Sporting back at the Futsal Champions League summit

Like in much of sport, the 2020/21 edition of the UEFA Futsal Champions League was like no other, and ended with a one-off eight-team final tournament in Zadar, Croatia, where Sporting CP gained their second title in three years.

The travel restrictions inherent in the COVID-19 pandemic meant the usual mini-tournaments were scrapped and replaced with three rounds of single-legged knockout games, leading to that eight-sided finals. Zadar was a late choice to be the first neutral finals venue in the competition's history, and alongside familiar names like holders Barça, former champions Benfica, Inter FS, Kairat Almaty, Sporting and Ugra Yugorsk, and 2020 bronze-medallists KPRF, there were the first Slovenian finals contenders in Dobovec.

With the knockout bracket formed by coefficient seedings, eighth-ranked Dobovec found themselves facing reigning champions Barça but rather held their own in only losing 2-0. Earlier that day a thriller had opened the quarter-finals as Benfica twice equalised to force extra time against Kairat, who despite having Higuita sent off rallied in the added ten minutes to win 6-2 and become the first ten-time semi-finalists.

Inter looked solid the following day as they avenged their 2016 final loss to Ugra by a 3-0 scoreline. Then after a crazy first half, Sporting found themselves 3-2 up against KPRF and that was how it ended.

Sporting and Inter were to collide in the semi-finals and added to their recent collection of memorable encounters. Only late goals by Pany Varela and Erick finally confirmed a 5-2 victory for Sporting's blend of skill and physicality.

Spain were to have a finalist though, as Ferrao's hat-trick proved the difference in Barça's 3-2 defeat of Kairat, meaning the decider would match the 2019 champions with the 2020 winners.

A fourth title for Barça seemed likely when Marcênio scored on 51 seconds, the fastest goal in any of the competition's 20 finals, and Ximbinha made it 2-0 late in a first half the holders dominated. But Sporting were unbeaten in 45 games and well over a year going into this contest and would produce a stunning comeback after the break, inspired by 19-year-old Zicky Té.

Six minutes into the second half another recent academy product, Tomás Paço, set up Zicky to become the first teenager to score in a UEFA futsal club final tournament. Just 91 seconds later it was 2-2, Pany Varela's kick-in headed home by Erick.

Sporting kept pushing and João Matos, like Aicardo making a record-equalling 15th finals appearance, tapped in after Taynan's free-kick squeezed through the legs of Didac Plana; the fightback had taken less then five minutes.

Under ten minutes remained for Barça but as they pushed, Erick hit the post with the holders' goal unguarded and Pany Varela, previously a winner with Benfica in 2010, followed up. Ferrao pounced to pull one back with three minutes left with his finals-leading fifth goal but it was not enough.

João Matos said: "It's difficult to put into words what we are feeling. An amazing achievement for us based on commitment and togetherness against a great team like Barça."