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The AFC.comOceans not insurmountable says ChaayaThursday, 30 June 2011Doha: Al Sadaka captain Rabih Abou Chaaya might accept Japanese powerhouse Nagoya Oceans are the overwhelming favourites in their AFC Futsal Club Championship semi-final but insists the Lebanese side could pull off a major upset if they can play to their potential.
Nagoya have been in imperious form in the competition so far, scoring 21 times in three undefeated matches to top Group A, and are motivated by a desire to improve on their third-place finish at the 2010 tournament, where they lost in the semi-final stage to Qatari side Al Sadd.
Al Sadaka, meanwhile, edged Uzbek side Ardus 4-3 in their final group stage game but needed Shahid Mansouri to defeat GH Bank to advance the semi-finals having drawn 0-0 with the Thais and losing to the Iranians.
But Chaaya feels that despite some technical issues Al Sadaka have shown a team unity and strength of character that could see them through to the final.
"We won one game, drew one and lost the other in the group stage but, looking back, I feel we had a great tournament,” the Sadaka skipper told www.the-afc.com
“We showed a lot of enthusiasm and team spirit in all three matches although we haven’t fully delivered our potential.
“We made some errors when pressed hard by those rivals possessing better technique and physique. But that's how we learn. It was a big experience for several players to feature in the continental competition as these are chances you don't get every day.
“Some of our players have been travelling abroad for the first time. I believe it would help our club in the long run.
Chaaya does not fall into that category with the 32-year-old representing Lebanon in the final stages of the AFC Futsal Championship on four occasions as well as having played for Pro’s Café at the last AFC Futsal Club Championship, where he scored twice in the 6-4 victory over New South Wales Thunder.
But having picked up his second yellow card of the group stage in the win over Ardus and will consequently sit out what would be the biggest match of his career to date.
However, he is taking a pragmatic approach to the suspension.
"Of course, Nagoya are the title favourites and they're technically and tactically superior to us. I rate them way above Iranian side Shahid Mansouri. This was a great chance for me to challenge Nagoya, but having been suspended for the match I can only cheer my team on and provide them with the necessary tips."
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The AFC.comNagoya Oceans 2-1 Al SadakaThursday, 30 June 2011Doha: Ali El Homsi's own goal in the first-half of extra time saw Nagoya Oceans edge out Al Sadaka 2-1 and reach the final of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011.
El Homsi had drawn the Lebanese level in the second period of normal time after they had fallen behind to Morioka Kaoru's opener before his misfortune saw the Japanese through.
Nagoya took an early lead when Kaoru slipped the ball through the legs of an Al Sadaka defender before drilling a low shot past keeper Rabie El Kakhi and into the far corner.
Al Sadaka refused to capitulate against their more illustrious opponents and had the better of the chances in the first-half, forcing keeper Hisamitsu Kawahara into a number of good stops.
However, neither side could add to the score line and Nagoya went into the break a goal to the good.
The second-half began in feisty fashion and Al Sadaka almost levelled but Khaled Takaji saw his right-foot shot come back off the inside of the post and into Kawahara's arms.
Nagoya began to gain the upper hand and El Kakhi was much the busier of the two keepers but Al Sadaka levelled when El Homsi broke clear and although Kawahara saved his initial effort, El Homsi slid home the loose ball from a tight angle.
Hassan Chaito then almost gave the Lebanese the lead when he danced around a Nagoya defender and keeper but then rolled the ball against the outside of the post before being sent-off for a second bookable offence.
The game went into extra time and Nagoya took the lead when El Homsi diverted Yoshifumi Maeda's shot into his own net. El Kakhi then saved Bruno's penalty but Nagoya held onto their lead to book a place in Friday's final.
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The AFC.comWe didn't take our chances admits AmaranteThursday, 30 June 2011Doha: Boss Jose Amarante felt Nagoya Oceans made hard work of their 2-1 semi-final victory over Al Sadaka at the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 as the Japanese side needed Ali El Homsi's own goal in the first-half of extra time to reach the final.
Morioka Kaoru had given Nagoya an early lead at Al Rayyan Main Hall but El Homsi levelled for Al Sadaka - who also had Hassan Chaito sent-off - before diverting Yoshifumi Maeda's shot into his own net.
"We wanted to go to the final, the match was very tough but the players were very calm and had the ability to kill the game," said Amarante.
"If we scored 50% of the opportunities that we had, we would have killed the match earlier and be more relaxed towards the end.
