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The AFC.comUzbekistan trounce Malaysia, China tame Chinese Taipei 22 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Hurshid Tajibaev netted four goals as last year’s semifinalists Uzbekistan handed out a 7-0 mauling to Malaysia while China had to work hard to tame Chinese Taipei 5-3 in the Group A matches on the second day of the AFC Futsal Championship here at the Yunusabad Sports Complex today.
Abdullah Buriev fired Uzbekistan into the lead in the second minute and from then on there was no looking back for the Central Asian side as Tajibaev (5, 17) and Anvar Mamedov (8) clawed open a 4-0 lead before the interval.
The restart saw the Uzbeks pick up from where they left off and Tajibaev (27, 28) and Nikolay Odushev (33) rounded off the rout. Malaysia, who topped the qualifiers to book their berth in the tournament proper, played well in patches but poor finishing let down the young team of Balakrishna Poothathamby.
Uzbek coach Shaukat Aburaimov said his men didn’t play to their full potential against Malaysia. “Today we played upto only 80 per cent of our potential. I know the Malaysian team very well because we have played many times. They are good but need some more time to be better.”
Malaysia’s coach Poothathamby said there was no shame in losing to a strong side like Uzbekistan. “Our team is very young and Uzbekistan are one of the giants of Asian futsal. Maybe in the future after three or four years we might do it but not now. For the first time in our history we have futsal players. Earlier we had only football players in our futsal team.”
In the second group game, China had to rally from a one-goal deficit and hold on towards the end for a well-deserved victory.
Chih Seng Wang (5) gave Chinese Taipei a dream start against their fancied rivals who failed to overturn the lead till a minute before the interval when Xi Zhang found the net. Xin Li made it 2-1 for China on 25 minutes and Yang Qihua added another three minutes before the end. Then the match burst into life as Chinese Taipei added two quick goals (Tai-lin Tseng 39, 40) and China were forced to react with speed, slamming in two of their (Jiong Zhang 39 and Qihua 40) to sweep the full points on offer.
Uzbekistan will be looking for their second consecutive victory when they play Chinese Taipei in the second group game tomorrow while Malaysia go up against China, hoping to make up for today’s reverse.
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The AFC.comIran, Thailand record big wins 22 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Asian futsal kingpins Iran made it two in a row after destroying Indonesia 20-1 on the second day of the AFC Futsal Championship even as Thailand, their main challengers for the top spot from Group D, routed Turkmenistan 8-1.
Thailand’s victory gave them a share of the lead (six points) though they are way behind leaders Iran on goals record. Team Melli need a draw when they meet the Thais on Tuesday but have every reason to be wary of the ASEAN powerhouse. After all, it was Thailand who exposed the chinks in Iran’s armour in the previous edition in Vietnam after holding the latter to their first ever draw (3-3) in the history of the tournament.
Vahid Shamsaee got a roasting in the Iranian press for not doing enough in the first match which Iran won 14-0 and the veteran replied to the criticism with seven goals and created seven more for good measure. It was a mismatch of massive proportions as Iran flattened their hapless rivals.
If Shamsaee (17, 18, 23, 25, 32, 33, 40) was in an arrogant mood, his teammates were not too far behind with Mohsin Zarei (17,19, 24, 36), Mohammed Hashemzadeh (20), Kazem Teribadi (4, 21, 25), Majid Latifi (11), Majed Raise (26, 29), Majid Tikdhrine (27) and Masoud Daheshwar (40) crowding the scoresheet. No chance to score was spurned by the seven-time Asian champions.
The scoreline might appear flattering to some but Iran’s demanding coach Jurandir Dutra felt otherwise. “We didn’t play so well as yesterday,” said Dutra. “Yesterday we did not let our opponents create a lot of chances but today Indonesia had many opportunities to score. We started a bit slowly but after ten minutes we began to move faster.”
Dutra stressed the need for treating Thailand with respect in tomorrow’s crunch match. “Thailand’s level is higher than that of the other teams and we know that they need to beat us to qualify. We are comfortable as we need just a draw.”
The coach threw his support behind star player Shamsaee. “I don’t share your opinion (about Shamsaee). He scored seven and created seven. I think it is enough.”
Thailand’s Brazilian coach Glaucio also spoke about Shamsaee, who he felt was the main threat to the ASEAN team’s chances in tomorrow’s game. “If we mark Shamsaee properly, we could win.”
