WINNING END FOR CHINA IN BOWL FINAL OF KL WORLD 5s

KUALA LUMPUR (3rd Feb 2008) China ended their campaign in the KL World 5s on a winning note when they beat England 5-3 in the Bowl final which was played at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

But in reality England - long known as the whipping boys of the ten-team competition - were no match for the Chinese today as they fell behind very early on and showed little sign of catching up.

Zhang Xi and Wu Zhuoxi were the two early goal getters for China before England pulled one back in the 7th min via Luke Ballinger. But that was the closest the English could get to.

With some nimble footwork and terrific finishing, the Chinese raced ahead at 5-1 with goals from Zhang Xiao(12th min), Hu Jie(16th) and Zhuoxi(18th) to leave the English with plenty of hard work ahead.

Marc Canham reduced the deficit to 5-2 in the 27th min before Zhang Xiao(28th) and Zhang Xi(35th) took China ahead at 7-2.

Alex Skyes’s 38th min goal for England was but a reflection of the game in which the Chinese were a far superior side and took home the US$5,000 cheque.

“We moved well and created far more chances than England today. In fact, we could have been on a double digit score but all in all it was a good week for us here in Kuala Lumpur where we have shown so much improvement,” said China’s coach Guilherme Da Silveira.

“We will be off to Brazil next month for a 16-team invitational tournament and then we hope to qualify for the final round of the Asian Futsal Championship in Bangkok in May.




CONSOLATION FOR IRAN AS THEY LIFT PLATE TITLE

KUALA LUMPUR (3rd Feb 2008) Finally there was some consolation for Iran in the KL World 5’s when they won the Plate championship at the Stadium Negara today.

Victory over Holland came in the dying moments of the match with a last-gasp goal, earning the Iranians a well-deserved 2-1 win and a winner’s cheque of US$15,000.

It was Majid Latifi, who was the toast of the Iran team when he slotted home the winner with 26 seconds remaining on the clock to break the hearts of the Dutch

Otherwise, it was touch and go with both sides refusing to give an inch. And the fact that the first period remained scoreless was a true reflection of how tight it was on the court.

It wasn’t until the 30th min when Majid’s corner kick deflected past the arms of Dutch goalkeeper Peter Rozenbeek to give Iran the lead.

But Holland, ranked No 12 in the world, fought back and when the Iranians were penalized with the sending off of their goalkeeper Asghar Ghahremani in the 34th min for handling the ball outside the D, Antoine Merlinho stepped forward to hit the free kick home.

Extra time loomed large until Majid came up with the winner, which left the Dutch camp stunned and the Iranians leaping with joy.

“This is a victory well earned and believe me, it was futsal at its best. Both teams displayed such high quality. Our only regret was not being in the final to play Brazil because we thought we were good enough to do so,” said team manager Abas Torabian.

“But we have enjoyed the tournament very much despite the ups and downs and for us. There is the Asian Championship in Bangkok this May where we need to defend our title.”




BRAZIL VICTORIOUS OVER ARGENTINA IN CUP FINAL OF KL WORLD 5s

KUALA LUMPUR (3rd Feb 2008) Brazil won the KL World 5’s beating Argentina for the title which eluded them the last time to take home the winner’s cheque of US$50,000.

In a final watched by a packed Negara Stadium crowd, the Brazilians turned on the magic to thrill nearly 10,000 spectators with a performance that would have won admiration of futsal fans the world over.

The tie was a match worthy of a World Cup futsal final between two South American powerhouses. Argentina came thinking they could contain and deny the Brazilians, but in the end were hit for four unanswered goals to claim the Cup which they lost to Argentina in the 2003 final. This time, it is on its way back to Rio De Janeiro.

But for long periods in the opening half, Argentina held firm and the Brazilians, who had two of their best players back on the roster today despite niggling injuries, kept chipping away with Alessandro Viera, or better known as Falcao, and Ari Santos back in the fold.

Their perseverance paid off at the very last minute of the half, when the combination of Mauro Taffarel and Joao Carvalho tore down the Argentinian defence for the latter to hit home from close range.

The Argentinean wall because porous after that, and the Brazilians added its second in the 21st min through Lenisio Junior in a sweeping move that the Argentinians had no answer to.

Goal No. 3 came two minutes later through Falcao and William Morais sealed Argentina’s fate with the last goal of the match.

Said Brazil’s assistant coach Marcos Sorato: “We are happy to win because the last time in the final we lost to Argentina. Today we defended very well, never gave Argentina much room and when we had the break we took them well.

“Argentina is a good side. That’s why we played our best players tonight, like Falcao and Ari who are still not 100 per cent because today of their injuries because we wanted to beat Argentina.”

Argentina’s coach Fernando Larranaga said: “It’s alright. We lost to a better team. But it was a good match, especially in the first half.

“But we got very tired in the second period and it led to the three goals we conceded. But Brazil is Brazil. They are so good because they train five hours a day and they are all professional players.

“For us, some of my players have other jobs and that’s the difference.”

Said Harvey Davis, ESPN STAR Sports’ Senior Director, Event Management Group: “The last six days of competition gave Malaysian fans a huge treat, and we couldn’t have had a better final than these great futsal nations. We wanted to create an event that would grow the sport of futsal and promote the sporting culture in Malaysia. I believe we contributed to that with the number of spectators that came to this fabulous event.

“It was a huge success with passionate fans coming every day to cheer for all the teams. We’re very heartened by the support Malaysians have shown and we look forward to holding this tournament again in the future.”

FIXTURES and RESULTS (3rd Feb, 2008)

Bowl Final: England vs China (3-5)
Plate Final: Holland vs Iran (1-2)
Final: Argentina vs Brazil (0-4)




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