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The AFC.comLively Iran storm into second stage10 October 2008BRASILIA: Iran became the first Asian team to reach the second round of the FIFA Futsal World Cup since 1992 after defeating the Czech Republic 3-2 in a humdinger on Thursday.
Both teams went into the match nursing hopes of a berth in the next round, but it was the lively Asian champions who took the lead in the 16th minute through Ali Hassanzadeh when he turned the ball in from a corner kick.
Jan Janovsky equalised for the Czech Republic in the 27th minute but Vahid Shamsaee made it 2-1 for Team Melli in the 30th minute.
Martin Dlouhy restored parity in the 31st minute and it was not until one minute before full time that Hassanzadeh struck the deciding goal after the Czechs substituted their goalkeeper to put more pressure on their rivals.
The win helped Hossein Shams’ men finish second in their group behind current two-time world champions Spain on goal difference despite having 10 points each.
In the second round, the Asian champions will play Brazil, Italy and Ukraine, with a top-two finish ensuring a berth in the semi-finals. They open their campaign against Brazil on October 11.
“Our goal now is to reach the semi-final,” declared Iran coach Hossein Shams. “We have to play Brazil and that’s going to be a difficult task.”
Earlier, Iran had drawn with Spain 3-3, before defeating Libya and Uruguay by 4-2 margins.
Another Asian side, Japan, failed in their bid to make the last eight after losing to Russia 9-1 in a must-win match on Wednesday which saw them finish third in their group.
China lost all their four matches to end up with the wooden spoon while Thailand won one match and lost three to finish fourth in their section.
Iran go down fighting to Brazil12 October 2008RIO DE JANEIRO: Asian champions Iran were unlucky to lose 1-0 to former world champions Brazil in their FIFA Futsal World Cup’s second round opener on Saturday.
The only goal of the match was scored by Schumacher in the second minute itself.
Iranian goalkeeper Mostafa Nazari quickly recovered from this early blow and made a series of brilliant saves later in the game to prevent the hosts from extending their advantage.
Iran play Ukraine today.
Iran edge Ukraine, keep hopes alive13 October 2008RIO DE JANEIRO: Asian champions Iran mounted a gritty comeback to defeat Ukraine 5-4 on Sunday to keep alive their chances of a semi-final berth in the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
The result means Iran now to need to beat Italy, who lost to Brazil 3-0, in the last match on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals. Hossein Shams’ men are currently level with the Italians on three points but trailing in third place on goals record.
However, Team Melli will go into the decider without their talismanic captain Vahid Shamsaee who picked up his second yellow card against Ukraine after being cautioned in their 1-0 defeat to Brazil in the opener.
Il'Dar Makayev and Serhiy Cheporniuk gave Ukraine a 2-0 lead early on but two strikes from the evergreen Shamsaee either side of a Fedir Pylypiv own goal saw Iran take the lead.
Mohammad Taheri made it 4-2 in the 15th minute before Oleksandr Khursov pulled one back.
Taheri then converted a penalty just before the interval and Makayev’s goal with three minutes left on the clock was of no avail as Ukraine were eliminated.
“It was a very even game, one which both teams needed to win, and fortunately we came out on top,” said Shams.
“We'll have an edge against Italy in Brasilia, because we know the venue and the crowd and they don't. But all we want to think about is reaching the final and hopefully meeting Brazil.”
Shamsaee, who misses the match against Italy, was confident his team mates would pull it off.
“I'm sad that I won't be able to play against Italy, but my squad-mates that can fill in for me are better than I am,” said Shamsaee.
Last-gasp goal breaks Iran hearts 15 October 2008BRASILIA: Iran exited the FIFA Futsal World Cup after conceding a last-gasp goal to draw with Italy 5-5 in their must-win final second round match on Tuesday.
The draw saw the Asian champions finish third on goal difference behind the Italians who sneaked through to the semi-finals alongwith section toppers Brazil. Both Iran and Italy earned four points from their three second round matches.
Team Melli were two goals down in the first 10 minutes when Fernando Grana (2, 9) hit a double before Masoud Daneshwar (11) and Ebrahim Masoudi (13) leveled the scores. Patrick Nora made it 3-2 for Italy in the 14th minute.
The second half saw furious action as Mohammad Hashemzadeh struck twice in the 27th and 29th minutes to give Iran a one-goal edge. Fabiano restored parity in the 31st minute but Daneshwar fired the fifth goal for Hossein Shams’ men four minutes before the final whistle.
And just when it looked like Iran were on the verge of a famous win, Edgar Bertoni struck in the last minute to pour cold water over the Asian futsal kingpins’ hopes.
This was the first time after 1992 an Asian team had reached the second round of the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
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luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
