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The AFC.comAl Karkh 2-5 Nagoya OceansMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Nagoya Oceans made it two wins in two games in Group A of the AFCFutsal Club Championship 2011 after they defeated Al Karkh 5-2 at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
The Japanese overcame the early dismissal of skipper Wataru Kitihara and a goal deficit to beat the Iraqis – who had almost stunned hosts Al Rayyan on Sunday – thanks to doubles from Rafael Henmi and Kenichiro Kogure.
Nagoya suffered a setback inside the first three minutes when Kitihara was sent-off for handball when he blocked Hasim Al Saraf's shot on the line and Hussein Al Zubaidi dispatched the resultant penalty into the top corner.
Nagoya equalised when Rafael Sakai dispossessed an Al Karkh defender and fired into the bottom corner.
Rafael Henmi and Kaoru Morioka both then hit the post before the Japanese took the lead just before the interval when Henmi broke from an Al Karkh corner and although keeper Khalid Otail saved the first effort, the Nagoya attacker buried the rebound.
Nagoya further extended their lead in the second period thanks to two goals from Kogure. First, he diverted Sakai's shot into the net from close range before rifling home himself to put his side firmly in control at 4-1.
Al Karkh pulled a goal back with four and a half minutes remaining when Karrar Al Thabeti beat keeper Hisamitsu Kawahara with a low free-kick but Henmi restored Nagoya's three-goal advantage with his second as they moved on to six points.
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The AFC.comOceans must rise insists AmaranteMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Despite seeing Nagoya Oceans move within touching distance of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 semi-finals, boss Jose Amarante called on his players to step up their performance if they want to go on and lift the trophy.
Nagoya overcame the early dismissal of skipper Wataru Kitihara and a goal deficit to defeat Al Karkh 5-2 and collect their second consecutive win at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
However, Amarante expects to see more from his side if they are to go all the way in Doha.
“I think if we want to win this competition, we must play better than today,” he said.
“I am not satisfied with the performance of my team. I think we can play much better. We committed several errors in defence and allowed our opponents to counter-attack.
“We must talk to the players because we had several things in mind that they didn't do so we must correct that for the next matches. The red card was one of these errors.”
Kitihara's red card for deliberate hand ball on the line allowed Al Karkh to open the scoring from the spot and Amarante admitted his suspension will disrupt the side.
“Of course he is an important player for us, an experienced player and he's our captain,” he added.
“Other players played more minutes than we planned. We will not have that player in the next match so we will have to put more minutes on the players' legs. I'm not satisfied with that but we will have to deal with it.”
After almost shocking hosts Al Rayyan on Sunday, Al Karkh again came up short against the Japanese and boss Saad Hussein Hadhal felt fatigue was to blame.
“I think today we played a very tough game, yes we lost with a big result 5-2 but we did not have much time to recover, this was our big problem. This was the main reason that we lost the game,” he said.
“Our players played well, we took the lead, scored first and missed a few chances so in the first-half we did well. In the second-half we were tired and that's why I think we lost the game.”
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The AFC.comAl Sadaka 3-5 Shahid MansouriMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Shahid Mansouri became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 with a 5-3 triumph over Al Sadaka at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
Having seen off Ardus on Sunday, the Iranians completed a second consecutive Group B victory in a game in which they were never behind to move into the last four.
Hassan Chaito had the best of the early opportunities for Al Sadaka when he rounded keeper Mojtaba Nasirniaiefarouji but could only find the side netting.
Shahid Mansouri then took the lead when Ahmad Esmaeilpour battled through a couple of challenges before poking the ball to Morteza Azimaeidivkolaei and he scored from almost on the line.
Al Sadaka drew level when Marwan Gorges embarked on a lengthy run before smashing a finish past Nasirniaiefarouji but just over a minute into the second period, the Iranians went in front for a second time when Esmaeilpour fed Masoud Daneshvar and he side-footed through keeper Rabie El Kakhi's legs.
Daneshvar then saw a shot smack the underside of the bar and bounce out before Shahid extended their lead to 3-1 when Mohammadesmaeil Vatankhah showed quick feet before blasting the ball into the back of the net.
