Courtesy: The Canberra Times

Old enemies kick off championships

By Scott Walsh Futsal

Tuesday, 11 January 2005

The contrast in post-game reactions blazed a tale of dropped chances in last night's nil- all opening match between old enemies the ACT and NSW at Australian Futsal Championships in Canberra.

As NSW players celebrated the get-out- of-jail draw, the ACT Cobras held their heads in frustration at the lost opportunity to avenge a 3-5 failure to their arch rival in last year's championship final.

Despite enjoying the bulk of scoring chances in last night's tournament opener in front of a fever-pitch crowd at AIS Arena, the ACT found no way to penetrate a water- tight NSW defence.

Through Trent Flanigan and Elia Salloum, the Cobras built a seemingly endless supply of well-structured drives but time after time their shots were either blocked and sent hurtling into the crowd or sailed tantalisingly past the goals.

A solid ACT defensive effort lent game- long support to captain and goalkeeper Angelo Konstantanou. But in the frantic closing minutes Konstantanou was forced to shield a barrage of NSW attacks as both teams struggled for a goal.

The skipper said his ACT players had primed themselves for the rematch of last year's grand final and had been eager to walk away with a victory.

"It was a little bit disappointing but it's the first game and everyone was a bit nervous," Konstantanou said.

"We wanted to win, but what do you do? We had a lot more chances than them but we just couldn't finish. That's what it comes down to - we didn't finish and if you don't finish you don't win."

The match between last year's men's grand finalists was the first of three at AIS Arena last night. Following the showcase game, open women's teams Victoria and Queensland and under-14 girls' teams ACT and Southern Country NSW played in front of the noisy crowd.

More than 1000 competitors from WA, SA and Far North Queensland, as well as the Solomon Islands, have converged on Canberra for the 26th annual tournament.

The participation rate for the fast-paced, five-a-side indoor soccer variation is an all- time high for the event. Across age groups ranging from under-10s to open categories, 132 teams have entered.

Games will be at Tuggeranong, Woden and Lyneham during the next three days before finals at AIS Arena on Friday.