Thanks to a brilliant turnaround, Sporting beat Barça 4-3 in the final and won their second European title in the past three seasons.
Sporting CP won the UEFA Futsal Champions League for the second time after turning around a 2-0 disadvantage at half-time, dethroning champions Barça in Zadar.
Last season, Barça lifted the trophy thanks to two early goals, and now it seemed to go the same way, thanks to Marcênio and Ximbinha, who took advantage of two Sporting mistakes. The game could have reached the interval with a more extended result, the result of the three shots to the irons of the Spanish team.
However, the “lions” emerged refreshed in the second half and in two minutes they reached the equalizer, thanks to goals from Zicky Té and Erick.
Sporting continued to press and João Matos, in his 15th game in the final stages (a record), touched Taynan’s free-kick against the net. Already playing with an advanced goalkeeper, Barça lost the ball and Erick hit the post, with Pany Varela making the charge.
Ferrao still reduced to three minutes from the end, but it was too late to avoid the “green-and-white” celebrations.
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Sporting are only the second team to reverse a two-goal disadvantage in a final, imitating Kairat Almaty’s feat against FC Dynamo in 2013 (as in this game, 2-0 at half-time and 4-3 at the end).
Marcênio’s goal was the fastest in a tournament final, beating Hernán Garcias’s goal for Montesilvano against Sporting in 2011.
Sportinguista João Matos and Spaniard Aicardo became the first players to play 15 games in the final stages of UEFA club futsal competitions.
@ UEFA via Sportsfile