"The Lebanon team manager was right about the analysis of the match. He said they would play defensively and on the counter-attack and that's what happened but the main thing was the great opportunities that we had to kill the game.
"We weren't calm today to kill the game early and when we are not able to do that, the match can be difficult for us."
Al Sadaka coach Hussein Dib, meanwhile, was proud of his side's efforts.
"It was a great game. As I said yesterday, they play very good futsal, they play European futsal and their fitness is good. They are very strong, very fast and play a very good system. I saw my team fight until the end."
Dib also felt Chaito's dismissal was ultimately the turning point.
"When Hassan Chaito was sent-off, it was three against four. We tried to close our area and we were successful with this. Extra time, the second goal came because of this. We were three against four and our players could not close the area. It was one of the reasons we lost the game," he added.
"We did have a solution, we closed our area for more than a minute but we were playing in a semi-final, everybody was tense, everybody wanted to win.
"We were playing against Japanese team, not a team from the second or third level. They are a very good team."
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The AFC.comShahid Mansouri 6-5 Al RayyanThursday, 30 June 2011Doha: Mohammad Keshavarz's extra-time goal saw Shahid Mansouri edge out Al Rayyan 6-5 in a dramatic AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 semi-final at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
The Iranians looked to have sealed a final date with Nagoya Oceans after they led 5-4 inside the final minute of normal time but Hassan Zadeh's late penalty drew the hosts level.
However, Keshavarz's strike in the first additional period was enough to finally end Al Rayyan's brave challenge.
Shahid took the lead with just under eight minutes to go in the first-half when Ali Rahnama dispatched a lay-off into the top corner and the Iranians doubled their lead after Morteza Azimaeidivkolaie re-directed a long-range effort past keeper Badi Johar.
Al Rayyan halved the deficit when Mauricinho expertly brought down a long ball and fed the onrushing Ahmad Al Faydah, who tapped home from almost on the line.
However, Rahnama netted his second and Shahid's third goal to give the Iranians a two-goal cushion at the break.
They extended that lead early in the second-half when Masoud Daneshvar's cross evaded Johar's outstretched hand and Ahmad Esmaeilpour applied the finish.
Mohammad Tahiri grabbed Al Rayyan's second with a well-taken goal before Saad Al Shahwani further reduced the arrears when he fired a low shot past keeper Mojtaba Nasirniaiefarouji.
The hosts then squared the contest with just over five minutes to go when Zadeh spun and dragged a shot into the far corner of the net.
However, just over a minute later, Shahid were back in front when Azimaeidivkolaie poked home from close range.
The lead did not last, though, as Al Rayyan were awarded a penalty with 23 seconds left and Zadeh held his nerve to send the game to extra time.
But Shahid again edged in front when Mohammad Keshavarz slotted in and it proved enough for the Iranians to set-up a final meeting with Nagoya Oceans.
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The AFC.comLak grateful for solid first-half showThursday, 30 June 2011Doha: Shahid Mansouri boss Reza Lak felt his side's first-half performance laid the foundations for their 6-5 victory over hosts Al Rayyan that saw the Iranians secure a meeting with Nagoya Oceans in Friday's AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 final.
Leading 3-1 at the break in the semi-final encounter at Al Rayyan Main Hall, Shahid seemed comfortably on their way to a meeting with the Japanese.
But the hosts fought back and Hassan Zadeh's late penalty squared the contest only for Mohammad Keshavarz's goal in the first period of extra time to finally see off their plucky rivals.
"It was a very tough game, we played well in the first-half but in the second-half we dropped off a little," said Lak.
"I advised my players to control themselves as we had committed many fouls and any mistakes could lead to a goal. We could control the game and in the end we were able to win.
"We were winning 3-1 at the interval but in the second-half we faded a little bit and Al Rayyan were able to come back."
Lak also paid tribute to Ali Rahnama's contribution after he netted twice having only arrived in Doha hours before the game due to passport problems.
"Ali Rahnama is one of the most important players for me," added Lak.
"He just arrived this morning, I played him and he produced a good performance. He did not train with the team so I wanted to use him as much as possible to prepare him for the final, if we got there."
Al Rayyan coach Hassan Ghouila, meanwhile, praised a spirited display from his injury-ravaged side.
"I thank my players because they played well and they were up against one of the strongest teams in Asia," he said.
"We only played with six players due to injuries, I could only make one substitution. I was missing a lot of my players and two played injured.
"So one player played 40 minutes without being substituted and this is hard in futsal. Any player who plays more than six minutes will be very tired so most of my players were very tired but I thank them for their performance."
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