By Sports Reporter/Doha


Al Rayyan face a daunting task at the Futsal Intercontinental Cup, which begins today in Doha. The Qatar champions are in the toughest of the two groups, with Group B also comprising Spanish futsal league champions Inter Movistar, Libertadores Cup winners Magnus Futsal and Portuguese champions Benfica.
Two teams from a group make it to the semi-final stage, and Rayyan players will have to produce performances of their lives to make it to the knock-stage.
The tournament brings together eight of the world’s best futsal teams who will battle it out for the winners’ trophy at two venues — the Aspire Ladies Sports Hall and Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena, which will host the final on June 29th.
The other teams in the fray are Spain’s FC Barcelona Lassa, Brazilian giants Carlos Barbosa, Asian champions Tasisat Daryaei of Iran and Dynamo Moscow of Russia, who have been drawn together in Group A.
Rayyan will open their campaign against Inter Movistar today at Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena and it won’t be easy for them. This season, Inter has already won the League and Super Cup in Spain. They are also with most intercontinental titles, having won the tournament five times, consecutively from 2005 to 2011.
However, since their last triumph at home in Madrid, they have not even reached the final and are determined to break the drought here in Doha.
Al Rayyan, meanwhile, are hoping that playing at home will help them spring a few surprises. The Qatar champions are coached by Spaniard Cesar Nunez, who believes the tournament will serve as a good exposure for his boys.
“We are very excited to be participating in the tournament. It’s being held in Qatar and we want to do well. But it won’t be easy for us. There are some world class teams out there, who have got more exposure than us,” he said.
“Our first match is very important. But we are playing against Inter, who I believe are top futsal team in the world. Our players are very excited to play against them. It’s an opportunity for us to see how good we are. We will give it our all,” Nunez said.
Al Rayyan’s key player Lucas de Oliveira said they will look to have fun. “It’s not easy playing against these teams. But we are here to give our best. We want to go out there and enjoy playing against some big teams like Inter and Magnus,” he said.
For Inter, it’s the end of the season. While fatigued they are, the prospect of winning the sixth title has kept them focused. The Jesus Velasco-coached side wants to end the season on a high.
In its 15th edition, the Intercontinental Futsal Cup is considered to be one of the best club’s tournaments in the world. The inaugural edition of the tournament was held at Porto Alegre in Brazil in 1997 when Sport Club Internacional of Brazil won the title beating FC Barcelona 4-2 in the final.
The last edition of the tournament took place in 2013 and was won by Russian club Dynamo Moscow FC after they beat Brazilian club Carlos Barbosa 5-1.
The National Futsal League of Spain is collaborating with Qatar Football Association to organise the tournament in Doha. One of the main attractions of the event will be the presence of Brazilian great Falcao (Alessandro Rosa Vieira), widely considered the best futsal player in the world.
Falcao, who has been named the ambassador for the event, has won several titles with his national team as well as for various clubs around the world as a professional.

Today’s matches
At Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena:
Al Rayyan vs Inter Movistar, 9pm;
SL Benfica vs Magnus Futsal, 10:45pm
At Aspire Ladies Sports Hall:
FC Dynamo vs Carlos Barbosa, 9pm;
Tasisat Daryaei vs FC Barcelona Lassa, 10:45pm