Courtesy:
The AFC.comFoolad Mahan (IRN) 5-3 Port Authority (THA)Thursday, 11 March 2010Esfahan: Foolad Mahan Sepahan secured their place in the final of the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship after beating Port Authority of Thailand 5-3 at Pirouzi Stadium on Thursday.
It was the closest match yet for the tournament hosts who were not at their best throughout against a defensive Thai side that gave all they had but eventually ran out of steam towards the end.
Foolad had been the first to concede in two of their three previous games and did so again against Port Authority as a harmless shot by Thai skipper Santanaprasit Tanakorn after 30 seconds was put inside his own net by Mohammad Keshavarz.
But the hosts responded less than a minute later when Vahid Shamsaee drove a shot into the roof of the net before the 36-year-old made it look easy when he put his side ahead soon after, hitting an effort from the left that had goalkeeper Sakchai Hamaitree rooted to the spot.
Shamsaee then rattled the woodwork as the hosts looked to put some distance between themselves and the Thais but instead it was Port Authority who equalised seconds before half time when Suchin Eamchalard's shot from a corner was deflected beyond goalkeeper Mostafa Nazari.
The Thais then became the first side at the tournament to put three goals past Foolad as Warin Romanee struck seconds after the restart to give his side the lead.
It did not last long, however, as Shamsaee powered home a free-kick almost immediately after before two quick goals from Mohammad Hashemzadeh and Ali Hassan Zadeh made the win safe for Foolad.
Courtesy:
The AFC.comAl Sadd (QAT) 7-4 Nagoya Oceans (JPN)Thursday, 11 March 2010Esfahan: Al Sadd will play hosts Foolad Mahan Sepahan in the final of the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship after the Qataris edged Nagoya Oceans 7-4 in a tense semi-final clash at Pirouzi Stadium on Thursday.
The winning margin belies the closeness of the game with just one goal separating the two sides for much of the match before a flurry of late strikes settled the match in Al Sadd's favour.
Fabiano Ribeiro's side started well as Kamyab Zahir's curling shot was just wide of the top left corner before Rafael Sakai's shot denied by keeper Faraj Rashid.
But Al Sadd took the lead after seven minutes when Xavier Rodrigo skipped the challenge of a Nagoya player on the left before sliding the ball for Errahmouni Bilal to bundle home.
The two combined again early in the second half for Al Sadd's second with the duo exchanging passes before Rodrigo tapped home.
Rodrigo then passed for Zahir to scoop a shot into the roof of the net in the 23rd minute but Nagoya reduced the deficit two minutes later when Yoshifumi Maeda's dipping effort nestled in the back of the net.
The Japanese were in the ascendency and pulled to within one goal of Al Sadd when Kenichiro Kogure struck in the 28th minute before equalising soon after when skipper Wataru Kitahara drove a shot beyond Rashid.
That goal set-up a nervy finish but Al Sadd snatched the initiative when Mohssein Amro despatched an effort that the Nagoya goalkeeper failed to prevent from crossing the line.
Nagoya had Maeda sent off with three minutes remaining when he handled the ball on the halfway line and Zahir calmly slotted home the resultant penalty kick before Al Sadd goalkeeper Vladimir Ciz put the Qataris in control when he spotted his opposite number off his line and lofted the ball into the unguarded net.
Kogure pulled one back for Nagoya but Al Sadd immediately responded through Rodrigo to round off the victory.
Courtesy:
The AFC.comUdom: Experience can boost Port’s Thai title chargeThursday, 11 March 2010Esfahan: Port Authority of Thailand coach Udom Taveesuk hopes his players will use the experience they have gained from playing against Asia's best club sides at the AFC Futsal Club Championship to help improve the quality of their domestic league.
The Thais lost 5-3 to Foolad Mahan Sepahan in their semi-final clash on Thursday to bring an end to their final hopes and instead they will play Japanese champions Nagoya Oceans on Friday to determine third place.
But Udom was not disappointed that his side failed to become the first-ever winners of the tournament and instead admitted it had all been a worthwhile education for himself and his players.
“The game (against Foolad) was a very good and tough game,” he said.
“All our players played very well but in the end Foolad were too strong.
