All reports below are courtesy: FIFA.com


Sapo seeks success on 'home soil'

Saturday 4 October 2008

Being drawn in the same group as Brazil and Russia at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 is no easy task, as Japan and Cuba found out this week to their cost. Cuba’s 10-5 loss to Russia, coupled with the 12-1 drubbing Japan received at the hands of the Brazilian hosts, made both teams aware of the task facing them at this year’s tournament.

These early results might not have made pretty reading but both teams will have a chance to make amends - and maintain competitive interest in the tournament, when they face each other in Monday’s Group A encounter in Brasilia.

Despite Japan’s 7-2 victory over the Solomon Islands on Saturday, coach Sergio Sapo is looking for an improved performance from his charges ahead of Monday’s clash. “I hope, and believe, that the team will play better against Cuba. In particular, we need to be more alert during the one-on-one situations and show some more patience when going forward. We cannot afford to lose this game. Doing so would mean we have no chance of qualifying for the next round. Even a draw would leave us with a chance of progressing going into the last game against Russia,” Sapo told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

Though Japan always knew they had been handed a tough draw,
their Brazilian-born coach had set one clear aim for his team ahead of the tournament in his homeland, as he explained to FIFA.com: “Our main aim is to reach the second round. At our first futsal world cup we played well but didn’t progress beyond the first round, so we’ve been working extremely hard for this tournament.”

One player who could end up playing a crucial role for Japan in the game against Cuba is Kenichiro Kogure. Japan’s star striker is currently the only squad member to ply his trade overseas - with Spanish club Gestesa Guadalajara – and a veteran of the last FIFA Futsal World Cup in Chinese Taipei four years ago. Experience that could prove vital as Japan chase a place in the second round.

Kogure’s presence in a top European league is, according to Sapo, evidence that futsal in Asia is on the right track. “ Futsal in Asia has become very popular when you consider that the sport has only been around here for eight years or so. Nobody should be under any illusions, though, how much work is required to play futsal at this level. The sport is flourishing throughout Asia thanks in no small part to the presence of experienced foreign coaches. That said, even in Japan there’s still a lot of work to be done in the future to improve the structure and organization of the game,” Sapo told FIFA.com.

Right now, though, Sepo will only have the game against Cuba on his mind and will no doubt have meticulously prepared his team for this particular challenge. Anything less than a win would be a bitter disappointment for the Brazilian who had been planning on an extensive stay in his homeland.



Second-half surge lifts Spain

Spain broke open a close game by scoring three goals in three minutes early in the second half en route to a 4-0 victory over the Czech Republic at FIFA Futsal World Cup on Sunday.

Javi Rodriguez lifted Spain to a 1-0 lead in the opening minute of the Group C match at the Maracanazinho. With just eight seconds on the clock, Torras' goalbound effort was well saved by Tomas Meller, but he was powerless to stop Spain's No7 following up with the rebound. For the remainder of the half, the Czechs were grateful to their goalkeeper who kept Spain at bay.

Spain struck quickly in the opening minutes of the second half to put the game beyond doubt. Marcelo scored in the 21st minute, Daniel converted a penalty kick a minute later before Marcelo found the back of the net in the 23rd minute.

It was a good performance from Spain, both collectively and individually, and they now have one foot in the group phase of the competition.



Egypt ease to win over China

Egypt won their first match at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008 following a 6-2 victory over China PR at the Gimnasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia.

The Africans enjoyed the better start to the game and were unlucky not to take the lead as early as the fifth minute when Ahmed El Agouz hit the inside of the post. Five minutes later they did take the lead, through Ahmed Abou Serie Sameh Saleh.

Mizo doubled Egypt's advantage eight minutes later after being well set up by Abou El Komsan. A minute later, the provider turned goalscorer when his powerful shot left Tao Zheng with no chance.

Any chance of China making a comeback was swiftly snuffed out in the second half, when El Agouz bagged a brace in two minutes to take the score to 5-0. However, the Asians did pull one back in the 25th minute through Xi Zhang.

