Courtesy: FIFA.com


Argentina lose their star man

Friday 9 November 2012

During Argentina’s Group D clash with Egypt (Futsalplanet.com note: with Australia) at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, La Albiceleste’s Matias Lucuix fractured the tibia and fibula in his right leg and will play no further part in the tournament.

The injury to Lucuix, who scored his side’s third in a 7-1 win, came about in the second period and appears set to sideline the Spain-based player for around six months. “We’re very sad for him,” Argentina coach Fernando Larranaga told FIFA.com after the match.

“That this should happen to a lad like Matias at a World Cup, when he’s at the peak of his career and with so many opportunities ahead of him, is hard to take in,” added Larranaga. “It’s now down to us to give him as much encouragement as possible.”

The Inter Movistar wide-man, who was taking part at his second FIFA Futsal World Cup, will travel to Spain to have the injury operated on there, in order to begin the recovery process as quickly as possible.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Keeper seals historic Solomons win

The Solomon Islands have claimed their first-ever win at the FIFA Futsal World Cup with a 4-3 victory over Guatemala that leaves their opponents struggling to make the last 16. Los Chapines must now wait on the outcome of the matches in Group E but, for the Solomons, their disappointment at exiting the tournament will pale in comparison to the joy of this historic win – sealed by an amazing goal by keeper Anthony Talo.

The Kurukuru were impressive from the first whistle, and it was against the run of play that Guatemala took a ninth-minute lead, Estuardo De Leon taking – and eventually converting – a well-worked corner. But within six minutes, the Pacific Islanders were level, James Egeta threading an excellent outside-of-the-foot pass through for George Stevenson to shoot first time beyond William Ramirez.

The equaliser was no more than the Solomons deserved, and six minutes later they moved ahead when captain Elliot Ragomo played in Jeffery Bule to prod the ball through the legs of Ramirez. Ragomo himself had the chance to make it 3-1 shortly before half time when Guatemala’s Jose Gonzalez was sent off for denying Moffat Sikwaae a clear goalscoring opportunity, but his penalty was well saved by Ramirez.

That looked likely to prove a costly miss when Alan Aguilar pulled Guatemala level two minutes into the second half, firing in a low shot from the 10-metre mark that took a couple of slight deflections on its way past Anthony Talo. However, the Solomons were determined not to repeat their second-half collapse against Colombia, and with 11 minutes remaining Micah Leaalafa re-established their advantage, drilling the ball home following another fine through pass from Lames Egeta

Keeper Talo then scored an incredible goal, gathering the ball and wasting no time in punting it forward – directly into the goal of his stranded opposite number, Carlos Merida, who had been pushed forward as a fifth outfielder. With 12 seconds remaining, Walter Enriquez pulled a goal back but it was too little, too late for a Guatemala side who are now relying on results elsewhere, and whose defeat has gifted a last 16 place to hosts Thailand.

The quotes
“This win was all about our game-plan. We discussed in detail how we were going to play this match and the players carried out my instructions, this time with a lot more concentration than in our previous matches. We are very happy because this is a great victory for our nation, which is one of the smallest islands in the world,”
Dickson Kadau, Solomon Islands coach.

“We made a lot of mistakes and they took advantage of every mistake we made. You could see the Solomons didn’t want to go home without at least one win, and good for them. They played well and they got the result they wanted. It’s very disappointing for us,”
Jose Gonzalez, Guatemala defender



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Russia’s run continues, Colombia through

Russia’s remarkable run of keeping a clean sheet in their group stage matches continued as they defeated Colombia by two goals to nil, a result which also saw the South Americans progress.

Colombia knew that even a defeat by six goals might be enough to see them through against a rampant Russia team who scored 25 goals without reply in their opening two games. Consequently they defended close to their own area and looked to break on the counter-attack, without taking many risks.

However, they got off to a poor start, conceding after just four minutes, with Sirilo the scorer. He controlled a fine pass from Vladislav Shayakhmetot, turned and fired a shot which flew between the legs of Juan Lozano.

The second half was much the same as the first with Russia scoring four minutes into the half. Pavel Chistopolov produced some good work down the left, he centred the ball for Robinho, who made no mistake from the edge of the area.

Russia had a few more chances, which Lozano was equal to, but in truth, Colombia did not threaten Gustavo’s goal at all, ensuring that Russia have gone two hours without conceding at this tournament. Their record of three clean sheets in as many group games has only been matched by Spain in 2004 who actually went on to win the tournament.

The 2-0 loss for Colombia also ensured their progression to the Round of 16. They will meet Iran on 11 November, whereas Russia’s opponents on the following day are hitherto unknown.

The quotes
“We are very happy, of course. We analysed Russia closely and, fortunately, the game went as planned. Coming into the match we imagined ourselves advancing in third place, not in second, but it does not change a lot for us. Iran will be as tough as any other team we might have faced,"
Arney Fonnegra, Colombia coach.

