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The AFC.comJapan look to end Team Melli's supremacy as 'Stans' battle for spot in final26 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: An Iran-Japan grand finale has been a long-running feature of the AFC Futsal Championship since 2001 but this is about to change.
The stage for a break in tradition will be set on Friday at the Yunusabad Sports Complex when seven-time consecutive champions Iran clash with Japan, not in the final, but in the semifinals, while hosts Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan fight it out in the other last four encounter.
The draw of the eighth edition ensured that the paths of Iran and Japan crossed before the final and only one of the two heavyweights could have a shot at glory, opening the door for other worthy contenders like the ‘Stans’.
The first semifinal will put on display similar styles of play. Both the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz have improved tremendously over the years and this was reflected in the robust manner in which they booked their place in the last four this time. While Uzbekistan, who lost to Iran in the 2001 final, will be looking to make home turf advantage count, Kyrgyzstan too are sure to have their own share of supporters in the stands. After all, the two countries share a long border and the culture is not too dissimilar.
“Kyrgyzstan is a good team, highly disciplined,” Uzbekistan coach Shavkat Abduraimov told www.the-afc.com. “Their style of play is physical but their tactical awareness is very high.”
“In the semifinal, we will be going for victory,” added Abduraimov, who will be depending on the likes of Abdulla Buriev, Nikolay Odushev and Umid Holmatov to fire in the crucial game.
Uzbekistan have history on their side after defeating their neigbours twice earlier in this tournament. The first victory came in Bangkok in 2000 when the Uzbeks thrashed Kyrgyzstan 15-6 and the previous edition in Vietnam saw them win 6-2, enroute to the last four. The only time Kyrgyzstan have defeated Uzbekistan was in the Asian Indoor Games in Thailand last year (5-2).
Kyrgyzstan coach Nurtazin Djetybaev said: “We will be missing two key players goalkeeper Erkin Rasulov and Vadim Cherevin. But we have prepared for this tournament purposefully and played three tournaments abroad in the run-up.”
”Uzbekistan are a very strong side with Russian trainers.”
In the semifinals last year, Kyrgyzstan lost to Japan 4-3 while Uzbekistan were ousted by Iran 4-1.
The second semifinal is but a new, thrilling chapter in a long-running rivalry. Iran have defeated Japan in each and every final played over the last four years and tomorrow’s semifinal is the 10th meeting between the two giants in the AFC Futsal Championship. Iran have stamped their superiority by clinching eight of these encounters while Japan won last year, dealing a stunning 3-1 blow to Team Melli in the group stage.
The defeat shook Iran and hasty obituaries were penned to the once almighty kingpings of Asian futsal. But Team Melli negotiated its way through to the final where they once again beat Japan 2-0 to retain the title by the narrowest of margins.
The match will yet again pit two of the most popular futsal stars in Asia – Iran’s Vahid Shamsaee and Japan’s Kogure Kenichiro. The evergreen Shamsaee has been Iran’s mainstay for quite some years now, routinely bagging the topscorer award in this tournament. This time too the 30-year-old hitman leads the goalscoring charts with 15 goals, some of them sheer magic which left the opposition awestruck.
Kenichiro, 27, fittingly has netted 12 goals and will be looking to overtake his illustrious rival tomorrow.
”The tournament started for us only after our win over Thailand,” a confident Iran coach Jurandir Dutra told www.the-afc.com. “Now is the time to show what we are capable of.”
”We have seven players under the age of 23 and this tournament will give us a chance to replace some of our senior players.”
Japan’s Brazilian coach Sergio Sapo said: “Our aim was to reach the semifinals and we have done it. Now we are ready to go further.”
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The AFC.comShamsaee, Kogure cross swords yet again26 May 2006TASHKENT: The keenly awaited semifinal between seven-time champions Iran and archrivals Japan in the AFC Futsal Championship on Friday will also see two of the continent’s best players - Vahid Shamsaee and Kenichiro Kogure - come face to face yet again.
