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Azerbaijan raised eyebrows by holding Portugal 3-3 last March. Now they are matched again in the semi-finals with Portugal coach Orlando Duarte saying their opponents "have proved their class".

Surprise selection Libor Gerčák saved three penalties in the Czech Republic's quarter-final shoot-out defeat of Italy and as he prepares to face Spain told uefa.com of his spot-kick prowess: "It's mainly luck."

Spain's record against the Czech Republic is formidable – played ten, won ten. Tomáš Neumann's side will have a hard task ending that trend in their UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-final.

The knowledge that Chelsea FC had knocked them off the Premier League summit did nothing to curb Manchester United FC joy on a night of cup disappointment for Olympique Lyonnais and AC Milan.

Galatasaray AŞ have continued their January recruitment drive by signing 20-year-old Mexican international Giovani Dos Santos on loan from Tottenham Hotspur FC until the end of the campaign.

The knowledge that Chelsea FC had knocked them off the Premier League summit did nothing to curb Manchester United FC joy on a night of cup disappointment for Olympique Lyonnais and AC Milan.

Europe's leading referees and newcomers to the international referees' list continue their preparations for an important year when they attend UEFA's winter courses in Malta next week.

Russia may have fallen in the quarter-finals but captain Konstantin Maevski felt Spain, who won on penalties, were the only side that could have eliminated them and said the tables would turn soon.

Serbia 1-5 Portugal
Relentless pressure, astute tackling and sturdy defending late on ensured Orlando Duarte's side a last-four meeting with Azerbaijan.

Coach José Venancio López said Spain deserved their quarter-final win against Russia despite having to progress on penalties after a goalless 40 minutes that Sergei Skorovich called "beautiful futsal".

Portugal captain Arnaldo was proud his side "finally delivered what was expected" as they beat Serbia 5-1 in Budapest to set up a UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-final tie with Azerbaijan.

AS Roma made it 16 games unbeaten with a 1-0 defeat of nine-man Calcio Catania in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, on a night when Tottenham Hotspur FC consolidated fourth spot in England.

Russia 0-0 Spain (Spain win 7-6 on pens)
The holders are through to the semi-finals on penalties following the first goalless knockout fixture in the tournament's history.

An A list of football stars appeared in Lisbon for the Match Against Poverty, a United Nations Development Programme event, backed by UEFA, which Zinédine Zidane and Ronaldo helped to organise.

R. Standard de Liège have brought left-back Sébastien Pocognoli back to the club from AZ Alkmaar for an undisclosed fee, the 22-year-old having began his career as a trainee with Les Rouches.

Manchester United FC have agreed terms with Fulham FC to sign England Under-21 defender Chris Smalling, with the 20-year-old set to link up with Sir Alex Ferguson's squad during the summer.

Bundesliga leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen face several more weeks without Simon Rolfes after the midfielder underwent an operation to repair cartilage in the knee that sidelined him earlier this term.

Log on to uefa.com for the latest from across the continent, with coverage of the UEFA European Futsal Championship in Hungary where the semi-final lineup will be completed this evening.

Italy's shoot-out defeat by the Czech Republic meant they failed to finish in the top-four for the first time but Roberto Menichelli said the overall outlook is "positive" as he focuses on a bright future.

David Frič scored the Czech Republic's winning penalty against Italy and said their underdog status freed them of pressure as Azzurri coach Roberto Menichelli rued his side's lack of "shape and belief".