Courtesy:
Kick OffMountain to climb for Futsal national team20/6/2012The South African Futsal national team has vowed to overturn a 4-0 first leg World Cup qualifier defeat by Libya.
The teams meet in the second leg at Orlando Community Hall Indoor Arena in Soweto on Saturday 23 June 2012. Kick-off is at 3pm.
The South Africans admit they played second fiddle to their fast-paced North African opponents in the first leg a fortnight ago.
Coach Quinton Allies is well aware his charges need to redouble their efforts if they are to overturn the massive deficit from the first leg.
"I am still confident that we can overcome the Libyans before our own supporters. The boys are still determined to qualify for the Futsal World Cup set to take place in Thailand from 1-18 November later this year," he says.
"We need to exert pressure from the word go, but tighten our defence in the process. Going for an all-out attack has its own shortcomings, they might catch us on a counter-attack and deliver the proverbial sucker punch. We need to be aware of this," Allies says.
Futsal committee deputy chair Poobalan Govindasamy is also convinced that the dream of reaching the World Cup in Thailand is not over yet.
"Yes, we have a mountain to climb but in this game of soccer never say never. I also want to ask the public from in and around Soweto to come in their hundreds and give the boys all the support.
"Who knows with all that encouragement what might happen. It is a tall order, yes, but 4-0 scorelines have been overturned before and we hope our boys will rewrite the history books," Govindasamy adds.
Entry to the match venue is free of charge.
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