The two have set the pace in the goalscorers chart with Shamsaee finding the net 15 times in three games, followed by Kogure with 12. www.the-afc.com spoke to both players before today’s crunch match.
When asked about Shamsaee, Kogure said: “I think he is the most successful player in futsal and I have great respect for him. I have not watched him play during this tournament so far but I have played against him more than six times before.”
Kogure, who struts his stuff in the Spanish futsal league, added: “The standard of futsal in Asia has improved as countries like Iran, Uzbekistan and Japan have their own leagues but they should turn it into fully professional leagues to achieve more success.”
Shamsaee, who has been the topscorer in all the AFC Futsal Championships held so far, exuded confidence that he would once again emerge as the table-topper in Tashkent. “I have been the top goalscorer in all the editions and this year should not be any different,” he said.
The Iranian star, who plays for Eram Kish, one of the leading futsal clubs in Iran, paid rich tributes to his Japanese counterpart. “He is a good player and improved tremendously in the last couple of years. We have played against each other a few times in the last 5-6 years.”
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The AFC.comUzbekistan beat Kyrgyzstan 4-2 to enter final26 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Hosts Uzbekistan entered the final of the AFC Futsal Championship after defeating Central Asian neighbours Kyrgyzstan 4-2 in a tense semifinal battle here at the Yunusabad Sports Complex on Friday.
The Uzbeks have never lost to Kyrgyzstan till date in this tournament and were forced to dig deep today to preserve that flawless record in front of a capacity crowd of more than 2,500 spectators.
This is the second time the Central Asians have booked a ticket to the final of the continental event after 2001 when they lost to Iran.
“Kyrgyzstan were without two key players today,” said Uzbek consulting coach Pavel Bezvglyadnov, who had to hastily step in for redcarded head coach Shavkat Abduraimov. “But they fought so hard that we felt we were playing not five but 10 men. I guess we were lucky to win.”
And true enough it was the determined Kyrgyz who burst out of the blocks early with Marat Duvanaev firing them into the lead in the third minute. Duvanaev’s firm shot took a deflection off a defender’s leg and before Uzbek goalkeeper Rustam Umarov, who celebrated his 26th birthday today, could react the ball had nestled into the net.
It didn’t take long for the Uzbeks to hit back. Two minutes later Ilhom Yusupdjanov’s pass to the far post was slammed home by the well-positioned Hurshid Tajibaev.
The scoreboard remained static till after the break when, sensing that speed was of the essence, the Uzbek coach substituted star player Alexander Korolev with his Stroitel Zarafhshan club mate Shavkat Muhitdinov. The move paid dividends as Muhitdinov sliced open the defence with his darting runs down the flanks.
Two minutes into the second half Tajibaev showed amazing anticipation when he intercepted the ball and beat Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kiril Ermolov in a one-on-one to stretch the home side’s advantage. The pressure was further cranked up when the Uzbeks made their numerical superiority count in the 27th minute after Ulan Ryskulov was sent off for two minutes and captain Bahodyr Ahmedov threaded a pass to Anvar Mamedov who made no mistake.
Sensing defeat, Kyrgzstan went for broke and Mihail Sundeev pulled one back in the 31st minute with a superb shot through the legs of Umarov but Abdullah Buriev restored Uzbekistan’s lead three minutes later and the hosts hung on grimly for victory.
“I substituted Korolev because his age wouldn’t have allowed us to maintain our speed,” said Bezvglyadnov. “I think that was the turning point of the match.”
Kyrgyzstan coach Nurtazin Djetybaev was gracious in defeat. “The better team won and I want to congratulate them,” said Djetybaev. “My men played really well but luck was not on our side today.”
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The AFC.comIran slump to 5-1 defeat against Japan: AFC Futsal Championship 27 May 2006 TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Japan shattered Iran’s invincibility and took sweet revenge by drubbing the seven-time consecutive champions 5-1 in the semifinals of the AFC Futsal Championship here at the Yunusabad Sports Complex on Friday.
Japan meet Uzbekistan, who defeated Kyrgyzstan 4-2, in the final on Saturday.
