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The AFC.comAsian glory will inspire us insists SuphawutThursday, 31 May 2012Dubai: Hosting the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup as Asian champions will give an added boast to Thailand's campaign insists their AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 semi-final hero Suphawut Thueanklang.
The exciting Thai side went into their final four with defending champions Iran, who were aiming to win their 11th title in 12 tournaments, with the general consensus being that they were the overwhelming outsiders for the final ticket.
With Vahid Shamsaee opening the scoring in the fourth minute before Hossein Tayebi doubled the advantage three minutes later that assessment looked to be a fair one.
However Suphawut struck back instantly to make it 2-1 at the break and after Javad Ashgharimoghaddam had made it 3-1 to Iran Suphawut reduced the deficit a Jirawat Sornwichian effort soon after sent the thrilling semi-final into extra-time.
Apiwat Chaemcharoen gave the Thais a 4-3 lead but in a dramatic end to the absorbing contest Shamsaee equalised before Suphawut sealed the win after missing a penalty seconds earlier.
"This match was unbelievable and the whole team is very proud of what we have achieved so far," Suphawut told www.the-afc.com after Wednesday's absorbing encounter at the Al Wasl Indoor Stadium.
"But we were confident we could win the game as we have great belief in ourselves. We are a young team but we have a great spirit and we all help each other on the court."
Suphawut has scored in eight of the nine matches he has played in at the AFC Futsal Championships with Thailand's 2-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in their Group A opener marking the only game he has failed to find the net.
After scoring six times at the 2010 AFC Championship as the Thais bowed out of the last competition at the quarter-final stage, Suphawut has taken his individual finals tournament tally to 13 (25 if the ASEAN Zone qualifiers are included) following his seven goals during Thailand's impressive campaign in Dubai.
But perhaps none of the GH Bank RBAC player's strikes have been more important than his winner against Iran, particularly coming just after he looked to have blown Thailand's chances after Mostafa Nazari had saved his penalty.
"When I started to take the penalty I felt all the fans and people back home supporting me to it was very disappointing to miss but when I scored the winning goal it was the one of the happiest moments ever
"Now, if we beat Japan in the final and become champions here this will boast our confidence when we host the World Cup and can inspire us to at least get to the second round."
The final the AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 between Thailand and Japan will kick-off at 1930 (UAE time) and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com
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The AFC.comKogure commends tournament impactThursday, 31 May 2012Dubai: Japan skipper Kenichiro Kogure has expressed the importance of the AFC Futsal Championship in helping him become one of the tournament's top players.
The 32-year-old has appeared in all but two editions of the competition since its inception in 1999 and is now just one match away from lifting the trophy for a second time following Japan's success in the 2006 AFC Futsal Championship, with an impressive Thai side standing in the way of Kogure having another taste of continental glory.
"I owe a lot to this competition," Kogure told www.the-afc.com following Japan's hard-fought semi-final victory over Australia, in which the Japan skipper finally broke the deadlock in the 29th minute after the East Asians had been continuously frustrated by the gritty Futsalroos.
"This is my tenth time in the competition and this tournament has helped me improve over the years.
"We have won just one title and it is my desire to repeat that success against Thailand. I desperately want to take the trophy to back to Japan."
But to do that Kogure, the top scorer at the 2007 AFC Futsal Championship, and his team-mates must overcome an entertaining Thai side that has scored five times in both the quarter-final win over Lebanon and in their thrilling extra-time win over pre-tournament favourites Iran.
No easy task given that Japan's form over the knockout stage has been less than impressive, with poor finishing restricting them to a nervous 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan before experiencing the same problem against Australia, before finally capitalising on the tiring Futsalroos to score three unanswered goals in the last ten minutes.
Reflecting on the hard-fought 3-0 semi-final victory Kogure, who scored twice in Japan's 5-1 win over Uzbekistan in the 2006 final and once as Iran were knocked out in the semis with an identical scoreline, remarked:
"We didn't take the chances presented to us but we predicted it would be a tough game and it was.
