There's a new name in the Serie A futsal hall of fame: that of Sardinian Lorenzo Etzi's L84, who accomplished a real feat last night. In the third game of the championship, after a win apiece , the Turin team won 3-4 at two-time defending champions Meta Catania, after a match filled with dramatic twists and turns.
Etzi didn't play, he wasn't included in the squad list, but he was among the first to celebrate on the pitch, wrapped in the Quattro Mori flag. A double Sardinian victory, because the L84 goalkeeping coach is the islander Marco Pasculli, and in a "derby" against Michele Podda , who once again was among the key players in a final but had to surrender.
After last Thursday's 2-1 win in Biella and Sunday's 6-3 victory at PalaCatania, last night was the decisive match. L84 took the lead in the 4th minute through Vander Salas, but Podda equalized in the 11th minute with a powerful left-footed strike following Pulvirenti's rebound . It was the Villaspeciosa full-back's sixth goal of the playoffs. Murilo put the Piedmontese side back in front a few seconds later, with Fortini extending their lead to two goals in the 14th minute. Podda again hit the crossbar with an incredible shot, and Pulvirenti added the rebound to make it 2-3 in the 16th minute. In the second half, with Tuli sent off for a second yellow card, after two minutes of manpower, Meta Catania equalized from the penalty spot through Turmena (4'), but Maxi Rescia, falling in the 12th minute, sealed the 3-4 draw on a Murilo play. In the final minutes, Podda and Sacon both came close to equalising, which would have forced extra time, but the five-a-side football championship ended in Turin.