But Al Sadaka pulled another goal back through Khaled Takaji only for Azimaeidivkolaei to grab his second of the game and give Shahid breathing room once more.
Ahmad Pariazar then set the seal on the victory with a close-range finish in the last minute before Takaji netted his second in what proved to be a mere consolation for the side from Lebanon.
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The AFC.comLak likes the way Shahid is shaping upMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Shahid Mansouri boss Reza Lak was pleased with an improved performance after his side sealed a place in the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 with a hard-fought 5-3 victory over Al Sadaka.
The Iranians were never behind in the contest at Al Rayyan Main Hall although they were pushed hard by their Lebanese opponents and following Sunday's victory over Ardus, it means they are the first team to reach the last four.
“I would like to thank my players because they played a very tough game. We played better than yesterday although there were a few mistakes but I think we can rectify them in the next game,” said Lak.
“I think we have qualified to the next stage but in which position, we will see tomorrow. Maybe first, maybe second.
“As I said before, we are taking it step by step. Although we have won two games, we are sticking to the same strategy. I think our team has improved from yesterday and I think they can reach the final if they can maintain this.”
Al Sadaka boss Hussein Dib, meanwhile, lamented his side's lack of concentration
“First of all, we lost the game because we made so many mistakes,” he said.
“We lost too many goals and missed chances. Usually in any game, when you don't score and waste many chances, the other team wins. That's exactly what happened, we missed too many chances.
“For me, our performance was okay, especially in the first-half. The second-half we played with a lot of strategy.”
Khaled Takaji, who scored twice, added: “We tried our best in today's game, our team played such a great game but I think the Iranian team were more experienced than us.
“It's the first time we've played in such a huge tournament but I think we did a great job.”
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The AFC.comArdus 4-4 GH Bank RBACMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: The second semi-final spot from Group B in the AFC Club Futsal Championship 2011 remains wide open after Renato's late goal saw GH Bank RBAC snatch a 4-4 draw with Ardus at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
Konstantin Sviridov's second goal of the game looked to have given the Uzbeks all three points but Renato equalised with just 36 seconds left to grab a second successive point following their opening stalemate with Al Sadaka.
GH Bank now have two points, while Ardus and Al Sadaka both have one ahead of the final round of games. The result also confirmed Shahid Mansouri as Group B winners.
It was GH Bank that struck the first blow with a fine opening goal as Sermphan Khumthinkaew showed good technique to volley home direct from a corner.
Ardus levelled, though, when a ball up the court found an unmarked Farruh Farhutdinov and he rounded keeper Surapong Tompa before knocking the ball into the net.
That was the way the scoreline stayed up until the interval but Ardus took the lead five minutes into the second period when Sviridov struck a first-time shot that proved too good for Surapong.
The Uzbeks further increased their lead when Jamoliddin Sharipov lifted the ball past the GH Bank keeper and it took a slight deflection off a defender that was enough to take it inside the far post.
The Thais fought back, however, and Panuwat Janta beat keeper Rustam Umarov at his near post with a side-foot effort to give his side renewed hope they could turn the game around.
Boss Rakphol Sainetngam decided to pull his keeper with just under four minutes to go and the move paid instant dividends as some precise build-up ended with Renato firing home at the back post.
Parity was short-lived, though, as GH Bank conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the dee and Sviradov smashed the ball into the roof of the net but they levelled for a second time with 36 seconds remaining when Renato was again in the right place to divert a shot into the net for his second of the game.
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The AFC.comRakphol relief as Bank maintains interestMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: GH Bank RBAC boss Rakphol Sainetngam felt his side's battling qualities kept their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 alive after Renato's last-gasp goal grabbed a 4-4 draw with Ardus in a thrilling Group B contest at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
GH Bank had pegged the Uzbeks back from 3-1 down but Konstantin Sviridov's second goal of the game looked to have given Ardus a crucial victory.
However, Renato equalised inside the final minute to grab a second successive point following their opening stalemate with Al Sadaka. If the Thais can now overcome group winners Shahid Mansouri on Tuesday, they will book their place in the last four.
“In the first-half of both games we didn't play. We made a lot of mistakes in the opening period, we lost possession and we gave away balls. The concentration levels, we felt they were just not in it,” Rakphol said.
