Courtesy: FIFA.com

Cuba take futsal four-way

(FIFA.com) 12 Feb 2007

The Cubans put a cap on an impressive performance and confirmed their status as a rising CONCACAF futsal power with an emphatic 7-2 victory over Guatemala in the final of the recent four-team futsal competition which took place on the Caribbean island.
The tournament, which ran from 5 to 10 February at the Sala 19 de Noviembre Arena in Pinar del Río, saw the Cuban national team looking good from the word go. After opening with a dominant 8-1 win over a local side from Pinar del Río, the Cubans earned themselves a narrow 1-0 win over a defiant Guatemalan outfit. The hosts then ran out 5-0 winners against a Cuban B-select side in a strong performance, after losing a hard-fought contest to the same B-side earlier on.

In the tournament's final match, the Cubans made light work of the Guatemalans - the team they struggled to beat only days earlier. The 7-2 scoreline on 10 February will surely boost morale as the Cubans get set to show their mettle and prove their recent progress in the region to be no fluke at the Pan-American games in Brazil between 9-11 March.

The four-team tournament was a warm up of sorts for Cuba, who as CONCACAF futsal runners-up behind the USA (and two more CONCACAF side yet to be determined), will take on CONMEBOL's best at the inaugural futsal Tournament at the Pan American Games.

Guatemala, who did themselves proud in the four-team competition, will also be hoping to book their place at the Pan-American Games, as they host Costa Rica and Panama at the Domo Arena in Guatemala City. That three-team tournament will send the two final CONCACAF participants to the 2007 Pan American Games at the João Havelange Complex in Rio.



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