Mokhov reveals secret behind semi-final stunner

MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg coach Sergei Skorovich called it "a crowning futsal creation". And Aleksei Mokhov, whose acrobatic volley set Ekaterinburg on their way to a 2-0 UEFA Futsal Cup semi-final defeat of MFK Dinamo Moskva last night, explained it was no fluke.

Stunning goal
The all-Russian tie was still goalless five minutes from time when Konstantin Timoschenkov sent in a cross from the left and to the delight of the capacity Ekaterinburg Palace of Sport crowd, Mokhov twisted his body in the air and hooked the ball past stunned Dinamo goalkeeper Alexey Popov. A minute later Pavel Chistopolov added a second, and hosts Ekaterinburg ensured they would have a chance to defend their European title in Sunday's final with Interviú Madrid.

Perfect timing
Mokhov, whose only other appearance on a UEFA Futsal Cup scoresheet was with his own goal in last year's 4-1 semi-final win against Kairat Almaty, revealed the work that went into his memorable strike. "We had tried it before but I just could not hit the net with that shot in training," he told uefa.com. "Today I exchanged glances with Kostya and understood what we were going to do. He provided me with a great ball and luckily I managed to hit it properly."

Tension
Prior to the goal the match had been as tight as expected between two teams who had already met six times in domestic competition this year, Ekaterinburg securing three victories and a draw in the league but Dinamo winning the Russian Cup final over two legs earlier this month. "The game was very tense," Mokhov said. "We were totally up for it and there was so many spectators. Besides the score was stuck at 0-0 for a long time, nobody could take the lead and we all waited for the breakthrough. We were afraid about making a mistake but in the end we were lucky enough to score and then to double the lead."

Zuev heroics
The fact that the game was still level when Mokhov scored had more than a little to do with Ekaterinburg goalkeeper Sergei Zuev, who had already proved the hero in last year's final penalty shoot-out win against ElPozo Murcia FS. "In my opinion Sergei Zuev is the best goalkeeper in the world," Mokhov said. "This year he has carried us on his shoulders in so many games, saved us plenty of times. There were two moments today too when he snatched the ball out of an empty net."

Unforgettable moments
Then came the end. "The minutes after the final whistle were unforgettable and that is what I like about futsal," Mokhov added. "Besides, we were defeated by Dinamo in the cup final and we wanted to make amends in front of our fans. It is cool that we have reached the UEFA Futsal Cup final for the second year in a row."