The five goal cushioned was restored just two minutes later through Saleh. With the score at 6-1, Egypt were content to play keep-ball and Jie Hu's last minute goal was little more than a consolation for China, who are without a point after two games.




Asia beats Africa in champions' battle

Iran kept their hopes of reaching the next round with a 4-2 win over Libya at the Maracanazinho in Group D of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. It was a deserved victory for the Asian champions over their African counterparts and leaves Libya without a win from their three matches so far.

Iran took control of the match from the first whistle by putting a lot of pressure on Libya. Their gameplan worked perfectly when they found themselves 2-0 up in the first seven minutes thanks to goals from Mohammad Hashemzadeh and Mohammad Taheri.

Despite the backing from the local crowd, Libya did their best to improve, but spurred on by the influence of Rabie Abdel, Iran scored again in the 17th minute with Hashemzadeh claiming his second of the game.

Only some outstanding goalkeeping from Mohamed Alsharif kept Libya in the game, but they soon found themselves with a fighting chance when goals from Abdel and Majid Latifi pulled the score back to 3-2 five minutes after half-time.

However, Iran kept their cool, focus on their game plan and put the game beyond doubt eight minutes from time when Mostafa Tayyebi scored his first goal of the tournament to ensure that the west Asians went second in the Group D standings.




Honours even in Brasilia

The statistics of the game between Argentina and Ukraine tells the story of a closely fought encounter at the Gimnasio Nilson Nelson. Whereas the South Americans had 12 shots on target and 51 per cent of the possession, the Europeans had 11 attempts and 49 per cent of the ball. It is perhaps unsurprising that the game ended all-square, and what a game it was.

Despite all of the goals coming in the second half, the first was an entertaining, even affair. Argentina had the first chance of the game in the fourth minute when Diego Giustozzi's volley went narrowly over. Marco Gimenez also went close, but Vladyslav Lysenko made a smart save.

As the half wore on Ukraine got more into the game and had two good opportunities when Valeriy Legachov fired wide and Oleksandr Khursov saw his close range attempt saved. Lysenko was called into action again twice as half-time approached, but held firm to ensure parity.

Dmytro Silchenko had a wonderful chance to put his side ahead after the restart, but Javier Guisande made a fantastic save. The deadlock was finally broken in the 32nd minute when Leandro Planas fired the ball into the net from close range. Five minutes later, Ukraine were level when a mistake from Argentina captain Carlos Sanchez was punished by Dmytro Ivanov.

Ukraine may have thought that they had won the game in the 39th minute when Sergiy Cheporniuk's lob beat Santiago Elias, but Argentina equalized with 15 seconds to go, Elias finding Giustozzi who made no mistake to give his team a share of the spoils.




Goals galore as tension mounts

Sunday 5 October 2008

Spain took a major step towards qualifying for the second round of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008 on Sunday after completing a comfortable 4-0 victory over Group D rivals Czech Republic. In the same section, Iran got the better of Libya in a 4-2 success, while in Group C Egypt overcame China PR 6-2 and Argentina were held to a 2-2 draw by Ukraine.

The big game
Argentina-Ukraine 2-2
Goals: Leandro Planas 32, Diego Giustozzi 40 (Argentina); Dmytro Ivanov 38, Sergiy Cheporniuk 39 (Ukraine)

The marquis match in Group C proved to be a tense and exciting affair, with both goalkeepers needing to stay alert from start to finish. Argentina must have thought they were on their way to victory after opening the scoring through Leandro Planas in the 32nd minute, but Ukraine reacted in style, Dmytro Ivanov collecting an Oleksandr Khursov pass to equalise after 38 minutes before Sergyi Cheporniuk lobbed the Europeans ahead a minute later. The match was still far from finished, however, and with just 15 seconds on the clock, Argentinian goalkeeper Santiago Elias' good work opened the way for Diego Giustozzi to fire a last-gasp leveller. It was a fitting end to a game that lived up to all its promises.