"In this kind of game you need patience because we also had to work hard in defence as it was important not to concede before we scored as this would affect our strategy.
"We had two targets in this competition. The first was to reach the World Cup and second is to win this tournament. Now that we are in the final we cannot let this opportunity pass us by."
The final the AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 between Thailand and Japan will kick-off at 1930 (UAE time) and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com
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The AFC.comWe are now the underdogs insists RodrigoThursday, 31 May 2012Dubai: It may have been the opening salvo in the psychological battle with his counterpart Victor Hermans or a realistic assessment based on the form of both sides going into the final but Japan coach Miguel Rodrigo has labelled Thailand as the favourites to lift the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship trophy.
After a reasonably strong showing in the group phase Japan's form over the knockout stage has been less than impressive, with poor finishing restricting them to a nervous 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan and then experiencing the same problem against Australia, before finally capitalising on the tiring Futsalroos to score three unanswered goals in the last ten minutes.
Thailand on the other have, as Rodrigo admits, have played some exciting and entertaining futsal, with their 5-4 extra-time victory over defending champions Iran easily the best match of the tournament so far.
They play spectacular futsal," admitted the Spaniard following Japan's win over Australia, in a match Rodrigo assessed as standing in stark contrast to Thailand's epic encounter with Iran.
"The first semi-final was pure futsal and a very attractive game. That game shows why futsal is precious and deserves to be promoted. In Spain and Brazil there are regularly games like that and that is why you get 3000 spectators at the gymnasium.
"In the final Thailand are the favourites as they beat Iran and are playing very well and if we are to beat them then we need to improve vastly.
"Logically thinking nobody would have wanted to play Iran in the final. But because Thailand beat them then they are in the moment psychologically, technically and tactically."
Iran went into their semi-final having scored an impressive 37 goals and conceded just four (including three to Uzbekistan in the quarter-final) to fully justify their billing as tournament favourites.
As such most were expecting a victory for the Iranians that would keep them on course to win their tenth title in 12 tournaments.
Rodrigo, however, was well aware that an upset in Wednesday's match at the Al Wasl Stadium was a very real possibility.
"They have beaten Iran in friendlies a few times in the past couple of years and their head coach Victor [Hermans] has inspired the team with his style.
"Maybe before the game nobody expected them to beat Iran but if we look at the Champions League everybody was anticipating a Barcelona versus Real Madrid final but it didn't happen and that is the beauty of sport."
The final the AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 between Thailand and Japan will kick-off at 1930 (UAE time) and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com
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The AFC.comFive in the fray for top scorer titleThursday, 31 May 2012Dubai: Five Asian futsal stars are still in the hunt for the Top Scorer award at the AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 as the race to become the tournament's leading marksman comes to Friday's thrilling finale.
Iran's Ali Hassanzadeh and Suphawut Thueanklang, who hit a hat-trick in Thailand's epic extra-time win over the defending champions in Wednesday's semi-final, currently lead the way with seven goals, with three other players just one behind.
In the chasing pack are Japan's Rafael Henmi, whose strike against Australia maintained his record of having scored in every match at the competition, and Hassanzadeh's team-mates Hossein Tayebi and Asian futsal legend Vahid Shamsaee.
Shamsaee's double in the narrow defeat to Thailand thrust the game's all-time top international goalscorer back in contention for the award and if he can significantly add to his tally in Friday's third-place play off against Australia then he will have been the AFC Futsal Championship's top scorer for the eighth time.
The 2010 AFC Futsal Championship top scorer Mohammad Tahari is also in the reckoning to retain the title he won by scoring 13 times in Uzbekistan although 2007 winner Kenichiro Kogure has his work cut out if he is to claim the award for a second time, with the veteran Japan skipper having scored just three in Dubai.
Fans can follow the race for the top scorer award as well as the battle between Japan and Thailand for the AFC Futsal Championship UAE 2012 crown live on www.the-afc.com.
The final will kick-off at 1930 (UAE time) while the third-place playoff between Iran and Australia is at 1600 (UAE time).
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