This was after Joe Nueangkord (three goals on 4, 22, 31 minutes) and Eakapong Suratsawang (10, 11) had powered Thailand to victory against Turkmenistan. Also getting their names on the scoresheet for the Thais were Prasert Innui (8), Panuwat Janta (14) and Sermphan Khumthinkaew (32).
“We played well today and didn’t repeat our mistakes," said Glaucio. "Now I will go to bed thinking about tomorrow’s match against Iran.”
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The AFC.comJapan survive Iraq scare, Tajikistan edge Hong Kong23 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Two goals from dependable hand Kenichiro Kogure helped Japan scrape past Iraq 2-0 and maintain their lead atop Group B in the AFC Futsal Championship on Monday even as Tajikistan left it late for a thrilling 6-5 win over Hong Kong.
The Japanese, four-time consecutive losing finalists, faced stiff opposition from the Iraqis who were however let down by their wayward finishing.
Japan are still in charge of the group with six points, the same as Tajikistan whom they meet on Wednesday in a crunch match, but ahead on goal difference.
Iraq started positively and this affected the Japanese who found themselves under pressure and fending, a situation they had obviously not expected and prepared for.
Wameth Kamel had a couple of chances to score and put Iraq ahead in the opening minutes but scuffed both shots wide. But rival veteran Kogure was anything but a wasteful finisher. He was on the mark from the tightest of angles in the eighth minute, a lead which Japan kept with some stubborn defending till the 18th minute when Kogure doubled it. Another beautiful goal which left the defenders stranded and the goalkeeper rooted to his spot.
Japan’s Brazilian coach Sergio Sapo heaved a sigh of relief after the match. “We made a lot of mistakes in passing against a team which is very good and has a good goalkeeper. I am satisfied with the win.”
Meanwhile, in the earlier group encounter, Khurshed Makhmudov, a national football team star, drafted to beef up Tajikistan’s frontline, repaid the faith put in him by coach Damir Kamaletdinov by scoring all the six goals, including the last-gasp winner, for the Central Asian team against a resurgent Hong Kong.
The Tajiks were trailing by two goals within the first 10 minutes after Chi Kui Leung (4) and Hang Wui Li (8) bulged the net. But Makhmudov, who starred in Tajikistan’s crowning in the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup recently in Bangladesh, grabbed two goals in the ninth minute to restore parity.
The first half ended 2-2 and it was not until the 28th minute that another goal would be scored. Hong Kong were the ones netting it through Li again.
Makhmudov pulled his team level four minutes later and put them ahead for the first time in the match the very next minute. Leung scored twice (35, 39) towards the end to put Hong Kong within a whisker of victory but they had reckoned without Makhmudov, who first made it 5-5 and then fired the winner from an acute angle in the last minute.
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Bakgkok PostThais hit eightTOR CHITTINANDThailand's futsal (five-a-side) team thrashed Turkmenistan 8-1 in the second match of the AFC Futsal Championship at Yunusabad Sports Complex, Tashkent, Uzbekistan yesterday.
Joe Nuenkerd (3), Prasert Innui, Eakapong Suratsawang (2), Panuwat Jantha and Sermphan Kumthinkaew scored for the kingdom.
Thailand coach Glaucio de Castro said he hoped the victory would provide ideal preparation for today's final preliminary game against reigning champions Iran (8pm).
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Bernama.comM'sian Team's Futsal Campaign Starts On A Disastrous NoteKUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian national Futsal team's campaign in the Asian Football Championship (AFC) Futsal Championship kicked off on a disastrous note when they conceded a 0-7 defeat to host Uzbekistan at the Yunusabad Sports Complex, Monday.
Abdullah Buriev fired Uzbekistan - the semi-finalists last year - into the lead in the second minute and from then on there was no looking back for the host as Tajibaev (5th, 17th) and Anvar Mamedov (8th) gave a healthy 4-0 lead by halftime.
The restart saw the Uzbeks picking up from where they left off and Tajibaev (27th and 28th) and Nikolay Odushev (33rd) finished off a miserable night for the Malaysian youngsters.
Malaysia, who topped the qualifiers to book their berth in the tournament proper, played well in patches but poor finishing let down the young team under the guidance of coach P. Balakrishnan.
"Our team is very young and Uzbekistan is one of the giants of Asian futsal," said Balakrishnan through a statement via the Football of Malaysia website.
"Earlier we had football players in our futsal team but this is the first time we have players who have futsal background. Maybe in three or four years we might do it but not now."
In another Group A match, China had to work hard to tame Chinese Taipei 5-3.
Malaysia will play China in their next match while Uzbekistan take on Chinese Taipei.
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Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
