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The AFC.comAFC Futsal Championship: Upstarts Lebanon create history as Iran continue to impress 15 May 2007AMAGAZAKI: Lebanon made it to the last eight stage of the AFC Futsal Championship for only second time in their history beating Malaysia 9-2 while seven-time champions Iran continued their winning campaign beating China 8-0 to top Group D on Tuesday.
At the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium, Kazem Mohammadi Tirabadi, Babak Masoumi Daraki, Mohammad Taheri, Mohammad Reza Zahmatkesh Bajgiran, Mohammad Hashem Zadeh, Ahmad Pari Azar and Javad Asgharimoghaddam (two) contributed in Iran’s massive win.
Spearheaded by majestic captain Mohammad Reza Heidarian and talismanic striker Vahid Shamsaee, IR Iran showed just why they loom as Japan’s biggest threat as the ninth annual AFC Futsal Championships now enters its most crucial stage.
The seven-time champions were simply strolling at times against their less fancied opponents, who themselves will be disappointed at their third place finish in Group D, following on from their promising display in Uzbekistan last year.
China’s defeat to group rivals Lebanon yesterday was the ultimately telling blow to the East Asian’s, whose previous best Championships finish was in Macau in 2004, where they managed a quarter final appearance.
But the day belonged to Iran, whose win was their tenth from their last twelve Championships starts.
“We are now just thinking about the quarter finals, but we don’t want to put too much pressure on the players,” said Iran coach Hossein Shams.
“Today, we wanted to put on a good show for the fans in the stadium, we wanted to show them so of our beautiful tactics.”
Lebanon went looking for goals at the Amagazaki City Park Gymnasium and they did well scoring four in the first half and five after the restart.
Lebanon came out all guns smoking led by the trickery and shooting prowess of standout performer Khaled Takaji.
Within the first few minutes five minutes it was already 3-0 with Takaji scoring twice and his teammate Rabih Abou Chaaya also getting one.
The game continued at a high pace with both teams creating chances until around the tenth minute when Lebanon scored again - Abou Chaaya getting his second on a simple tap in.
Malaysia started running harder and their hard worked was repaid with a goal by Mohammed Fadzil Ab Karnim.
This gave the Malaysian more belief in themselves and their hard work and improving movement led to another chance and goal.
Mohamad Feroz Ab Karnim beat a defender, then deftly scored on a toe-poke to close the score to 2-4. The score remained that way until half-time.
The second half started much slower than the first half had ended.
The first ten minutes of the half saw a stalemate with the Malaysians seemingly having settled in defense.
However, just after the midway point, Lebanon found some space and Takaji claimed his hat-trick thanks to a defensive mistake.
The floodgates now opened and Lebanon scored again on penalty kick by Hayssam Atwi to make it 6-2 for Lebanon.
Malaysia also had a penalty kick, but were unlucky to hit the crossbar.
Lebanon continued attacking and soon got a goal from Francois Kharma on a drive with his weaker left foot.
The Lebanese then had a power-play chance for the final minute of the game, and sure enough Mahmoud Itani added another goal on a fiercely struck free-kick to make it 8-2 for Lebanon. Mohammad Iskandarani sealed the West Asian's victory with their ninth goal in the final minute of the game.
“We have played Kyrgyzstan twice, we drew them 2-2 and lost 7-3. We have to win this time to get revenge,” said Lebanon coach Dory Zakhour
“We hope to get third place.”
Iran will now take on Group C qualifiers Australia at the Amagazaki City Commemoration Park Gymnasium for a place in the semi finals, while Lebanon will take on Kyrgyzstan at the same venue.
AFC Futsal Championship: Sensational Uzbekistan storm into quarters 15 May 2007OSAKA: Central Asian heavyweights Uzbekistan produced a stunning return to form at the time when it was most needed, downing high flyers Thailand 3-2 at the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium on Tuesday to seal the quarterfinal berth.
Uzbekistan’s qualification for the second stage came at the expense of Iraq, who lost their second match of the Championships to the previously winless and goalless Kuwait 5-2. Thailand made it to the last eight stage as the second team from the group.
Prolific marksman Abdulla Buriev scored twice for the Uzbeks, taking his tournament tally to five, with Hurshid Tajibaev adding another. For Thailand, Panuwat Junta and Ekkaphan Suratsawang provided the goals.
An apathetic shadow of their previous Championships form in their opening two matches, Uzbekistan looked an invigorated and inspired outfit as they put Thailand, arguably the form team of the tournament, to the sword over forty gripping minutes.
Uzbekistan’s upset win has breathed fresh life into their campaign, which seemed in disarray following their opening day loss to qualifiers Iraq.
Significantly, Uzbekistan’s win over their Group B rivals sees them avoid a likely clash with tournament favourites Japan in the next round, as should teams be equal on points at the conclusion of the group stage, the head to head record between teams is used to determine the final standings.
“It was a difficult game, such games only come about once a year – it was almost like the game that we experienced in the last Championships again Japan,” said Uzbekistan assistant coach Pavel Bezglyadnov.
“I’m very proud of my players, they had a great game today.”
