Courtesy: FIFA.com


Honours even for Paraguay, Ukraine

Paraguay and Ukraine have opened the FIFA Futsal World Cup with an keenly contested 3-3 draw at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.

Enmanuel Ayala grabbed the headlines, scoring a hat-trick that looked to have secured the South Americans all three points only to pick up a needless red card that allowed Ukraine back into the match.

The 26-year-old’s first goal came after nine minutes, when he seized on a slack pass before jinking on to his left foot past an off-balance defender and crashing a powerful shot just inside the right-hand post. Ukraine hit back immediately though, with Maksym Pavlenko finishing off a slick team move to restore parity within 60 seconds.

However, despite a promising start to the second half, the eastern Europeans conceded a second goal ten minutes after the restart. This time, Ayala was fed by a chipped pass from his twin brother, Gabriel, and he wriggled away from the attentions of goalkeeper Ievgen Ivanyak before slotting into the unguarded net.

Again though, Ukraine fought back, drawing level from the penalty spot with five minutes remaining, when Petro Shoturma curled in a precise left-footed shot off the inside of the post. Ayala completed his hat-trick with a coolly dispatched penalty of his own just two minutes later, but was then sent off for diving - his second bookable offence.

Shorn of their star forward, Paraguay couldn’t hold out for the win, with Pavlenko slotting home from an acute angle to secure a deserved share of the spoils as the final seconds ticked down.

The quotes
“I am satisfied with the performance of my players, but not with the result because I think Ukraine should have won. Nevertheless, we know we have drawn against a strong team in Paraguay, and that means we are ready to play anyone,"
Gennadiy Lisenchuk, Ukraine coach.

“It was a very tight match, which in the end had a just result. Neither team played well defensively, and that is something we will have to work on. This result is not a setback though - I still believe we can advance to the next round and even win the group,"
Fernando Leite, Paraguay coach.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Hosts beat Costa Rica to go top

Thailand have moved to the top of Group A with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica at Bangkok's Huamark Indoor Stadium. Suphawut Thueanklang, Keattiyot Chalaemkhet and Jirawat Sornwichian were all on target as Victor Hermans’ side made the perfect start to their FIFA Futsal World Cup campaign.

The hosts began the brighter of the two sides, with the speed and trickery of star forward Suphawut Thueanklang causing problems for the CONCACAF champions. However, it was after a spell of Costa Rican pressure, and somewhat against the run of play, that the Thais took an 18th-minute lead. Predictably, Thueanklang was at the heart of the action, working the ball through unselfishly for Keattiyot Chalaemkhet to smash an emphatic right-foot shot high into the net and delight the flag-waving home fans.

Thailand’s No9 then went from provider to goalscorer nine minutes into the second half, crashing a ferocious left-foot shot in off the underside of the crossbar to cap a speedy breakaway. Costa Rica were creating precious little at this stage but, out of nothing, they grabbed a lifeline with three minutes remaining when Diego Zuniga sent a magnificent left-foot shot flashing into the top corner.

However, the points were secured just a minute later when Jirawat Sornwichian restored Thailand’s two-goal cushion, chipping the ball past the advancing keeper and in off the right-hand post to spark loud cheering form the enthusiastic capital crowd.

The quotes
"I’m very happy and proud of my team, and of the performance we showed. I hope this win gives all the Thai people a boost and encourages them to come to our next match to support us from the stands. Futsal has a future in Thailand and maybe the fans can become the sixth player on the pitch."
Victor Hermans, Thailand coach

"We believe that No9 of Thailand is a very good player. But we also have to admit that we made too many mistakes in the game, and that's what cost us the three points."
Diego Solis, Costa Rica coach




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Five-star Portugal begin brightly

A first-half hat-trick from Cardinal helped Portugal to a comfortable 5-1 victory over Libya in their opening Group C game of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.