This was only the second defeat for Iran in the history of the AFC Futsal Championship since the inaugural edition in 1999 and only the first time Team Melli will not feature in the final. Of these seven finals pocketed by Iran, Japan had ended up playing bridesmaids in no less than four.
Perhaps in the end it was overconfidence verging on the arrogant which ended Iran’s hopes of a record eighth title. The speedy and accurate Japanese were too good for the ageing champions, who are in the throes of a transition. Moreover, it was clear Iran had failed to heed the warning signs from last year’s narrow 2-0 win in the final over Japan and their group stage 3-1 loss, their first ever in the history of the tournament, also at the hands of their archrivals.
The chances in today's thriller were few and far in between and it was clear early on that the side which converted successfully would book its berth in the final. In this the Japanese proved to be a cut above their rivals. The start was nervy as both preferred to err on the side of caution and keep the ball without any hint of adventure.
The first clear shot on goal was taken by Kenichiro Kogure on 14 minutes forcing Iranian custodian Reza Nazri into a hurried save. However, the ball popped out of the goalkeeper’s hands allowing Kensuke Takahashi to unleash a snapshot. Japan preserved the one-goal cushion with some dogged defending into the break.
Four minutes into the second period, Vahid Shamsaee showed why he is one of the best in the business with a sizzling free kick which screamed into the net through the goalkeeper’s legs, restoring parity. The goal took Shamsaee’s table-topping tally to 16 goals though this could be upstaged in the final by Kogure, who has 13 goals to his name.
Disaster struck for Iran in the 28th minute when goalkeeper Nazri was sent off for handling the ball outside the area. Though the suspension was only for two minutes the psychological damage was immense as Kogure took advantage of stand-in custodian Nassery Aghchay’s nervousness to blast home a clean shot in the 30th minute.
Two minutes later Yoshifumi Maeda missed a double penalty but Daisuke Ono quickly undid the damage by pumping in the first of his three goals on 35 minutes. This goal of Ono was a masterclass as he latched on to a not-too-precise pass on the far side and let loose a scorcher on the run.
Three minutes before the end desperate Iran substituted their goalkeeper with a field player and went flat out to salvage the match and their reputation. In the 39th minute, Mohammed Hashemzadeh’s effort was pouched by goalkeeper Hisamitsu Kawahara and quickly relayed to Ono who poked it past Shamsaee in goal. The third goal was scored by Ono in the last minute after he blocked a Shamsaee shot near the Japanese goal and lobbed it into the unguarded opposite net.
”Our team morale slumped after our goalkeeper was redcarded,” said Iran coach Jurandir Dutra after the match. “The situation completely changed.”
”Whoever converts their chances wins in futsal. Japan were better at this today.”
”We have just now started rebuilding the team,” added the crestfallen coach. “But I take full responsibility for all the results of my team.”
Japan’s Brazilian coach Sapo said his backline played a big role in the victory. “We defended extremely well and hadn’t it been for our defence it would have been difficult to win.”
”We didn’t have a lot of chances because Iran played so well. Now we are mentally prepared for the final but we have to be careful to be not overconfident. Uzbekistan is a very good team.”
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Iran Football On lineAsian Futsal: End of an Era and a Start of AnotherMay 26 2006 by
Farhad FarrokhiYes, we have to accept that our dominance of Asian Futsal is over. The King is Dead, Long Life to the King.
Our boys were overwhelmed by a much improved Japanese side and were finally defeated. The defeat is not bad, all good things must come to an end, it was the manner of the defeat. After managing record wins, Iran succombed to Japan 5-1.
Was it overconfidance, or was it plain and simple luck? Could it have been that we had very young players or was it a case of when faced with a decent opposition, we were just not good enough?
I personally think it was a combination of all of the above plus a few more. Hopefully it will be a lesson that we can learn from and be prepared for the future, coming back stronger than ever.
In the meantime, I say THANK YOU for the pleasures and the excitement of the last 7 years. Thank you for the pride, thank you for the joys, thank you for the memories. Thank you, thank you, thank you
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
