Barcelona dig deep to beat Dynamo in final thriller

FC Barcelona are European club champions for a second time in three seasons after once more getting the better of FC Dynamo in the UEFA Futsal Cup final, this time with a three-goal extra-time flourish in Baku.

On an evening when a minute's silence honoured the memory of the late former Barcelona football coach Tito Vilanova, the Spanish team recovered from conceding Romulo's ninth-minute opener to build a second-half lead through Gabriel and Dyego. Tatù equalised for the Muscovites, but Fernandão made the difference at the start of overtime, with Sergio Lozano and Paco Sedano sealing matters at the death. The victory followed the Blaugrana's 3-1 triumph over Dynamo in Lleida in 2012.

The decisive moment of the first period arrived when Dynamo defender Romulo received Nando's pass back to him and let fly from distance beyond Sedano. Prior to that Barcelona's Aicardo had ruffled the side netting and scooped over from Dyego's assist.

Once Dynamo – contesting a record sixth final – had edged in front, they were content to hold onto what they had. Romulo made one vital interception as the Russian side survived several scares. For all Barça's precision and possession, the closest Marc Carmona's team came was Lozano's disallowed strike from a prematurely taken corner.

Indeed Fernandinho might have made it two, before Romulo – man of the match with two assists in Thursday's 2-1 semi-final victory over title holders Kairat Almaty, which avenged their final defeat last term – brought a fingertip stop from Sedano.

Dynamo's caution was understandable given they had lost the last two finals. However, a better omen was that their 2007 triumph had come after similar back-to-back reverses. Tino Pérez's men were forced into a rethink early in the second period, though, when now four-time European champion Gabriel rifled in the equaliser from a fair way out.

The game opened up. Attempts from Aleksandr Fukin, Paulinho and Tatù prefigured Sedano's point-blank block from Fernandinho. Within a minute Dyego was denied by Gustavo at one end before, at the other, Romulo rattled the upright. Then Fernandinho nodded wide as Barça realised they were in a contest every bit as fluid as their 4-4 semi-final thriller with Araz Naxçivan.

The Catalans fully embraced the challenge by registering next, Dyego firing under Gustavo from Aicardo's lay-off for his second goal of these Azerbaijan finals. The lead barely lasted before Tatù stroked home from Paulinho's assist. Chances came and went, notably when Cirilo smacked the woodwork.

Narrow margins eventually decided the match at the beginning of extra time. After Tatù had hit the post, Aicardo returned the compliment, only for the ball to bounce up for Fernandão to head in. Dynamo deployed Nando as flying goalkeeper to provoke further excitement at the Sarhadchi Olympic Sport Complex – but it was Barcelona who took advantage with long-range strikes from Lozano and Sedano into the empty net.