The four UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round groups producted a total of well over 150 goals, as FC Adana Yerevan, Toligma Chisinau, Skövde AIK and FK Nafta Mazeikiai made their way into next month's Main round.
Perfect start
Austria, Germany, Malta, Scotland, Switzerland and Sweden were represented for the first time in a record entry of 40 clubs, necessitating a change of format and a rise in the number of opening-stage groups from one to four. And the Swedish side, Skövde, were the first to progress, clunching Group C in Bulgaria with a game to spare and ending with a 100 per cent record.
Dramatic finishes
That was matched in Group B by competition debutants Toligma of Moldova, who pipped Andorran hosts Granvalira FC Encamp 3-2 today after both went into the game with maximum points. The other Saturday qualifiers were Armeni's Adana who defeated France's Roubaix Futsal 7-4 to move on to seven points, and then saw their place sealed when Finland's Futsal Mad Max were held 5-5 by Scottish home team Fair City Santos. Nafta from Lithuania were the only hosts to go through, and needed a late equaliser in their decider against Parnassos Nicosia of Cyprus to gain the point they required.
October fixtures
Skövde, Adana, Nafta and Toligma now fill the vacant slots in Groups 2,3,4 and 5 respectively, and they like the 20 other Main round contenders will be in action in mini-tournament in mid-October. This time two teams will advance from each group to join holders Boomerang Interviú and fellow seeds MFK Dinamo Moskva, Action 21 Charleroi and El Pozo Murcia FS in the Elite round draw on 31 October.
Main round
Group 1 (hosts in bold)
To be played 10-13 October | | Kairat Almaty (KAZ) | | Arzignano Grifo C/5 (ITA) | | Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava (SVK) | | KMF Partizan Sarajevo (BIH) |
|
Main round
Group 2 (hosts in bold)
To be played 12-15 October | | MNK Split (CRO) | | Athina '90 Athens (GRE) | | Araz Naxçivan (AZE) | | Skövde AIK (SWE) |
|
Main round
Group 3 (hosts in bold)
To be played 9-12 October | | Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) | | Clearex Chorzów (POL) | | KMF Alfa Parf Skopje (MKD) | | FC Adana Yerevan (ARM) |
|
Main round
Group 4 (hosts in bold)
To be played 12-15 October | | Dorozhnik Minsk (BLR) | | Iberia 2003 Tbilisi (GEO) | | CC LKW Jistebník (CZE) | | FK Nafta Mazeikiai (LTU) |
|
Main round
Group 5 (hosts in bold)
To be played 10-13 October | | FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | | FC Raba (LAT) | | Futsal Club Gödöllői (HUN) | | Toligma Chisinau (MDA) |
|
Main round
Group 6 (hosts in bold)
To be played 12-15 October | | KMF Marbo Beograd (SER) | | FC Marlène Kras Ster (NED) | | GIP Beton MTO Zagorje (SLO) | | CIP DEVA (ROU) |
|
The draw for the Preliminary and Main rounds was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on 7 July 2006. The top two teams from each Main round group progress to the Elite round, where they and the four seeds will be drawn into four pools of four sides played in December. The group winners advance to the Final Four event from 26-28 April 2007.
