Cartagena, Etoile Lavalloise, Palma and Sporting CP reach UEFA Futsal Champions League semi-finals after dramatic quarter-final night

Explosive starts, decisive red cards and resilient comebacks defined a thrilling quarter-final second-leg night on 6 March as four very different clubs booked their places in the Champions League semi-finals in Pesaro.

A night of momentum swings and defining moments

The 2025/26 UEFA Futsal Champions League quarter-finals concluded on Friday 6 March, delivering a night that captured everything that makes elite futsal so compelling: rapid scoring bursts, emotional crowd atmospheres and the razor-thin margins of knockout football.

(Main image: Cartagena v Kairat Almaty – source of the image: Cartagena Instagram page)

When the dust settled, Sporting CP, Illes Balears Palma, Cartagena Costa Cálida and Etoile Lavalloise had emerged from four gripping ties to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Those semi-finals will be played during the competition’s four-team finals event in Pesaro, Italy from 8–10 May, with the draw determining the matchups scheduled for 17 March.

Pesaro has several kilometres of fine sandy beach – and a Rossini festival in July. Photograph: Pavel Dudek/Alamy

Yet the bare results only tell part of the story. Across Europe, the second legs produced a remarkable blend of derby drama, tactical gambles, disciplinary turning points and historic breakthroughs.

Sporting CP 7–4 Benfica (10–8 agg): a Lisbon derby that ignited instantly

Few rivalries in European futsal carry the intensity of Sporting CP vs Benfica, and the second leg at Pavilhão João Rocha delivered a derby worthy of the stage.

Sporting needed a strong start to overturn their first-leg deficit. Instead, they produced something even more dramatic.

Within the opening minute, goalkeeper Bernardo Paçó surged forward and scored, setting the tone for a stunning opening spell. Moments later came the incident that would reshape the match: former Sporting winger Pany Varela blocked a shot with his hand inside the area to prevent a goal. The referee produced a straight red card, and Bruno Pinto converted the penalty.

The dismissal left Benfica chasing the tie almost immediately, and Sporting took full advantage. Goals continued to flow as the hosts raced into a four-goal burst inside the opening minutes, turning the arena atmosphere into something close to disbelief.

Yet Benfica refused to disappear. Goals from Silvestre Ferreira, Arthur, Raúl Moreira and Diego Nunes dragged them back into the contest at different stages of the tie, reflecting the relentless attacking nature of the derby.

Just as momentum appeared to be shifting again, another disciplinary flashpoint changed the dynamic. Arthur was shown a second yellow card for protests, leaving Benfica short-handed once more.

Sporting seized the opportunity, restoring control and eventually securing a 7–4 victory and a 10–8 aggregate triumph.

The result sends Sporting to the semi-finals for a record 12th time in the modern era of the competition, extending a remarkable run of consistency at the top of European futsal.

Source of the image: Sporting Clube de Portugal Futsal Instagram page

Riga 1–0 Palma (5–7 agg): a famous win, but not a comeback

While one giant of European futsal roared into the semi-finals in Lisbon, another had to survive a far more uncomfortable evening in Latvia.

Defending champions Palma arrived in Riga with a commanding aggregate lead, but the hosts refused to accept a quiet exit.

Riga approached the match with aggression and tactical courage, pushing forward in search of an unlikely comeback. That approach carried risks, and midway through the second half the match’s key moment arrived.

Captain Dylan Vargas received a second yellow card, leaving Riga temporarily reduced to four players during Palma’s power play.

The dismissal disrupted Riga’s momentum and made a full comeback even more unlikely. Yet the Latvian side continued to press forward with determination.

Their reward came late in the match when Artjoms Kozlovskis’ shot deflected off Deivão and into the net, giving Riga a 1–0 victory on the night.

Although Palma advanced 7–5 on aggregate, the defeat carried historical significance. It marked the first loss in the UEFA Futsal Champions League in Palma’s history, ending an extraordinary unbeaten run in the competition.