“Prior to the match I told my players to be prepared to play at 100 per cent because they were going to face a difficult team, and I was right. Colombia defended a lot and attacked very little, but the fact we didn't score more was our own fault not being precise up front,"
Sergey Skorovich, Russia coach.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Kuwait fall short despite beating Egypt

Kuwait have crashed out of the FIFA Futsal World Cup despite causing a major upset with a 4-1 win over an Egypt side who nonetheless advance as one of the competition’s best third-placed teams. The Kuwaitis had been all set to advance in third themselves but Czech Republic’s comeback against Serbia changed everything, pushing both Egypt and their conquerors down a place in the standings.

Few had given Luis Fonseca’s side a chance in this match but from the outset they put their opponents on the back foot by playing with five outfield players – a tactic usually used only as a last resort by teams chasing a game. Within three minutes, their attacking adventure was rewarded when Abdulrahman Almosabehi crossed from the left for Ahmad Alfarsi to tap home, and they edged further ahead three minutes later when Shaker Almutari broke through to score.

Egypt looked completely shell-shocked, and a minute later – with Kuwait continuing to play with five men outfield – two became three when Almutari doubled his tally by side-footing home from close range. The Pharaohs did pull a goal back through Bougy, his second in as many matches, but a deflected cross-cum-shot from Abdulraham Altawail re-established Kuwait’s three-goal advantage before half-time.

The second half might have been expected to bring about an Egyptian response but Kuwait initially continued to dominate and create the best chances, even before news of the Czech comeback left them needing more goals to overhaul the Pharaohs in third. Yet it was Egypt who finished the stronger and scored twice as the clock ticked down, with Mizo twice setting up Ahmed Mohamed to fire high into the roof of the net.

The quotes
“It was a nervous game for us and we were surprised with the level of Kuwait who had a good game. We missed one of our best players, Ramadan [Samasry] today, and this affected us. Kuwait played with an outfield player right from the early minutes of the game and that gave them an early advantage,”
Badr Khalil, Egypt coach.

“I want to congratulate the players, who gave their best today and played to the maximum of their ability. We tried our best to score a lot of goals and we managed to do so, but it wasn’t enough for us. We learned a lot of things from playing in the World Cup and hopefully we can take advantage of these lessons to improve the game in Kuwait,”
Luis Fonseca, Kuwait coach.



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Czechs battle back to take second

Czech Republic came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Group E winners Serbia, the point denying the tournament newcomers the honour of being the first debutants to enjoy a 100 per cent record in the group stages.

Serbia controlled the pace of the game and had the majority of the possession. They took the lead as early as the sixth minute when Mladen Kocic went past two defenders and fired home.

The Serbs continued to create chances, but found Czech goalkeeper Libor Gercak in fine form. However, as things stood at half-time, the Czechs were heading home.

They stepped up the momentum in the second half and got the equaliser through Michal Seidler’s close range effort. Serbia retook the lead after a mix-up in the area which allowed Vidan Bojovic to score.

Forty-six seconds later, parity was restored when Lukas Resetar passed the ball into the penalty area and Michal Belej struck the equaliser.

The result ensured Serbia finished as group leaders. They face Argentina in the Round of 16, while Czech Republic as runners-up face the formidable Russians.

The quotes
“You could tell it was an important match for both teams, and that is why it was not a very open game. But I'm satisfied with my players because we won the group. It's true I would have liked to win the three matches, but we have accomplished our immediate target when we got to the World Cup,"
Aca Kovacevic, Serbia coach.

“We knew what results would get us into the next round, and that is what we based our game-plan on. My players followed my tactical plan, but once again missed too many opportunities, which has been our major failing so far. You could tell neither of the teams wanted to lose and that impacted on the quality of game. Nevertheless, we showed a lot of character to come back after being behind twice,"
Tomas Neumann, Czech Republic coach.




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Joy for hosts on day of surprises

Friday 9 November 2012

The final day of group matches at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 could hardly have been any more dramatic. Alongside the eight teams fighting for their place in the knockout stages on Friday, the hosts nervously looked on and were also celebrating at the end, as they progressed thanks to a surprise victory for the Solomon Islands.

It went down to the wire in Group E, with everything initially pointing to Kuwait joining Egypt in the next stage, but it was Czech Republic who reached the last 16. Meanwhile in Group F, Guatemala threw away their seemingly secure ticket into the next round after losing to Solomons, who recorded a maiden tournament triumph.

Results
Solomon Islands 4-3 Guatemala
Colombia 0-2 Russia
Kuwait 4-3 Egypt
Serbia 2-2 Czech Republic

Goal of the day
Solomon Islands - Guatemala, 4-2 Anthony Talo, 35'38"
It was a day of firsts for Solomon Islands, as they won an inaugural FIFA Futsal World Cup game and had a goalkeeper score a first tournament goal. With the Oceania nation leading 3-2, Guatemala were forced to push for an equaliser. The ball landed at Anthony Talo's feet and the custodian wasted no time in hitting a first-time effort the full length of the court into the empty net at the opposite end. The 16-year-old is only the fifth keeper in tournament history to have found the net, following in the footsteps of A.J. Lachowecki (USA) and Adolfo Jara (Paraguay) in 1989, as well as Luis Amado (Spain) and Zheng Tao (China) in 2008.