The final quarter of the match was as frantic and chaotic as any period of play witnessed at these Championships, with Thailand pressing forward in great numbers, including sacrificing ‘keeper Somkid Chuenta for captain Janta, in a bid to reduce the three-goal lead Uzbekistan had established by the 29th minute.
The daring move paid immediate dividends for the Thai’s, who reduced the margin to two within seconds of adopting their method of all out attack.
Unfortunately for the current ASEAN Futsal Championship title holders, by the time Suratsawang’s goal on forty minutes found the back of the net, their first loss at these Championships was all but confirmed.
“Today I’m happy because the game was a tough one, I enjoyed it because both teams played a tight game,” said Thailand coach Piemkum Pattaya.
“It was a good experience for my team to play Uzbekistan ahead of the quarter finals.”
Iraq went into the match as the favorite, but Kuwait didn't seem to notice as they salvaged some pride with a 5-2 victory
The early stages of the game Kuwait attacked more as Iraq seemed content to soak the pressure early on.
There were a few half chances and mostly shots from long distance.
Around the tenth minute Kuwait finally had cause to celebrate as Ahmad Al Asfour found Hamad Al Osman, who tucked it away for a 1-0 lead to Kuwait.
The Iraqi’s upped their intensity to find the equalizer almost immediately.
The goal came on a corner kick with Abdul Karim Radi with the finish, the first half ended 1-1.
The second half of the game opened up as Kuwait finally started to click.
Early in the period they took a 2-1 lead after a fantastic goal taken by Hamed Alotaibi.
Iraq also upped their attacking a notch and soon scored their second goal on a long range strike by Ali Abbed.
This led to a more open last few minutes with Kuwait adding a couple of more goals.
First on a shot from Hamed Alotaibi and finally Mahammed Al Naqi on a spin and volley, which he might have handled before tucking away.
The final score was a satisfying 5-2 for the Kuwaitis.
“Kuwait played well and in a very sporting manner,” said Iraq coach Kadeem Kamas.
“It is an honor to participate in the championships in spite of all the problems in Iraq.”
AFC Futsal Championship: Kyrgyzstan and Australia through after six-goal epic 15 May 2007OSAKA: Kyrgyzstan fought back from three goals down to hold Australia 3-3 and claim top place in Group C of the AFC Futsal Championship on Tuesday. The result also saw Australia through to the final eight.
Adam Vizzari’s long range effort was responsible for sending the Australians to the break with a one-goal advantage, before strikes from Luke Haydon and Lachlan Wright had the AFC newcomers within 13 minutes of a famous result.
However, two late replies from Kyrgyzstan captain Jenish Mamatov and one from Nurjan Djetybaev drew the central Asians level, ensuring Nurtazin Djetybaev’s side finished atop their group.
Australia’s progression was confirmed after the Korea Republic defeated Turkmenistan 5-2 in the remaining match in Group C, a result that saw Australia edge both of the aforementioned teams by just one point in the race for second place.
“We knew that the second game in the group would determine how we would go, but we still wanted to do our best and we wanted to win,” said Kyrgyzstan coach Nurtazin Djetybaev.
“This didn’t happen in the first half, but in the second half, we told our players to do their best and they played some fantastic futsal to draw the game at 3-3.”
Australia, despite falling agonisingly short of what would have been a landmark win, were contented with arguably their greatest futsal achievement since becoming a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.
Coincidentally, it was the Kyrgyz who ended Australia’s involvement at the last edition of the Championships in Uzbekistan by way of a resounding 5-1 win.
All four of the Kyrgyz’ goal scorers on that occasion in Tashkent were again on the court for the men in red today, but ultimately unable to repeat their feat of 2005 against a stoic Australian line up.
In fact, leading into the match, Australia’s defensive record at these Championships was second only to tournament favourites Japan, who remain the only side yet to concede a goal.
“We had to go into the game thinking of nothing but a win, our goal was to win the game, but it was also important not to lose,” said Australian coach Scott Gilligan.
“Our intention was the stifle their attack as much as possible, while at the same time, we needed to make sure we scored goals.
“We showed the intensity that we’re capable of and thankfully we got away with a draw. I think we also exorcised a few demons today, as the last time we played Kyrgyzstan they beat us 5-1, but this time we did well to get the draw.”
Meanwhile, Korea Republic notched their first win of the Championships at the Amagazaki City Park Gymnasium, defeating Turkmenistan 5-2.
This was a match that both teams needed to win to have any chance to progress and it was the Koreans who so nearly achieved their goal.
The Koreans not only had to win but also needed goals - they got the win and scored plenty in a 5-2 win.
As both teams needed to win, it was a high tempo match.
In the early going both teams took turns at attacking, Korea coming the closest when around the fifth minute, Dong Hwa Kim missed a wide open goal on a rebound after Turkmenistan keeper Llder Tashliyev had made a fantastic save.
On an almost identical play on the other end, Dovletmured Annayev also missed a wide open goal after Korean keeper Jun Huk Park was out of position following a good block.
The match continued at a high pace with both teams taking turns but with good goal keeping and poor finishing preventing any goals.
The Turkmenistan coach Eldar Ramazanov rotated his squad very frequently to keep them fresh.
