lead is enough for when we play the return leg but I hope we show the same determination as we have here today and try to be the better team."

'Competitive match'
Three goals in the first four minutes gave Boomerang an advantage they never lost, and even extended in the second half before Arnaldo's late strike, which was no more than Benfica deserved for an attacking display throughout the game. Candelas said: "It was a very competitive match. Benfica surprised us with their physical strength."

Key men
What was not surprising, though, was the form of Boomerang's Schumacher and Luis Amado. Brazilian Schumacher was a thrilling mix of towering defender and skilful playmaker. His talent led to the second goal, seconds after the first, dribbling through the Benfica defence before his shot was turned in by Daniel.

'Good advantage'
Daniel then went on to add his second and Boomerang's third, and said: "We are particularly happy with the result. Four-one is a good advantage bearing in mind Benfica could have put more goals past us."

Praise for Benfica
The reason they did not is due to Boomerang's goalkeeper. Luis Amado pulled off a string of saves to continually deny Benfica, only beaten in the final seconds. However, he was generous to his opponents after the game, telling uefa.com: "Benfica have proved they are a great team, very quick and dangerous on the counterattack, which surprised us because here in Spain the game is not geared towards quick breaks."

Coach happy with team
Benfica coach Alípio Matos was full of praise for his team, believing that their play deserved more than a solitary goal. "In an atmosphere like this, we proved we were a great team," he said. "I think the result here is not fair. But Boomerang are a very, very good team - their defence made the difference."

Still hope
But the tie is still not over, and at the Pavilhão da Luz there will be plenty of fans willing Benfica on. "Next week we want to win the game in front of our supporters," said Matos. "We want to play a good quality of Futsal and put on a good show."

Fans' support
Indeed, those fans proved their worth to the visitors, singing throughout, not letting up even during Boomerang's superb start. Matos declared: "The supporters of Benfica are the best in the world. They supported the team from start to finish. I think it is beautiful to watch."