Memorable moments

Thailand celebrate with Solomon Islands
After two days of nail-biting tension, it was Solomon Islands of all teams who came to Thailand's rescue. Having ended up in third in Group A on Wednesday, the fate of coach Vic Hermans' team was out of their hands as they hoped to be one of the four best third-placed finishers to reach the knockout rounds. On Thursday, Thailand were rooting for Iran against Panama, but the Central Americans scored in the closing seconds to make it 4-3, overtaking the Thais on goal difference in the process. Yet in an unexpected twist, Solomon Islands surprisingly beat Guatemala 4-3 on Friday evening, much to the delight of the hosts.

Kuwait on the attack
Just like Solomon Islands, Kuwait's situation appeared hopeless ahead of the final round of group matches. The Asians were expecting a rough ride against Egypt, but soon went 3-0 in front. Yet instead of protecting their lead, the Kuwaitis went all-out attack, piling forward with five players in an unusually adventurous tactical manoeuvre.

Russia imperious
Russia have been in impressive form during the group stages. Not only are they the current top scorers with 27 goals, but goalkeeper Gustavo and Co are also yet to concede. The Russian custodian has been excellent and his ability was clear to see against an attacking Guatemala side. Russia are only the second team to have reached the knockout stages of a FIFA Futsal World Cup with three clean sheets, after Spain paved the way in 2004.

Stat of the day
2000 - The date 9 November will live long in the memory of Czech Republic's Michal Belej. In the game against Serbia, the Czech claimed the 2000th goal to be scored in the competition's history.

The words
"We are very happy because this is a great victory for our nation, which is one of the smallest islands in the world. We've already had texts from back home congratulating us. People are going wild over there,"
Solomon Islands' coach Dickson Kadau on his side's historic success.

Next up
Sunday 11 November 2012 (All kick-off times are local)
Paraguay-Portugal 16.00
Ukraine-Japan 19.00
Spain-Thailand 18.30
Iran-Colombia 21.00

Monday 12 November
Italy-Egypt 16.00
Brazil-Panama 18.30
Russia-Czech Republic 18.30
Serbia-Argentina 21.00



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Fairy tale of Solomons' 16-year-old keeper

Friday 9 November 2012

Scoring a goal at a World Cup is impressive enough. Doing so at just 16 makes the achievement considerably more remarkable. Slip in the fact that the youngster in question is a goalkeeper and the tale begins to seem a little fanciful. By the time you mention that the goal was a shot from his own half, which won the match for the Solomon Islands - known for losing by huge margins - people will probably have stopped listening. It does, after all, sound like the stuff of fantasy.

Yet this is the entirely true story of Anthony Talo, his unforgettable strike and the Kurkuru’s first-ever win at the FIFA Futsal World Cup. And after it was all over, he seemed as stunned as anyone.

“Words cannot describe how I feel,” Talo told FIFA.com. “It’s just amazing. This was my first World Cup, so I never even dreamed that I would score here. It was such a fantastic moment for me. I want to dedicate this goal to the people of the Solomon Islands, and I hope the people who watched it back home shared in my joy.”

Talo is one of just five goalkeepers to score at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, and is comfortably the youngest of this quintet. He is, in fact, the second-youngest player of any position to find the net at this event and, in a strange twist of fate, the youngest - Safouk Al Temyat - grabbed his landmark goal on 8 January, Talo’s birthday.

However, the Solomons keeper’s effort, launched into Guatemala’s net from his own box, was not actually his first. Talo has, he explained, score twice before, though only in local competitions back home. “This goal felt a bit different to those ones!” he acknowledged. “It’s definitely my favourite so far, and hopefully there will be others in the future.”

Further sparkle is added to Talo’s fairy tale by the fact that he would almost certainly have been on the sidelines but for the Solomons’ first-choice keeper, Paul Huia, being suspended. As it was, the youngster played a key role in making history for his nation, and sparking a party in the Kurukuru’s dressing room that could be heard echoing through the corridors of Huamark Indoor Stadium.

“We were overjoyed in there,” Talo said, grinning. “We were all going round thanking and congratulating each other, and then we all came together to sing the national anthem. Our team is so happy to finish in this way. I think the difference today was that everyone played at the same level, with the same intensity, which hasn’t happened in all of our previous games.

“We all worked hard for each other and pushed each other on. It was a real team effort. This result and this performance shows that we can compete at this level, and that gives us something to build on for the future.”

With players as young and talented as Talo, that future should be bright. Whether it will contain any more tales as fantastic as their teenage keeper’s seems considerably less likely.






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