Italy to face Iran in two friendlies

Alex Merlim and Fortino will feature for the Italian national team in two friendlies against Iran next week.

The Italians are currently gearing up for the 2016 world Cup, where they are in Group G alongside the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan.

Portugal to face the Netherlands on the 19th and 20th

Jorge Braz has included four Sporting players in his quad for two friendlies against the Netherlands on the 19th and 20th of October.

Djô, João Matos, Miguel Ângelo and Pedro Cary are the Alvalade quartet who will travel to Rotterdam for the fixtures.

Alvalade pair for Italy in Croatia friendlies

Alex Merlim and Fortino will both feature for Italy’s futsal national team in two friendly games against Croatia next week.

Sporting put five past Dynamo Zagreb

Sporting won the Futsal Merva Cup in Switzerland this weekend, courtesy of a 5-0 win in the final against Dynamo Zagreb after beating Minerva 8-3 in the semi-final.

The team from Alvalade made a solid start to the encounter, pushing the pace of the game and largely leaving Zagreb to chase shadows. On 2 minutes, Fortino threatened with an acrobatic effort, before finishing with a much simpler shot a couple of seconds later. Merlim could have the second immediately after, but his shot was denied by the keeper Skoric.

Dynamo made their first foray forward in the 7th minute, but Marcão threw himself in front of the shot to keep Sporting ahead. While the Croatians looked intimating physically, their technical capacity was largely smothered by a Sporting side that went 2-0 ahead in the 8th minute though with a left-footed strike, followed by Cavinato a goal by minute later. Just five minutes had passed when the Brazilian born Italian secured his brace, after picking up the rebound following Diogo’s effort.

The game slowed after the early raid in the Zagreb goal and Nuno Dias used the opportunity to test some lesser used plays, with Marcão pushing high up the pitch on several occasions.

The second-half started with more chances for Sporting and a goal would have immediately followed if Skoric hadn’t done well to deny Diogo. Again the pace slowed, giving the Croatians the chance to build some opportunities of their own, but Marcão was looking in unbeatable form, with the Sporting keeper making two saves from 1 on 1 situations.

Fortino was again placed to the action five minutes after the break and two minutes later he created a situation down the right that was only missing a better finish. Looking to salvage a consolation, Zagreb put on a forward keeper late on, but a 49th minute strike from Gonçalo Portugal rubberstamped a Sporting victory that was never really in question.