For Riga, the result offered a different kind of satisfaction: proof that they could compete with Europe’s reigning champions — and, perhaps more significantly, that the holders can be beaten. The performance will surely be studied closely by Palma’s future opponents, offering a rare blueprint of how the Latvian side disrupted and contained one of the most dominant teams in recent Champions League history.

Source of the image: Riga Futsal Instagram page

Cartagena 7–4 Kairat Almaty (9–5 agg): revenge and a roaring arena

In Cartagena, the story was as much about redemption as qualification.

One year earlier, Kairat Almaty had ended Cartagena’s debut European run in the semi-finals. The quarter-final draw offered the Spanish champions a chance to rewrite that narrative.

They took it emphatically.

The hosts seized control early through a brilliant individual effort from Pablo Ramírez, who twisted through defenders before finishing with precision. Shortly afterwards Gabriel Motta doubled the lead, and Ramírez added another powerful strike to stretch the advantage further.

Kairat, renowned for their attacking flexibility, responded by deploying the flying goalkeeper system, with Dauren Tursagulov pulling one goal back.

But Cartagena repeatedly punished transitions and counter-attacks, keeping the aggregate advantage firmly in their favour.

Any lingering tension disappeared late in the match when Athirson Silva was sent off following a confrontation in the closing stages. The red card effectively ended Kairat’s hopes of mounting a final push.

By the time the final whistle arrived, the Palacio de los Deportes was in celebration mode, with 4,817 supporters witnessing Cartagena’s emphatic 7–4 victory and 9–5 aggregate success.

For a club still relatively new to Europe’s elite stage, reaching another semi-final represents a powerful statement of growth.

Semey 2–3 Etoile Lavalloise (7–9 agg): resilience writes French history

If Sporting provided the drama and Cartagena the spectacle, Etoile Lavalloise delivered the night’s most historic achievement.

The French side travelled to Kazakhstan knowing the tie was far from secure, and within two minutes their advantage had disappeared when a corner deflected into the net off Soufiane El Mesrar.

When Kamil Gereykhanov later gave Semey the lead in the tie, the momentum appeared firmly with the home side.

But Etoile had built their European campaign on resilience — and they demonstrated it again when it mattered most.

First Ouassini Guirio capitalised on a loose ball, rounding goalkeeper Higuita to level the match. Barely a minute later, Bilal Bakkali intercepted possession and drove forward to score the goal that restored Etoile’s aggregate advantage.

As Semey pressed desperately in the closing seconds, Bakkali struck once more with a late interception and finish to seal a 3–2 victory and 9–7 aggregate win.

The result carries historic significance: Etoile Lavalloise become only the second French club to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

The previous French appearance in the competition’s final four came in 2021/22, when ACCS Asnières Villeneuve 92 reached the finals stage during a season reshaped by the exclusion of Russian clubs from UEFA competitions following the invasion of Ukraine.

Etoile’s qualification therefore represents a new milestone for French futsal on sporting merit alone — a sign that clubs from France are increasingly capable of competing deep into Europe’s most demanding tournament.

Source of the image: @etoilelavalloisefutsal Instagram page

Four different stories, one destination: Pesaro

With the semi-finals now set for the finals tournament in Pesaro, the competition moves into its decisive phase.

Each of the remaining teams arrives with a distinct narrative:

• Sporting CP, seasoned contenders with unparalleled experience at this stage

• Palma, the defending champions who remain formidable despite their first European defeat

• Cartagena, riding momentum after exacting revenge on last year’s conquerors

• Etoile Lavalloise, the tournament’s breakthrough story and a symbol of French futsal’s growing ambition

Once the 17 March draw determines the semi-final pairings, the focus will shift to Pesaro, where the Champions League title will be decided across a single weekend.

If the drama of the quarter-finals is any indication, Europe’s biggest futsal prize may still have several twists left to unfold.

Organ Donation

Futsal Focus is a supporter of Dáithí Mac Gabhann and his family’s campaign to raise awareness of Organ Donation. We encourage our readers to learn more about Organ Donation: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

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