It took the Europeans just four minutes to break the deadlock when Cardinal fired home from an acute angle. Libya levelled two minutes later through Ahamed Fathe’s rising shot from outside the box, but parity was short-lived.

In fairness, the Africans were not helped by an injury to forward Rabia Abdel, but sloppy passing allowed Portugal to be on the front foot for most of the half, with Ricardinho and Arnaldo pulling the strings.

Cardinal tapped the ball in from close range to make it 2-1 in the 16th minute and completed his hat-trick just two minutes later when he combined well with Arnaldo before slipping the ball past the keeper.

Portugal continued from where they left off at the start of the second half, Nandinho scoring a beauty from outside the area. The scoring was completed in the 29th minute when a long ball from the keeper was headed home by Marinho.

The only cloud on the horizon for Portugal was an injury to Cardinal who had to be taken off following a nasty collision with Libya keeper Yousef Bensaed. They will be hoping that he recovers in time for the clash with Japan on Sunday.

The quote
“We played a good first match in the tournament. It’s always important to start well. Now we have to look forward to the next match against Japan, which is going to be very hard,”
Portugal coach Jorge Braz.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Holders Brazil see off Japan

Brazil have started their defence of the FIFA Futsal World Cup title with a 4-1 win over Japan at the Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima. The result leaves the reigning champions perched alongside Portugal at the top of Group C, although the Europeans currently hold a narrow advantage on goal difference.

The Brazilians were good value for their win, secured by goals from Wilde (2), Neto and Vinicius, but they were made to work hard by a Japan side that has improved markedly since losing 12-1 in this same fixture four years ago. There never appeared any prospect of a similar scoreline this time around, and it took until the 14th minute – thanks to some stout defending and defiant goalkeeping from Hisamitsu Kawahara – for the Asians’ rearguard to be breached.

Even then, the goal had a touch of good fortune to it, with Wilde’s low right-foot shot taking a deflection off Kaoru Morioka that diverted it into the net. Injury was restricting the Brazilians’ star man, Falcao, to only fleeting appearances on the field, so it was left to others to share the goalscoring burden – and Neto was the next to step up.

Less than a minute of the second half had been played, in fact, when the defender snatched on some slack passing in the Japanese defence and rifled a right foot shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Brazil were growing in confidence by this stage, and within two minutes they were three up after the grounded Ari somehow managed to square the ball for Wilde to score his second of the match.

Vinicius made it 4-0 two minutes later, squeezing the ball home from a seemingly impossible angle, although Japan at least had the consolation of scoring the game’s best goal – a brilliant left-foot shot from Kotaro Inaba that flashed into the net off the inside of the post.

The quotes
“I personally enjoyed the performance today. We did very well in defence and at the same time in attack. The result might give the impression that it was an easy game but actually it wasn’t as Japan made it very hard for us,”
Brazil coach Marcos Sorato.

“Today we lost concentration for two or three minutes and you obviously can’t do that against a team like Brazil. Last week we played 40 concentrated minutes against Brazil in a friendly (drawing 3-3), while today we only played well for 37 minutes - and the three minutes gave Brazil the edge,”
Japan coach Miguel Rodrigo.



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Goals and fans abound on opening day

Thursday 1 November 2012

The FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 is underway. And there was no shortage of excitement or goals at the start of the seventh edition of the tournament being held in Bangkok and Nahkon Ratchasima, where for the first time 24 teams will compete for superiority.

Having endured several days of rain, the sun came out over the Thai capital on 1 November in time for the competition opening. Spectators in both stadiums were treated to high-tempo encounters and witnessed the net bulge on numerous occasions. Hosts Thailand got off to the perfect start with a win, while Portugal and defending champions Brazil also recorded victories. Ukraine and Paraguay, for their part, shared the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Results
Ukraine 3-3 Paraguay
Thailand 3-1 Costa Rica
Libya 1-5 Portugal
Brazil 4-1 Japan

Goal of the day
Thailand - Costa Rica, 2-0, Suphawut Thueanklang, 28’ 04”
Suphawut Thueanklang’s strike to put Thailand 2-0 up was not only the decisive goal of the match, it was also greeted with wild celebrations in the stands. Goalkeeper Prakit Dankhunthod threw the ball towards the forward, who deftly brought it down on the halfway line with his right foot, before spinning around and unleashing an unstoppable left-footed shot past Costa Rica custodian Jairo Toruno.