“In the last three minutes, we started to play powerplay, we needed to change a few things around, we needed someone who could turn things around in the final third and it changed the game for us.
“It's an intense sport and the team that does well tends to be the team that has a very good collective spirit. We have a very high level of collective spirit. I think it's very important, particularly in futsal.
“If you don't have that spirit where everyone works for each other one mistake could end up a goal so each one of them is critical.
“They're like parts of a factory. They need to be a team from the moment the game kicks off right through until the match ends, mentally and collectively.”
Ardus boss Alexander Petrov was understandably disappointed at his side's failure to protect their lead
“I liked the match. It was a good match for the fans. Sadly we drew, conceding a goal with 40 seconds left. Our qualification to the next stage now depends on our rivals,” he said.
“Unfortunately, this match we wanted to win ended in a draw and it's not pleasant to have only a few chances to qualify but I think we will show our best performance against Al Sadaka.
“But our fate depends on our rivals.”
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The AFC.comZhejiang Dragon 1-6 Al RayyanMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Al Rayyan cruised into the semi-finals of the AFC Club Futsal Championship 2011 with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Zhejiang Dragon FC in Group A at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
Having been run close by Al Karkh in their opening game on Sunday, this contest proved to be a much more comfortable affair.
Al Rayyan will now face Nagoya Oceans on Tuesday to decide who advances to the last four as group winners.
Zhejiang managed to keep the hosts at bay for much of the first-half but two quick goals just before the interval finally broke their resistance.
First, Hassan Zadeh crossed for an unmarked Saad Al Shahwani to cushion a side-foot volley into the back of the net at the far post and shortly afterwards, a swift one-two gave Mohammad Taheri a sight of goal and the Iranian made no mistake.
Zhejiang gave themselves a brief flicker of hope inside the opening minute of the second period when a slick move was rounded off by Cong Lin but with Sunday's comeback by Al Karkh still fresh in their minds, Al Rayyan powered away.
Five minutes later, Zadeh's run and powerful shot restored the Qatari side's two-goal cushion and Hamad Kassab's cute back-heel from Taheri's low centre extended that lead to 4-1.
Mauricinho rifled home a left-footed shot to net Al Rayyan's fifth goal and helped himself to his second and his side's sixth when he was fed by Tahiri following a swift counter-attack.
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The AFC.comRhouila: Rayyan tamed defensive DragonMonday, 27 June 2011Doha: Al Rayyan boss Hassan Rhouila believed that Zhejiang Dragon’s defensive strategy played into the hosts hands as the Qatari side booked a place in the last four of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 with a comfortable 6-1 win over Zhejiang Dragon at Al Rayyan Main Hall.
The Chinese side kept the hosts at bay for most of the opening period but two quick goals just before the interval from Saad Al Shahwani and Mohammad Taheri finally broke the resistance.
However, Cong Lin's strike a minute into the second period unsettled Al Rayyan with Sunday's fightback by Al Karkh still fresh in their minds.
But Hassan Zadeh restored the two-goal cushion before Hamad Kassab and two goals from Mauricinho sealed victory.
“We were kind of nervous but I asked my players to keep the ball because the time was running out and the Chinese team tried to take the ball and tried to attack us,” said Rhouila.
“The Chinese team stayed behind the ball, we forced trying to score more goals and we got what we wanted. So the Chinese team helped us with the way they played.
“Thank God we won today. Three points, our performance today was really great, and we were better than yesterday. The teamwork and spirit was our way to win this game. We avoided mistakes which is why we won by a big margin.”
Zhejiang's second defeat of the tournament sees them exit the competition but coach Shan Zhiping underlined performances rather than results were the most important thing.
“Congratulations to our opponents. We lost again, in the first-half we created some clear chances but unfortunately we could not convert any of them,” he said.
“The main reason is that the players are too young, most of them are university students and they lack experience in such high-level competition. Sometimes they play nervously but sometimes they are unlucky.
“We started slow and lacked the pace of the match. Our strategy was more defensive.
“To be honest, we came here not competing for the championship trophy, we came here with the aim to learn from our strong opponents. These two matches will give us more experience. The experience in this tournament will help us more in our long-term team building.”
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Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
