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FIFA.comLast 16 in sight for group leadersSaturday 3 November 2012Cementing early gains and making up lost ground will be the order of day four as Groups A and C return to centre stage at Thailand 2012. Brazil, Portugal and Thailand can advance to the last 16 with a game to spare if they see off Libya, Japan and Ukraine respectively, while Paraguay and Costa Rica will be attempting to narrow the gap on the hosts in the former section.
Match of the dayPortugal-Japan (Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat Chatchai Hall, 19.00)
The Portuguese were pinpointed as potential dark horses before the tournament began, and underlined that status with a resounding 5-1 win over Libya in their opening match. Even with Cardinal - scorer of three goals on day one – struggling with injury, the Lusitanians have plenty of attacking options to call upon, including a player who knows their opponents particularly well. Ricardinho plays his club football in Japan and has warned his Portugal team-mates that they will face some “great players” who “play a very fast game”.
The Asian champions certainly showed in flashes against Brazil that they have the speed and skill required to trouble any defence. Their Spanish coach, Miguel Rodrigo, has stated his commitment to attack against even the mightiest of opponents, and his Brazilian counterpart, Marcos Sorato, admitted that the scoreline in their opening match flattered the world champions.
Other highlightsThe holders themselves take on Libya, and even without Falcao – who is still recovering from a calf strain – they will be expecting to have the necessary firepower to ease through to the knockout phase against their north African opponents.
In Bangkok, meanwhile, proceedings will be kicked off by Paraguay and Costa Rica. Diego Zuniga will be vital to the CONCACAF champions’ hopes of putting some points on the board against a team that will have to cope without their suspended hat-trick hero, Enmanuel Ayala.
In the capital’s later match, it will be the turn of the Thais - roared on again by a passionate home crowd - to face the never-say-die spirit of a Ukraine side who came from behind three times to snatch a draw against Paraguay.
Player to watchSuphawut Thueanklang was hailed as "a brilliant player" by Thailand coach Victor Hermans ahead of the tournament, and more than justified this lavish praise with a starring role in the 3-1 win over Costa Rica. The 23-year-old followed up a brilliant assist with a sumptuous goal, and was singled out for post-match compliments by Diego Solis, coach of the beaten Ticos. In truth, Thueanklang was merely continuing the form that enabled him to finish as the AFC Asian Futsal Championship’s joint-top scorer, and he will be the key man in the hosts’ bid to achieve their stated aim of reaching the quarter-finals.
The stat50 – Brazil’s opening match was their 50th at the FIFA Futsal World Cup and their record in those fixtures makes worrying reading for Libya, with 42 wins, just three defeats and 326 goals scored – an average of 6.52 per match.
The words“I’m very confident we can beat Libya. If we maintain not only our attacking performance but also our strength in defence, I really believe we will win,” Brazil coach Marcos Sorato.
The scheduleParaguay-Costa Rica (Bangkok, Indoor Stadium Huamark, 17.00)
Thailand-Ukraine (Bangkok, Indoor Stadium Huamark, 19.00)
Portugal-Japan (Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat Chatchai Hall, 19.00)
Brazil-Libya (Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat Chatchai Hall, 21.00)
(All kick-off times are local)
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FIFA.comFriends reunited for Portugal's RicardinhoSaturday 3 November 2012This Sunday, Portugal play their second match of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 against Group C opponents Japan. For Portuguese star Ricardinho, the game presents an additional challenge: five of the Japan squad are the 27-year-old's close friends.
Ricardinho and team-mate Arnaldo are the only two members of the Portuguese squad to ply their trade abroad. Ricardinho plays for Japanese outfit Nagoya Oceans, and it was there he first got to know the quintet he may be facing at Nakhon Ratchasima’s Korat Chatchai Hall on 4 November.
“I’ll be playing five club team-mates from Japan and I’ll be fighting hard to beat them," said the globetrotting goalscorer, speaking exclusively to FIFA.com. "It won’t be easy because they’re familiar with the way I play and have trained with me. But I’m here to fly the Portuguese colours!”
Ricardinho also had words of praise for Japan, identifying Kaoru Morioka and Katsutoshi Henmi as the biggest dangermen. “Japan are strong,” said the diminutive winger. “And I reckon Morioka and Henmi set them apart. They’re exceptionally talented and the best two players in the side in my opinion.”
Ricardinho is not lacking in talent himself. His skills have reaped him a number of individual awards over the course of his career, not to mention a clutch of breathtaking goals. Most memorable of all was a strike for Nagoya Oceans against Pescadola Machida, courtesy of what Ricardinho calls his “dolphin kick”.
The dolphin kick got a reprise in Portugal’s first Group C match against Libya, with Ricardinho nailing the shot two minutes before the final whistle only to see Ahamad Fathe clear it off the line. The move is rapidly becoming Ricardinho’s trademark:
“I tried it once before in Japan,” he said. “And it resulted in a great goal that was watched around the world. I've had another go in Thailand but unfortunately one of the Libyans blocked the shot. Actually we could have scored more goals against them, but the Libyans were excellent and fought hard. It was a tough game.”
The heavily-tattooed Ricardinho, who has the name of his idol, Brazilian legend Falcao, inked onto his left foot, is enthusiastic about futsal’s growing popularity and thoughtful about Portugal’s chances at the tournament in Thailand: “Futsal is spreading throughout the world and the teams are improving so quickly.
"We have to face pressure in every game now and that certainly affects us," he continued. "We're not allowed to play as convincingly as we used to. This year we’re focusing on taking the tournament game by game, step by step, and we’ll see how far it takes us.”
