Courtesy: Asean Football Web Site


MALAYSIA IN SEMI-FINALS; MYANMAR PICK UP FIRST WIN

BANGKOK (29 August 2008) – Malaysia made the semi-finals of the AFF Futsal Championship 2008 when they beat Vietnam 3-2 to finish at the top of Group B with an unblemished record here at the Nimibutr Stadium.

In the second match of the day, Myanmar completed their Group A fixtures with a 6-2 beating of the Philippines.

Both teams are already out of contention for a place in the semi-finals.

The Malaysian side, who had earlier beaten Laos 4-2 in their first game and then Brunei 7-1 in their second match yesterday, were a lot more cautious at the start in their game against Vietnam.

And while this allowed Vietnam more space, the failure for them to take the lead despite of the chances gave Malaysia the impetus to move forward.

The Malaysians staged a quick counter-attack in the seventh minute for Mohd Fadhil Yusoff to score before adding the second goal in the 14th minute off Mohd Fadhil Karnim to take a 2-0 lead at the half.

Five minutes after the restart, Vietnam pulled a goal back from Nguyen Quang Minh and then gave themselves a ray of hope to win the game when Truong Quoc Tuan nailed the equalizer in the 35th minute.

But Malaysia regrouped for captain Addie Azwan Zainal to head in the winner a minute to the end.

“It does not matter who we play in the semi-finals – just as long as we make the last four,” added Hamidin Amin, the team manager for Malaysia.

In the meantime, Myanmar were clearly the better side on the day when they beat Philippines 6-2 after taking a 2-0 lead at the break off goals from Aung Kyaw Oo (12th minute) and Soe Min Oo (15th).

And although Philippines managed to find the equalizer with goals from Ali Bernard Go (22nd minute) and Misagh Bahadoran (23rd), still there was no stopping Myanmar when they add to their tally off Maung Maung Myint (25th and 32nd), Aung Moe (30th) and Min Oo (32nd).



Courtesy: Asean Football Web Site


BRAVE BRUNEI CREATE HISTORY; THAIS TO PLAY MALAYSIA IN LAST FOUR

BANGKOK (29 August 2008) – Brave Brunei provided the spark in the last game of the third day of the AFF Futsal Championship 2008 when they beat fancied Laos 6-1 to at once face Indonesia in the crossover semi-finals tomorrow at the Nimibutr Stadium.

Indonesia had earlier put up an awesome display to dispatch defending champions Thailand into second place in Group A while Malaysia made the semi-finals by virtue of beating Vietnam to finish at the top of Group B.

In the match against Indonesia, hosts Thailand had the best of start in the crucial tie this afternoon, going ahead as early as the first minute through an opportunistic strike from Kritsada Wongkaeo.

Rattled, Indonesia played the patient game and in the eighth minute it paid off as Maulana Ihsan blasted in a set-piece.

With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of the first half, the young Thai side were a little impatient after the break and they paid dearly for their mistakes.

The more experienced Indonesian side punished them when they took the lead for the first time in the game off Topas Pamungkas in the 18th minute.

Thailand then lost a man when referee Junaidi Serudin from Brunei showed Thanakorn Penpakul the red card in the 35th minute.

Indonesia then took advantage to score their third goal in the game off Pamungkas a minute later.

“The young Thai side were better technically, in terms of passing and shooting. But we were disciplined in terms of tactics. That made the difference,” added Justinus Lhaksana, the head coach of Indonesia.

In the meantime, Brunei beat Laos 6-1 in the final Group B game.

Despite falling behind in the 14th minute off a strike from Laos captain Valasine Dalaphone, the sultanate side fought back with goals from Asrul Asdynee Sahdon (18th and 19th minute), Mohd Hardyman Lamit (33rd and 34th) and Jasriman Johari (36th and 39th).

“It was a great team effort and we deserve to be in the semi-finals,” added Yunos Yusof, the head coach for Brunei.


AFF FUTSAL LEAGUE 2008 RESULTS and FIXTURES

27 AUGUST
MALAYSIA 4 LAOS 2
INDONESIA 4 MYANMAR 2
VIETNAM 5 BRUNEI 4
THAILAND 5 PHILIPPINES 4


28 AUGUST
LAOS 5 VIETNAM 2
PHILIPPINES 0 INDONESIA 7
BRUNEI 1 MALAYSIA 7
MYANMAR 2 THAILAND 7

29 AUGUST
VIETNAM 2 MALAYSIA 3
MYANMAR 6 PHILIPPINES 2
THAILAND 1 INDONESIA 3
BRUNEI 6 LAOS 1

30 AUGUST
Indonesia vs Brunei (1400hrs)
Malaysia vs Thailand (1600hrs)

31 AUGUST
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2 (1400hrs)
Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 (1600hrs)





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