“It has been a tough tournament but we have learnt some thing from the different players here and when we go back home we will use what we have learned there. It was our first time outside of Thailand and it has been very exciting for us."
Billed as one of the title favourites prior to the tournament, Nagoya Oceans failed to reach the final as they lost 7-4 to Al Sadd of Qatar.
The Japanese had battled back from three-goals down but then seemingly capitulated as Al Sadd scored four late goals to settle the encounter.
“My comment is very simple,” said Portuguese coach Adil Amarante. “Our players did not play well.
“I don't know why the players did not play well after we equalised. Maybe it was their mentality or physical condition I do not know but during the match our defence was not organised and we attacked very late and not quick enough.
“Our performance was very low. Usually we play well but today was very tough.”
Courtesy:
The AFC.comConcentration concerns for AfzaliThursday, 11 March 2010Esfahan: Foolad Mahan Sepahan coach Hossein Afzali has demanded more concentration from his players if they are to emerge from their AFC Futsal Club Championship final clash with Al Sadd of Qatar on Friday as the historic first winners of the tournament.
While the Iranians have certainly been one of strongest sides at the competition they have had to recover from an early goal in three of their four games at Pirouzi Stadium.
Foolad fell behind after just 30 seconds in their semi-final clash with Port Authority of Thailand on Thursday but despite a below-par performance they battled back to secure a 5-3 win and with it their place in the final.
But Afzali (pictured right) acknowledged the need for his side to step up a gear against Al Sadd if they are to fulfil the home fans' expectations and walk away with the AFC Futsal Club Championship trophy.
“We were really surprised when we conceded first goal,” he said.
“In futsal the first goal is very important and though we had chances after that the problem still was that we conceded an own goal and that is bad.
“It was a tough game. We had analysed the Thais before the game but they had a lot of motivation.
“I don't believe they played well, I believe it was my players who played badly in this game. If you look at the goals we scored an own goal and another where we were caught off guard so I don't believe we played well at all.”
Foolad are the only side at the tournament able to boast a wealth of international experience with no less than eight Iran national team players in the squad.
But Afzali is concerned that statistic may be having a negative affect on the players' mentality and is eager to rectify that before the game against Al Sadd.
“Maybe our preparation was not very good,” he added. “We need to think about this before the final.
“I believe we have big names in our team and national team players but we underestimated them and maybe that was the reason we did not perform so well.
“We want to win the title of the tournament and we will give our best tomorrow.”
Courtesy:
The AFC.comRibeiro: Title would reflect Qatar developmentThursday, 11 March 2010Esfahan: Al Sadd coach Fabiano Ribeiro believes victory over Foolad Mahan Sepahan in the final of the AFC Futsal Club Championship on Friday would be just reward for how far the sport has come in Qatar.
The Brazilian's side came out on top of a thrilling semi-final encounter with Japanese giants Nagoya Oceans on Thursday to set up the match with Iranian giants Foolad.
The two sides had battled for 40 tense minutes before a flurry of late goals settled the tie in Al Sadd's favour as they won 7-4.
Ribeiro has been in charge of the club for the last three years and by his own admission has overseen a lot of improvements in Qatari fustal during that time, but believes victory on Friday would top it all off.
“I became coach of this club in November 2007 and we have the same team now as we did then except for one or two different players,” he said.
“When I started coaching them they were playing something different to futsal and it was hard work to get them to play a good style.
“But futsal in Asia is growing so quickly and I am very happy with this. Futsal in my country is the base of football and every year it is improving.
“In Qatar it is getting better and better and I believe in one or two years they will be one of the strongest countries in Asia.”
But for Ribeiro to achieve his goal Al Sadd must overcome Foolad and the tournament hosts will undoubtedly take some beating.
The Iranians conceded three goals for the first time in their 5-3 semi-final win over Port Authority of Thailand but were clearly not at their best.
Al Sadd are the tournaments top scorers and Ribeiro is hopeful his side's attacking strength will prove too much for Foolad.
“I think my team play with a Brazilian mentality as they play to score all the time and not to always defend,” he added.
“We have the most difficult game tomorrow against Foolad. It was a great result today but we can correct some mistakes we made today and hopefully play even better tomorrow.”
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luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
