STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

Recently Luxol St. Andrews presented their futsal team for the coming Elite league 2016/17. They made a defenite investment in both local and foreign players, to return and have the most positive results as possible in the local futsal scenario. Owing to the fact that Luxol are the Knock Out holders, their first show up will be in the Super Cup Final against Champions Valletta.

Matthew Xerxen (ex Lija Athletic) and Clint Mifsud (ex Hamrun Spartans,) trained by former goalkeeper Nicholas Farrugia, will be Luxol’s goalkeepers. From their part, Luxol also obtained international players Giancarlo Sammut, Nicola Del Re and Romanian Emil Andrei Raducu. Luxol terminated the services of Florin Anton, Clint Cope, Carlos Scicluna and reserve goalkeeper Karl Lepre.

The current squad will also be made up of Mark Zammit, Carl Azzopardi, Matthew Attard, Glenn Bonello, Zvezdan Vukovic, Celino Alves, William Barbosa and Frane Despotovic. The latter will continue as coach, assisted by Zeljko Anicic. Luxol will continue to be administered by President Mario Vella, Chairman Joseph Aquilina, Vice President Jose Da Silva, Technical Director Nathaniel Jones and Honorary President George Xuereb. The team will be assisted by Sports Massage Therspist Joseph Buttigieg, Kit Manager Noel Briffa and Darren Aithchison who will also form part of Luxol’s executive committee.

In their investment, Luxol kept in mind their long term goal, to not only reach local honours but also be able to be competitive on a European scale. As a team they wish that the coming season will be a positive one not only for Luxol but also for the local futsal environment.

STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

In the final and decisive match in the Group F preliminary round of the UEFA Futsal Cup, Tbilisi State University manages to make it to the Main Round.

Hosts Sievi Futsal did their utmost in trying to be the qualifying team of the preliminary round. They managed to open the score through Jarmo Junno. Murtaz Kakabadze levelled the matters, while Rami Tirkkonen put Sievi again on the lead. Irakli Shelvegia and David Bobokhidze maintained the 3-2 advantage before the end of the first half.

The second half turned out to be quite thrilling one.  It was Sievi again who opened the score through Joni Pakola, who put them again on the lead. The Georgians seemed to want a win at all costs, as Archil Sebiskervadze and Shota Chanukvadze added two more goals for Tbilisi State University. Sievi’s last opportunity came when Joni Pakola reduced the score, which put them back into the game.

Finally Tbilisi State University defeated Sievi 5-4, which put them in the leading position of Group F. Tbilisi will join the preliminary round winners and the four highest-ranked entrants that were excused from the previous stage. These will be drawn into six groups of four, staged as one-venue mini-tournaments, with the top two teams going through.

ROBERT BUSUTTIL

Valletta gained their first win in the preliminary round Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup, after seeing off Wattcell United 9-3.
It was a collective win for the Citizens who had most of the possession and surged forward from the word go to install a four goal lead in the first 16 minutes.
The Scottish side tried to get back into the match but the Lilywhites were superior and maintained their 4-1 advantage before the interval.
In the second half, Valletta continued to dominate and managed to score five more times to obtain their first victory of the tournament which enabled Clayton Felice’s troops to place third in the tournament.
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats against Sievi FS 7-3 and Tbilisi University State 6-0, Valletta, on their first European participation, had also some good performances during these matches.
Cristian Cuadros Silva and Chris Cardona hit the target twice while Jovica Milijic, Dylan Musu, Denis di Maio, Vanderlei Augusto Reis and Endrit Kaca added more goals, for Valletta.
A brace by Christopher Donnelly and a goal by Ian McIntosh were on the target for Wattcell United, who finished bottom of the table with no points.

STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

Sievi Futsal continued their pursuit after Tbilisi State University, beating Wattcell Futsal Cup 13-3. Definitely, the last match from Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round, between Sievi and Tbilisi will be a decider for the qualified team.

Duo Rami Tirkkonen and Miika Hosio were the main protagonists for Sievi, both having a poker. Nikola Erceg had a hat trick and Jarmo Junno had a brace.

Gavin Malin missed a penalty for Wattcell but he managed to score a minute later. Christopher Donnelly was again in the scorers’ list scoring a brace.

Wattcell’s last match in the UEFA Futsal Cup will be next Saturday at 12:30 CET against Valletta.

STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

State University swept past Valletta 6-0. Former Hibernians player David Bobokhidze scored a brace while Archil Sebiskveradze from the penalty spot, together with Shota Chanukvadze, Nodari Kurtsadze and Nikoloz Kurtanidze added one each for Tbilisi. This was the second match from Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round, played in the Ylivieska Ice Arena in Sievi, Finland.
Valletta seemed to obtain a positive grip of the game as they took their chances, so much so that Denis Di Maio also hit the woodwork. The goalkeeper Neil Cuschieri did his job wonderfully, reflected in the number of saves from his part.
The first half had a mild effect on the Citizens’ motivation as the Georgians scored only in the final three minutes through Bobokhidze.
The second half however was a completely different story. Tbilisi State University took complete control of the game and scored another five goals. From Valletta’s side, Milijic, Augusto and Saliba each made an attempt to score, while Cuschieri committed a foul which led to a penalty which was also booked.
This win puts Tbilisi State University in a better position to be the leaders of Group F. Next Saturday, they will have a decisive encounter against hosts Sievi Futsal. The latter are set to play later today against Wattcell Futsal Club, who similar to Valletta have no chance for qualification.
Valletta’s adventure in the UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round will end next Saturday, with the last match against Wattcell Futsal Club.

