Courtesy: The AFC.com

Japan thrash Uzbekistan to win AFC Futsal Championship

28 May 2006

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Japan were crowned the new kings of Asian futsal after defeating hosts Uzbekistan 5-1 in the final of the AFC Futsal Championship here on Saturday.

For the hardworking Japanese, the win marked a firm change in fortunes and erased bitter memories of the last four years when they came up short time and again in the final against mighty Iran.

This is the first time since the inaugural AFC Futsal Championship in 1999 that the prestigious continental trophy has been won by a team other than Iran. For seven long years, Team Melli’s writ ran large until Friday when Japan ended their supremacy 5-1 in the semifinals.

On the mark for Japan were Kenichiro Kogure (22, 36), Takuya Suzumura (31), Rikarudo Higa (32) and Daisuke Ono (35), while Anvar Mamedov (36) scored the only goal for Uzbekistan.

A sellout crowd of more than 2500 took up all the seats at the Yunusabad Sports Complex, which has been the centre of thrilling futsal action for the past one week, to watch the grand finale and egg on the home side.

Uzbekistan made a couple of surprising changes from the squad which beat Kyrgyzstan in the semifinals on Friday with 17-year-old Farruh Farhutdinov coming in place of team captain Bahodir Ahmedov while veteran Alexander Korolev was altogether dropped. As it later turned out, the changes were ill-planned and never served their purpose as it was only after Ahmedov was sent in in the second period the Uzbeks were able to cobble together some meaningful moves.

With so much at stake, the start was predictable – cautious and tactical. The emphasis was on defence and lightning counterattacks whenever the opportunity presented itself. The opening half was barren though Japan could have taken the all-important lead had they been a little more adventurous. Kogure, who was later named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, was not allowed by the Uzbeks to get into his stride, while Ono, who fired three goals against Iran on Friday, was not his usual aggressive self.

Some stern words from Brazilian coach Sapo during the break saw the Japanese clicking up a gear after the restart. Within two minutes the first goal of the match had been scored by Kogure who manoeuvred himself into position for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Rustam Umarov and found the net with a gentle lob.

The goal, however, seemed to have the opposite effect. It revved up the Uzbeks and they started raiding the Japanese goal with ferocity. But this left their backline vulnerable to counterattacks, and in the 31st minute Kogure found himself faced with the task of again beating Umarov in a one-on-one. This time the Uzbek goalkeeper proved equal to the task and palmed out the low right shot only to find the loitering Suzumura lash the rebound in with his left foot. It was 2-0 and the crowd was getting restless.

At this juncture, the Uzbek consulting coach Pavel Bezvglyadnov, no doubt under pressure, took a big gamble by substituting Umarov with a field player. This move was punished almost immediately when Higa’s sizzler ripped into the unguarded goal. The onus of protecting the goal fell on Ahmedov but there was little he could do as the increasingly confident Japanese swarmed over the Uzbek half.

Four minutes from time, Nikolay Odushev sliced the ball to Abdullah Buriev who laid it on for Mamedov’s accurate drive for the only Uzbek goal of the match. But any thoughts of a comeback were swiftly stamped down by Ono when he intercepted a loose ball and arrowed it into the Uzbek net and the match effectively ended when Kogure followed his teammate’s cue in the last minute.

This is the second time Uzbekistan have lost in the final after 2001 when they were defeated by Iran 9-0.

“I would like to congratulate my players and thank them for having faith in themselves, in their ability to be champions,” said Japan’s Brazilian coach Sapo moments after the game ended. “The wait was long but we always knew we could do it.”

”Uzbekistan are a very strong side, disciplined and highly skilled but today we were determined,” added the coach.

Bezvglyadnov justified his move to substitute the goalkeeper at a crucial phase. “It is impossible to score against a strong team like Japan with four players only. That’s why I substituted the goalkeeper. We wanted to give a chance to one of the young players and brought in Farhutdinov.”

Iran’s Vahid Shamsaee won the Top Goalscorer award for the eighth consecutive edition for his 16 goal-haul while the Fair Play award went to Uzbekistan.




Courtesy: The AFC.com

Iran tame Kyrgyzstan to finish third

28 May 2006

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: Fallen giants Iran managed to gain some consolation for Friday’s shock defeat to Japan in the semifinals by taming Kyrgyzstan 5-3 to finish third in the AFC Futsal Championship on Saturday.

All the goals were scored in the second period and the seven-time champions produced a late burst to keep at bay their Central Asian rivals at the Yunusabad Sports Complex.

“We wanted to win the title for the eighth time but failed," said Iran coach Jurandir Dutra after the match. “We were very nervous in this match as we have been all along used to playing for the champions' title."

Kyrgyzstan, who lost to Uzbekistan in the semifinals, held their own against their powerful rivals and no side was able to score in the opening half and 13 minutes into the second period.

Masoud Daneshwar (33, 33) fired Iran into the lead with a brace but Mohamed Hashemzadeh’s own goal a minute later pegged them back a bit. Kazem Tirabadi (35) made it 3-1 and Mohsen Zarei added another a minute later. Then Galimzan Uulu netted a double (36, 39) for a late Kyrgyz rally but Tirabadi’s second goal in the last minute killed the contest.

“Since last year we have been trying to introduce young players but this rejuvenation carries risks," said Dutra. “But we are confident that we are moving in the right direction. After all the first two goals in this match were scored by 18-year-old players."

Kyrgyzstan coach Nurtazin Djetybaev was a picture of disappointment. “We opted to wait in today’s match but this didn’t help us. We have again finished fourth, like last year."



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com