Courtesy: The AFC.com


Chinese Taipei aim to bow out in style

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Dubai: Chinese Taipei coach Tsai Chia Feng is hoping that his side will go into their final 2012 AFC Futsal Championship fixture against Japan on Sunday and play with 'freedom' after their second defeat of the campaign ended their chances of a place in the quarter-finals.

The young East Asians have played some entertaining and enterprising futsal in their first two Group B matches but their inexperience has been their undoing in Dubai.

Tsai's side were 3-0 up against Tajikistan only to lose their opening match 6-4 but again highlighted their potential as they overturned a two-goal deficit to go down 3-2 to a Lebanese side that should really have won by a greater margin.

"All the players in our squad have never played in the AFC Futsal Championship before so this is the first time they are playing at this level," Tsai said following the loss to the Lebanese.

"The team will learn a lot from this experience so hopefully we can learn a lot from this experience.

"As this is their first time a lot of the players were nervous but now after two defeats we can go into our final game and play freely."

Chinese Taipei's final match of the tournament kicks-off on Sunday at 1200 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com




Courtesy: The AFC.com


Araujo ready for ‘another final’

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Dubai: Lebanon coach Francisco Araujo has told his side they must must approach Sunday’s remaining Group B fixture against Tajikistan as if it were a final.

After last-gasp 3-2 loss to Japan in their campaign opener, Lebanon reignited their hopes of progression to the knockout phase with a 3-2 defeat of Chinese Taipei on Saturday in a match that had the Spaniard fuming at the way his side lost concentration when they were 2-0 up and totally dominating the inexperienced East Asians.

“The players have to give everything tomorrow,” Araujo said at the post-match press conference.

“We were playing a final against Chinese Taipei and it will be a final against Tajikistan. If we get to the quarter-finals then that too will be a final as our goal is to reach the World Cup final.

“Lebanon has never been to a World Cup in football or futsal and we have to take this chance and not lose concentration or focus.”

Araujo was aghast at the way his players made a match that they should have won convincingly given their chances and warned that their World Cup dream will die unless they can keep focus for the entire game.

“Today we were in a winning position and then suddenly we were in danger of losing the match and we must not let this happen again,” continued the former Costa Rica coach.

“We must maintain a winning mentality and nothing else.”

Lebanon look to keep their Futsal World Cup dream alive when they take on Tajikistan in their final Group B fixture, which kicks-off on Sunday at 1200 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com




Courtesy: The AFC.com


Komiyama the quickest in tournament history

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Dubai: Yusuke Komiyama's opening goal in Japan's 6-1 victory over Tajikistan at the Al Wasl Indoor Stadium on Saturday was the fastest in the history of the AFC Futsal Championship.

Komiyama, who plays for two-time All Japan Championship winners Badral Urayasu, set the record of 6.4 seconds when he received possession on the right side of the area after Alisher Ulmasov was unable to cut out the cross and lashed the ball past Shukhrat Bibudov to eclipse the previous record of 32 seconds set by Majid Latifi in the Iran versus Malaysia match at the 2007 tournament.

And while many record-breaking goals have an element of good fortune about them Komiyama's effort came straight from training ground.

"It's great for Komiyama to have got the record and it's more pleasing because this was a play that we worked on last week and it is the first time that we have tried it in a competitive match," Japan coach Miguel Rodrigo told www.the-afc.com

"The key to it was (Kensuke) Takahashi's blocking of the defending player which allowed us to take control of the area and for Komiyama to score."

Having successfully booked their place in the quarter-finals of this year's AFC Futsal Championship Japan round off their Group B campaign against Chinese Taipei, which kicks-off on Sunday at 1200 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com