ROBERT BUSUTTIL

Valletta FC have an arduous task ahead as they face Georgian champions Tbilisi State University (kick-off 15.30 hrs) in their second match from Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup preliminary round.
The team from Georgia has the moral sky high after their positive debut when they dominated Watcell United 12-4.
Their main objective is to gain another three points so that they could face Sievi FC in their final match with a strong motivation to win the group.
Valletta have lost their opening match against Finnish hosts Sievi FC 7-3. They know that today they are going to face a tough challenge but still want to show their best to contain their more quoted opponents.
Despite the upset of losing the first match, Valletta coach Clayton Felice will surely have been encouraged with the fighting qualities displayed by his players as they defended stoutly for much of the match and were also dangerous each time they pushed forward in quick forays.
The player lamented of the conditions of the court at the Ylivieska Ice Arena as they said it was slippery and very difficult to play futsal.
Tbilisi State University’s, Levan Kobaidze and David Bobokhidze, are very well-known faces for Valletta as they used to play for Hibernians in the local futsal league.
In another match from this group, Sievi FS are favourite to bag the three points at stake as they face Watcell United.

ROBERT BUSUTTIL

Valletta lost 7-3 to hosts FS Sievi in the first of three matches from the Qualifying Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Though the home team held the upper hand for some stretches of the match, the Citizens, held tight, gave a good account of themselves and even managed to break the deadlock after 5 minutes.
Sievi reacted quickly to turn the tables but the Citizens refused to throw in the sponge as they restored parity.
However the Finnish side produced a fierce reaction and scored five more goals to ensure of the first three points of the group.
During the match, Maltese keeper Neil Cuschieri, in particular, distinguished himself with a number of saves.

Prolific scorer Rami Tirkkonen was the main protagonist as he netted a poker for the host side while Miika Hosio, Joni Pakola and Juho Vainala also put their names on the score sheet.
Jovica Milijic, Xavier Saliba and Endrit Kaca were on the mark for Valletta.
In another match from this same group Georgian side, Tbilisi State University comfortably beat Watcell United 12-4.
Two more matches are being played tomorrow as Valletta face Tbilisi State University while FS Sievi play against Watcell Utd.

STANDINGS: Tbilisi State University, FS Sievi 3, Valletta FC, Watcell Utd 0.

STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

In the opening match from Group F of the UEFA Futsal Cup Preliminary Round, Tbilisi State University (TSU) easily gained their first three points against Wattcell. TSU were already leading 7-0 after the end of the first half.
Wattcell had a better second half as they reduced the score from Christopher Donnelly’s hat trick and Sean Muhsin’s goal from the second penalty mark. Archil Sebiskveradze missed the penalty but paid back later by scoring two goals.
Lasha Sigunava was the Georgian main protagonist with his hat trick and various more chances to score. Nikoloz Kurtanidze, Shota Chanukvadze, Kakhaber Maisaia, Malkhaz Murtskhvaladze, Levian Kobaidze, Irakli Shelegia and David Bobokhidze also netted for Tbilisi State University. Final score TSU beat Wattcell 12-4.
Tbilisi State University will be Valletta’s next opponent during tomorrow’s match scheduled at 15:30 CET.

ROBERT BUSUTTIL

Valletta will be going all out to mark their debut in the UEFA Futsal Cup with a spirited showing when they meet Finland’s FS Sievi this evening in the first qualifying round Group F match at the Ylivieska Ice-Arena (kick-off 18.00).
Clayton Felice, the Citizens’ mentor, is aware that his team face a difficult task to match the host side but is eyeing a positive result in today’s encounter to keep their moral high for the remaining two matches of the group.

STEPHEN AZZOPARDI

This site managed to contact Tbilisi State University’s captain David Bobokhidze, former Hibernians player together with Levan Kobaidze.
Winning the Georgian Championship for the first time ever, the eleven year old Tbilisi State University Futsal, will have the first appearance in the UEFA Futsal Cup Preliminary Round.
Bobokhidze admitted that Tbilisi State University will be very disappointed if they don’t pass the Preliminary Round in the UEFA Futsal Cup. As a team, they did their utmost last season to grab the title, and they are still doing their effort prior to the UEFA Futsal Cup competition. They have a positive feeling of their strength and ability to try and win every game, since every game has its own importance. Throughout the preliminary round they will remain 100% concentrated to avoid any mistakes.
They are led by their coach Avtandil Asatiani, who coached Hibernians in the past and is currently also coaching the Georgian national team. The technical staff consists of Assistant Coach Archil Bokeira and Mamuka Kvantaliani will assist the team medically. The club’s president is Irakli Kharjevanidze.
The squad is made up of 14 players, at least 8 of which play in the national team. Both the national team players, Zurab Lukava and Shota Tupuria, cannot make it due to injuries. Giorgi Nikvashvili, another important player, which was candidate to play for the national team, will be missing for Tbilisi State University as he is also injured. Being a team representing a Georgian university, it includes also Nika Kurtanidze and Nodo Khurtsidze, currently studying at the Tbilisi State University.
Bobokhidze also had time to meet some of his old friends, who are now playing with Valletta Futsal. He spoke with them in the hotel in Finland and he could depict from their eyes the fighting spirit for every inch in the arena. Bobokhidze praised Valletta Futsal for being an organized team with an excellent coaching staff and very good players. He added, that Valletta Futsal possess the right ingredients to success and he has high expectations of them in Group F. Obviously his first priority will be to succeed with Tbilisi State University but he’ll be glad to support Valletta in the other group matches.