Memorable moments
Seeing double
Family get-togethers are always special occasions and futsal is no exception. Paraguay’s Enmanuel Ayala netted a hat-trick against Ukraine and his twin brother Gabriel provided the assist for the first of them. However, their joy was short-lived, as the goalscorer was later sent off for a second bookable offence.

Party time
Futsal is widely known for its carnival atmosphere and fans were quick to do that reputation justice. The vociferous home support tirelessly cheered on the Thai team in their opener in Bangkok’s Huamark Stadium. The decibel levels were equally high further north in Korat, where reigning champions Brazil dazzled onlookers with their skilful team moves. The Japanese fans added extra colour to the proceedings with their blue balloons, contributing to a successful tournament start.

Feminine charm
The tight nature of indoor games, coupled with strong tackles and the fiery atmosphere often make futsal matches heated affairs. A female influence can therefore sometimes have a calming effect on the players. And so it was in the fixture between Thailand and Costa Rica, when a female referee was in charge for the first time at a FIFA Futsal World Cup. Not only did Brazilian Renata Leite oversee the game impeccably alongside her male colleagues, her outing in Bangkok was also one for the futsal history books.

Stat of the day
3 - Portugal’s Cardinal and Paraguay’s Enmanuel Ayala arrived in Thailand with their shooting boots on, each netting three times in their respective country’s opening game. The duo jointly lead the top scorers' chart at the tournament.

The words
“I hope this victory will motivate our fans to come to our next game and support us again. Futsal has a future in Thailand and maybe our supporters can be our sixth man out on the court,”
Victor Hermans, Thailand coach.

The next games

Friday, 2. November 2012 (all times in local time)

Group B
Panama – Morocco, 19:00
Spain – Iran, 21:00

Group D
Italy – Australia, 17:00
Argentina – Mexico, 19:00



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Brazil win but suffer Falcao blow

Thursday 1 November 2012

Brazil may have got their FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 campaign off to a winning start with a 4-1 triumph against Japan, but victory came at a cost. A Seleção’s biggest star, Falcao, was forced to withdraw from the match in Nakhon Ratchasima after just three minutes’ play, having suffered an injury to his right calf, and was highly pessimistic regarding his chances of playing any further part in the competition.

“It’s a very worrying one, unfortunately,” he said, following the game. “My dream of playing a fourth [Futsal] World Cup may be over. We’re going to do some tests on it tomorrow, but it’s unlikely I’ll be able to get a run of games.”

This latest injury blow comes after the 35-year-old overcame fears he would miss the tournament on Thai soil due to a right-thigh problem. Indeed, his fitness was only proved after he underwent an MRI scan on the day the Brazil delegation set off to Asia. “When I had an injury a while back it was in my adductor muscle, but that had already healed up,” explained the player. “But this time I ended up straining my calf.”

Though the injury was treated with ice as soon as Falcao reached the substitutes bench, the player had cut a frustrated figure as he limped off the court. “It’s like a film is playing inside your head,” continued the Auriverde No12.

“You think how many years you’ve spent waiting for this moment, which would have been the last World Cup of my career. For the dream to end after three minutes is a shame. I’ll still be cheering on the squad though. It’ll be hard watching from the outside, without being able to get involved again, but I’ll still be supporting the lads.”

What is more, in a friendly game last week against today’s opponents, as part of the teams’ preparations for this competition, Brazil lost defender Cico – also to a calf injury. In his place, coach Marcos Sorato called up Spain-based player Rato.






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