Dinamo end Charleroi reign

Action 21 Charleroi's reign as UEFA Futsal Cup holders is over following a defeat by the side they beat to lift the trophy last April.

Dinamo delight
Having lost 4-1 to FC Shakhtar Donetsk in their second qualifying round Group B opener in Belgrade yesterday, Charleroi knew they could not afford another loss as they squared up to MFK Dinamo Moskva. However, the Russian side recovered from conceding two early goals to not only gain revenge on Charleroi, but also to move to within a point of the semi-finals.

Exciting start
It seemed Charleroi's performance on Sunday would only be a blip when they scored twice in the first four minutes through Robinho, looking superb having missed the match against Shakhtar, and Lúcio Rosa. But Dinamo showed their fighting spirit in coming from behind to draw 4-4 with KMF Marbo Beograd on Sunday, and by the end of the fifth minute were level. First Pelé converted a free-kick from six metres out and then Tatu and Joan combined to set up ex-Charleroi man Kelson for the equaliser.

Thriller repeated
So the scene was set for an encounter which brought back memories of these teams' thrilling two-legged 2005 final, which Charleroi won 10-9 after extra time in Moscow. Joan, Sirilo, Tatu and Konstantin Maevski were inspired for Dinamo, while Alex, Lúcio Rosa, Giuliano and Robinho showed the Belgian champions would not give up their European title without a fight.

Charleroi crumble
But Tatu, a recent Dinamo signing, made a decisive move with nine minutes left as he beat two Charleroi players and shot into the right-hand corner of the net. Now all five Charleroi players joined the attack, leaving Dinamo to score on the counterattack in the 39th minute through both Maevskiy and Joan. Dinamo had accumulated six fouls, and Alex converted a long penalty in the final minute, but after Robinho was taken down he missed his next attempt and Charleroi's campaign was over.

Point needed
Dinamo will go through with a point against already-qualified Shakhtar on Wednesday, while if they are defeated they will hope Charleroi do not lose to Beograd to leave the runners-up spot decided by goal difference. The Russian champions' coach Viktor Papaev said: "Our goalkeeper Pavel Stepanov was brilliant."

Benatti reacts
His opposite number Sergio Benatti said: "We played this match with only five players. The rest were very bad and one of them, I do not want to say his name, played like he was on the beach, not in a very important European competition. I congratulate Dinamo. My team is still young and we must wait for better results. Club politics mean we now mix Belgian and Brazilian players, but we must remember their ages."