The other games
Also in Group C, China PR ended up counting the cost of a number of missed chances. The Pharaohs were a model of efficiency, by contrast, hitting three goals from their 11 shots in the first-half. Beaten in their previous two outings, Egypt carried on where they left off at the break to run out 6-2 winners and put themselves right back into the qualification mix. The Chinese are now staring at elimination.

Spain continue to go from strength to strength in Group D. Following less than convincing results in their first two matches, the world champions turned on the style to make light work of a Czech team that offered little in the first half. The only surprise was that the scoreline read just 1-0 to the Iberians, but they stepped up a gear after the restart and finished the job courtesy of goals from Marcelo in 21st and 23rd minutes, either side of a 22nd-minute Daniel strike.

The other match in Group D went Iran's way, with the Asian champions profiting from a lively Mohammad Hashemzadeh performance to prevail 4-2 against their African counterparts. The win gives Iran serious hopes of progress.

The player
Santiago Elias (ARG)
Brought on during the second half, the Argentinian goalkeeper had a major impact on his team's fortunes. In addition to defending his goal with aplomb, he provided the crucial assist that allowed the South Americans to draw level with Ukraine in the dying seconds.

The stat
11-The number of seconds it took for Javi Rodriguez to find the back of the net against Czech Republic. The 34-year-old Spain captain is appearing in his fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup.

What they said
"We didn't have luck on our side in our two previous outings but in this game we were luckier. Our main challenge is to reduce the huge amount of goals we miss." Moafak El Sayed, Egypt coach

All the results
China PR - Egypt 2-6
Argentina - Ukraine 2-2
Spain - Czech Republic 4-0
Iran - Libya 4-2



No room for error

Sunday 5 October 2008

The first round of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008 has reached the decisive stage and, as FIFA.com reveals in its preview of Monday's action, any slip-up now could prove fatal.

The big game
Thailand-Paraguay, Monday 6 October, 12.30 local time, Rio de Janeiro
Tied with Portugal on three points and with a win and a defeat each so far, both sides know that the loser of this meeting at the Maracanazinho will be packing their bags for home.

The do-or-die encounter will see a genuine clash of styles between the neat and elegant play of the Thais and the combative futsal of the Guaranies. Paraguay will be hoping to erase memories of a disastrous meeting with another Asian side in 1992, when they were swept aside by Iran to become the first and only CONMEBOL side to concede ten goals in a FIFA Futsal World Cup match.

The other games
Japan and Cuba find themselves in a similar position in Group A. Both have collected three points to date and need to win to keep their hopes of reaching the last eight intact. The Asian outfit go into the game on the back of a big win, while the Cubans were on the receiving end against Russia. They do have one thing in common, however, having both earned their maiden FIFA Futsal World Cup victories in the opening round of matches.

After their 7-0 mauling against Brazil, Russia will be confident of picking themselves up in the section's other game on Monday. Opponents Solomon Islands, who are already out of the tournament, have conceded 12.66 goals per game so far.

Over in Group B Portugal were in self-critical mood after a painful 3-1 defeat to Italy on Saturday and need nothing less than three points when they take on the already eliminated USA down in Rio.

The player
Eakapong Suratsawang, Thailand
Showing an alluring combination of skill and enthusiasm, the 22-year-old pivot has been one of the revelations of the tournament. A goalscorer in his side's 5-3 victory over USA, Suratsawang is one of the main reasons why Thailand's hopes of reaching the next phase are still very much alive.

The stat
15 - The number of goals Cuba have scored at Brazil 2008, making them the second most prolific side in the competition after the hosts, way out in front on 40.

What they said
"Any team that gives away five stupid goals in two games doesn't deserve to be in a World Cup. We'd better sort out our mistakes quickly or we'll be in big trouble." Orlando Duarte, Portugal coach.

All the fixtures
Brasilia
Japan-Cuba
Russia-Solomon Islands

Rio de Janeiro
Portugal-USA
Thailand-Paraguay






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