Meanwhile Korea changed less and seemed to have more continuity in their play.
Korea was building some momentum and just at the very end of the half found the breakthrough on a cross from Sun Hoo Lee and calm finish by Hyung Do Back. The halftime score was 1-0 for Korea.
This goal and some stern words from coach Mal Bong Park must have woken up the Korean youngsters as they came out attacking furiously in the second half.
Their work bore fruit early as they were up 3-0 within five minutes of the second half, both goals by Hyung Do Back, one of which was a beautiful back heel.
This seemed to have given more urgency to the Turkmenistan players who replied with a goal from Guvanch Kanayev to make the score 3-1.
This changed the game again as Korea now wanted more goals to improve their goal average.
The game became more intense physically and there were many fouls on both sides. Turkmenistan was over the limit and as a result Korea had three chances from the second penalty marker.
Korea kept looking for goals and soon got their fourth by Youn Sun Choi on a counterattack.
Shortly after that Sun Hoo Lee added the final on a brilliant individual play and hard high shot for 5-1.
Turkeminstan kept pushing and got a goal back from Mergen Orazov. The final score was 5-1.
"Three matches in three days was tough for the players physical condition," said Turkmenistan coach Vadim Baratov after the match.
"We will try to bring out more young players and improve our league for the next tournament."
Baratov’s Korean counterpart, Mal Bong Park, was regretful at his team’s first round exit, but positive about his side’s chances in 2008.
"We regret not to make the next stage. Next year we want more time to prepare for the tournament," said Park.
AFC Futsal Championship: Japan clinch top spot against stubborn Tajikistan 15 May 2007OSAKA: Hosts and defending champions Japan ended their group campaign of the AFC Futsal Championship with a comprehensive 6-2 victory over Tajikistan, while the Central Asians also sealed a last eight berth despite the loss.
In the other Group A match at the Amagazaki City Park Gymnasium, Hong Kong recorded just their sixth win in the championship history beating Philippines 3-2.
As has been a recurrent theme throughout Japan’s successes at these Championships, key playmaker Kenichiro Kogure was integral to the final result – one of three Japanese players to net two goals, along with Yusuke Komiyama and Daisuke Ono.
As they had done in 2006, Tajikistan became the first and only team to score against Japan at the group stage of the Championships – this time Sherzod Jumaev and Uvaydo Davlatbekov earning the plaudits.
It was fitting that the first strike to be scored against Japan at these Championships be by one of Tajikistan’s best – lynchpin attacker Jumaev.
In a group dominated by the dazzling individual contributions from the men in blue, Jumaev, along with captain Rustam Khodjaev, has been the standout contributor to the accomplishments of Tajikistan, assisting immeasurably in securing the Central Asian’s their quarter final place.
This performance from Japan was not directly in accordance with the fluid passing game and assured swagger that the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium audience have come to expect these Championships.
Still, Japan’s class was very much evident – Kogure’s goals alone a fitting underline of the pedigree of the reigning champions.
The hosts will now face Group B runners up Thailand in a mouth watering knock out clash at the Osaka Municipality Central Gymnasium on Thursday, while Tajikistan must overcome the challenge of regional neighbours Uzbekistan in order to stay in the competition.
“It was a very good game, of course we did lose two goals today, but the players carried out our game plan well and tomorrow at training we will try to improve,” said Japan coach Sapo after the match.
“Thailand and us have a very strong rivalry, we know all about each other.
“Tomorrow we will study some videos of their performances here and see how we can best exploit them on Thursday.”
Hong Kong and the Philippines have never progressed beyond the group stage. They both were aiming to at least get a win.
Hong Kong with no points yet wanted to rectify this.
In the early going the two teams came out with intent to score.
Hong Kong were delighted as they got on the score sheet in the very first minute.
Sheung Kwai So was happy to be in the right place to put away a rebound and give Hong Kong the lead.
Both teams are quite speedy so there are plenty of fast attacks and
Counter attacks.
Hong Kong kept up their high pace and once again found an opening when Loi Keung So blasted a shot into the Philippine's net for a 2-0 lead.
Hong Kong were now dominant and continued to pile men forward.
The Filipinos also managed to put together some nice moves, however, that final pass and shot just wasn't good enough. The halftime score was 2-0 for Hong Kong.
In the second half the Philippines came looking to try and get a goal back.
Hong Kong tightened up their defence so the Philippines had a difficult time finding space.
It was in fact Hong Kong who had the best chance in the early going of the second half but poor finishing let them down.
It wasn't until around the twelfth minute of the second half that there was another goal.
The Philippines pulled one back from one of the four Iranian Filipino players, Peyman Nejadsafavi.
Almost immediately Hong Kong replied with a low powerful shot struck by Kwan Yee Lo to make it 3-1.
Philippines didn't give up and about a minute later pulled another goal back from Nejadsafavi again for a 3-2 scoreline.
There were further chances for both teams, but there was no more scoring.
"We dominated the game but the ball just wouldn't go in. It's our pleasure to play in the tournament and a good learning experience for our players," said Philippines coach Esmail Sedigh.
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