Schumacher's hunger whetted by latest success
Saturday, April 25, 2009
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Interviú Madrid will bid for an unprecedented third UEFA Futsal Cup triumph on Sunday and one of three players to remain from both previous final wins, Schumacher, was delighted after their defeat of Kairat Almaty.
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On Sunday, Interviú Madrid will bid for an unprecedented third UEFA Futsal Cup triumph and one of three players to remain from both previous final victories, Schumacher, was delighted after their last-four defeat of Kairat Almaty.
Kairat defeated
Schumacher's two early goals were the key to the Spanish side's 5-0 win at the Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport on Friday night, taking them into their fourth final in six year. The Brazilian, like goalkeeper Luis Amado and Spanish international Daniel, helped Interviú to victory in 2004 and 2006, before losing the 2007 final to MFK Dinamo Moskva, and Schumacher praised the efforts of the squad in overcoming Kairat.
Team effort
"We started very well against Kairat," Schumacher told uefa.com. "Everybody was concentrating hard on what they had to do and everybody did what they had to do at such a game. Then, in the second half, we slowed down a bit, but most important thing is to have qualified for the final. We have reached the final thanks to the efforts of the whole team, and all the players performed really well."
Final experience
The 33-year-old is no stranger to the big occasion – this season alone he has helped Brazil win the FIFA Futsal World Cup and Interviú lift the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. "This is going to be my fourth European final, with two victories behind us and one final that we lost in Murcia against Dinamo," Schumacher said. "In addition, we have already played two finals in domestic competition this year, and this Sunday we will play our third final this season, and I really hope we will win it. We have a good enough squad to achieve it and I am convinced it will be a very attractive match."
'Beautiful challenge'
He added that his club's many past successes have not dampened their enthusiasm to keep on winning. "Every player in this team, with so many internationals, always goes on to the pitch to win and to do his best," Schumacher said. "We have a great squad, with players who have won everything at both club and national level, but we are all still very motivated to win as we have a beautiful challenge ahead of us, and this team is ready to win."