The interview at an end, Ricardinho goes over to chat with the aforementioned Henmi, but not before making a final statement: “Competition is for the court. Off it, we’re the best of friends.”
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FIFA.comAyala brothers in sync for ParaguaySaturday 3 November 2012The fact that Gabriel and Enmanuel Ayala can instinctively find each other out on court should surprise nobody, particularly since the pair are twins and have been playing futsal together for 18 years.
This bond shone through in Paraguay’s opening game against Ukraine at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, when Enmanuel took full advantage of the keeper failing to hold Gabriel’s shot to notch his – and La Albirroja’s – second goal in the 3-3 draw.
“It’s true that it wasn’t a direct assist, but I had a feeling he was going to shoot and so I got into position for the rebound, because I know how hard he hits it,” said Enmanuel, exclusively to FIFA.com. “Often I’ll know what he’s going to do before he does it and I act accordingly,” added the more reserved of the brothers, who struck all three of Paraguay’s goals against the Europeans.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time,” chipped in Gabriel, who differs from his sibling thanks to his short hair and more outgoing personality. “Sometimes we just need to exchange a quick glance [to know what to do]. It’s pretty mechanical by now.”
The pair also have contrasting styles out on the playing surface. “The ‘cierre’ (defender) is usually seen as a slow, physical player, but Gabriel is the opposite. He can defend but he also knows when and how to pass the ball. In my opinion, he’s the best in his position,” said Enmanuel, before his brother returned the favour. “I think Enmanuel’s very good in one-on-one situations and clinical in front of goal. He’s the one who’s got the talent.”
The brothers’ story began in their native Villa Hayes, a city located some 31km from the capital Asuncion. “At eight we started playing at a futsal school and we later formed a team we called ‘Hermanos de Julio’ (Julio’s Brothers) in a tribute to our brother, who passed away in 1999,” explained Gabriel.
“By 14 we were already playing in the first division and by 18 we’d moved to Italy, from where we only returned this year,” he continued. “Now there’s a chance that, for the first time, we’ll sign for different clubs. If so, it’ll be really strange!”
This year’s competition on Thai soil is the Ayalas' second FIFA Futsal World Cup, having been part of the Paraguay squad at Chinese Taipei 2004 but missing the cut for Brazil 2008. In a stark contrast to the competition eight years ago, La Albirroja have been tagged as several experts’ dark horses this time around.
“The pressure on us has increased, but it’s our own fault for beating Brazil in qualifying,” said Emmanuel. “Only our results will tell if we’re up to the task.”
And despite his treble against Ukraine, a late sending-off means the on-form goalgetter will be unable to add to his tally in Paraguay’s next Group A game against Costa Rica. “It left a very bitter taste in my mouth because it was my fault we went a man down and then they equalised,” said Enmanuel. “But I know the team’s more than ready for what’s coming next and that we can get a positive result.”
Sharing this optimistic mindset was Gabriel, when making the final contribution to our conversation: “The first game of a tournament is never easy, but we played well and came close to winning. The most important thing is that our hopes are still alive.”
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FIFA.comLisenchuk dressed for successSaturday 3 November 2012Gennadiy Lisenchuk is one of the most recognisable coaches at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012. It is not only his animated gesturing on the sidelines that make him stand out, but also his dapper dress sense. Since making his debut as Ukraine coach 19 years ago, his distinctive clothing has been his trademark and, as if to underline that point, in Bangkok we found him dressed him a striking beige suit and white shoes.
“In hot countries like Thailand I like to wear warm tones,” a smiling Lisenchuk told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. “In my opinion, coaches represent their team. We should always look good and be well dressed. In my time as national team coach I’ve won 11 medals at World Cups and EUROs. But whether wearing a suit is a lucky charm is anyone’s guess.”
Learning from mistakesHowever, luck did not appear to be on Ukraine’s side in their opening game at Thailand 2012. Despite dominating much of the encounter, they were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw against Paraguay.
On Lisenchuk's part, he felt his players’ poor finishing was to blame. “Our forwards created plenty of chances but only scored three," said the 64-year-old. "I’m not happy with that. But we’ll learn from our mistakes and be more clinical in our next matches.”
At the Indoor Stadium Huamark on Saturday, the eastern Europeans face a Thailand side buoyed by a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in their opening fixture. Lisenchuk, who led his country to fourth place at Spain 1996 and guided the youth team to world championship glory three times, is full of respect for the hosts, who are coached by his close friend Victor Hermans.
“We watched the match between Thailand and Costa Rica and were very impressed," was his verdict. "Our upcoming opponents are very fast, good on the ball and tactically well-drilled. It won’t be easy for us to beat them, but we’ll do our best.”
Quarter-final aimThe Kiev native will prepare his team in typically meticulous style for the game. Defeat to the current Group A leaders would be a major setback for the UEFA Futsal EURO 2012 quarter-finalists, who have set their sights on the latter stages of the tournament once more.
“In my opinion we’re one of the best teams in the world, which is why we’ve set ourselves three objectives for this World Cup," he explained. "We want to get past the group stage and our minimum aim is to reach the quarter-finals. If everything goes to plan, we could be playing for a medal. We know it won’t be easy but we’ll give everything to make it happen.”
If Ukraine do make it on to the podium, Lisenchuk and his charges can expect a rapturous reception upon returning to their homeland later this month. Yet a change of wardrobe would be necessary for the fashionable coach, as warm tones would be decidedly out of place in the harsh Kiev winter.
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