The gradual increase in public turnout over three days of Premier Futsal now, means the sport, and the fancy, amusing form it’s been presented in, is well warmed up to.
Even if the football legends in it are of core interest, there will be the peripheral desire to know what, that gets its fill, surely?
And, to keep with the need to widen access, the event will now shift to Goa, a football hub, from 19 July till the final, on 24 July.
On Sunday, the last day of play here, it thrilled to soak in raptures of sharp cadence of a near-capacity stadium, with Ronaldinho evoking the most of it in the first match between Goa 5s and Bengaluru 5s.
He obliged with a goal, for Goa, in the first quarter, off Vampeta’s pass, and hopped, and pumped his fist to it, with the joy of a gamer kid.
A cool little jig followed for the crowd to go berserk. Maxi then struck for Bengaluru to draw level.
Ronaldinho followed it up with two goals more in the second quarter, the second of which was greeted with the longest of cheers as he gestured that the crowd in frenzy cheer non-stop.
Jonathan added one to Bengaluru’s count as it went into the ensuing break 2-3 down.
The third quarter was goalless as Jonathan’s half-blood strike, after a threat of an advance, was blocked and cleared from close in front of the goal.
Paul Scholes was benched for Bengaluru, and it was Ronaldinho all the way, in the fourth quarter.
He chest-bumped an aerial pass, and lobbed the ball on its descent for it to float above the goalkeeper and fall into the net.
A chorus of “Ronaldinho.. Ronaldinho..” broke and was stuck to until the end.
The next time he scored, he jumped across the digital billboard that fenced the court, got on to the dais reserved for the cheerleaders, and stretched his arms to hold them briefly aloft.
Rafael struck once for Goa in between, and with Fredsan adding one more at the end, it finished with a 7-2 win.
Chennai 5s played for the last time on home turf this edition, and it was accorded the warm, padded comfort of home support in the second match of the day.
Falcao scored two goals, and Cirilo, one as Chennai led 3-2 in the first two quarters. Deives Moraes and Chaguinha hit one each for Goa.
Cirilo was the lone goal-scorer in the third quarter, the one in which Falcao was hurt and took to bench. The tussle grew intense in the last quarter, with Deives — off a penalty — and Chaguinha chipping in again to ease tension and hand a 4-4 draw for Kochi.
The results:
Goa 5s 7 (Ronaldinho 5, Rafael, Fredsan) bt Bengaluru 5s 2 (Jonathan, Maxi).
Chennai 5s 4 (Falcao-2, Cirilo 2) bt Kochi 5s (Deives Moraes 2, Chaguinha 2).
