Courtesy: Bangkok Post


Thailand's hopes dashed by mauling

Paraguay win 8-0 at Futsal World Cup

by TOR CHITTINAND

Thailand were virtually eliminated from the Futsal World Cup when they were beaten 8-0 by Paraguay in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Rene Villalba scored four goals for Paraguay who led 3-0 at half-time in a one-sided first round match in Group B.

Thailand's Sermphan Khumthinkaew was sent off after 27 minutes for dissent.

The Thais need a miracle to reach the quarter-finals. They have to beat Portugal by at least 14 goals and hope Paraguay lose to Italy in their final group game today.

Thailand coach Jose Maria Mendez said his men played well below their standard and conceded too many easy goals.

"I don't know what happened to my players," said the Spaniard.

"They could not reproduce their performances against Italy and the USA in the first two matches."

Thailand, who are playing in their third successive World Cup finals, lost 1-0 to Italy and beat the USA 5-3.

Paraguay coach Ruben Subeldia said Thailand had made fast progress over the past few years and that they could become a powerhouse in the future.

The Thailand v Portugal clash kicks off at 10.30pm tonight (Thai time) and will be live on Channel 3 and NBT (Channel 11).





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