Courtesy: FIFA.com


Knockout casualties out but not down

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Getting knocked out of a major competition can be a painful experience, particularly when your fate is decided in the elimination stages. The Round of 16 put paid to eight teams at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, but rather than bemoan their fortune, the respective coaches chose to look on the bright side.

Hosts Thailand enjoyed unexpected success at their home tournament, but a 7-1 defeat against a superb Spain side means the sound of a fervent Thai crowd roaring their side on is now a thing of the past. However, despite the loss, Thailand’s Dutch coach Victor Hermans felt his charges had come on leaps and bounds in the six months since the AFC Futsal Championship and believes they can now go from strength to strength.

“There’s been a huge evolution between Dubai and now,” said the 59-year-old. “I hope the players have learnt some important lessons, like how to dominate a game and retain possession. When they do, we’ll be a match for anybody.”

And the coach had a clear plan on how to take his side forward: “Our goal is keep developing the game in Thailand, and we’ve got a number of futsal leagues and conferences set up throughout the country. We must get these leagues going as soon as possible and I hope they’ll help unearth some of the abundant talent we have here.”

Iranian manager Ali Sanei, whose charges were eliminated by Colombia in one of the Round of 16’s biggest shocks, was also enthusiastic about the huge improvements in the game: “I think that futsal has come on so strongly in the last few years. We’ve seen it at Thailand 2012, with Solomon Islands beating Guatemala, and Kuwait prevailing against Egypt. It shows the game is constantly moving forward.”

For the newer sides, Thailand 2012 was a perfect opportunity to test themselves against the best teams in the world. Minnows Panama faced Spain in the group stages and Brazil in the Round of 16, and despite the 16-0 scoreline against the world champions, coach Agustin Campuzano seemed cheerful.

“We’ll leave Thailand perfectly content,” Campuzano insisted. “We came here to compete and that’s what we did. These players have lived the dream, taking on the champions as well as runners-up Spain, and that’s the kind of experience money can’t buy.”

Serbia’s coach Aca Kovacevic was equally upbeat: “It was a wonderful experience for us. I’m realistic enough to appreciate that qualifying for Thailand then topping our group is a massive success. We came so close to going even further but it wasn’t to be, this time.”

Czech Republic may have been undone by Russia, but their coach Tomas Neumann was satisfied that they’d progressed to the limit of their ability: “[It was] a successful tournament in the end. Our players are all young and I look forward to them developing and coming back to compete in four years' time.”

Another coach to take the balanced view was Egypt’s Badr Khalil, who said: “It took a big effort to get this far - and it’s the best we’ve done in 20 years." For Khalil, taking part was no less important: “Playing in a major tournament like this and facing all the strong sides gives the players confidence and experience. That’s what we’ll be taking away from Thailand.”

While these coaches can go home satisfied, others were not expecting to be on the plane so early. Paraguay’s Fernando Leite, for one, could not hide his disappointment: “I feel we were better in the qualifiers. I thought we’d carry that into the finals but we didn't play as well as I had expected.”

Japan’s Miguel Rodrigo, meannwhile, blamed a lack of concentration for his side’s defeat, saying his nation's fans were the only saving grace. “The crowd’s support was very important,” he conceded. “I'm glad we at least gave them a few goals to cheer, even if we weren't mentally strong enough to go through.”

While the big guns move forward in their quest for the trophy, the eight teams who leave Thailand 2012 have taken home some valuable lessons. The goal now is to return to the world stage in four years with renewed hope and confidence.



Courtesy: FIFA.com


Russians making case for the defence

Tuesday 13 November 2012

The quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 will see a repeat of the recent UEFA EURO final between Spain and Russia. FIFA.com spoke to defender Nikolay Pereverzev and coach Sergey Skorovich about how Russia intend to make it a different result this time around.

Without question, Russia have been the stand-out team in terms of defending at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012. Incredibly in their four games to date, against Solomon Islands, Guatemala and Colombia in the group stage and then Czech Republic in the Round of 16, the Sbornaja have not let in a single goal.

This could change in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, however, as they have been pitted against no less an opponent than 2012 European champions and 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup runners-up Spain. Defender Nikolay Pereverzev, who has made a significant contribution to his team's run of clean sheets thus far, knows that a far greater challenge now awaits them.

"We work really hard to at least secure a draw," said the 25-year-old in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. "And if you keep a clean sheet, then that means you can't lose – it's 0-0 at worst. And then if we take just one of the chances that come our way, that puts us 1-0 up, and that might well be enough to secure the win."

Trainer Sergey Skorovich takes a more pragmatic view of the overall situation. "It's obviously pleasing for me as a coach if we don't let in any goals, but the main thing is winning every match we play, regardless of how we do it," he said in his typically direct fashion.

Wednesday will see Skorovich and his team trying once again to stop La Furia Roja, but the stats make for discouraging reading as far as the Russians are concerned. In 19 matches dating back to 1992, they have yet to to defeat the Spanish, with the latest setback coming at the EURO Final in February, where they lost 3-1 after extra time.

"There's a real rivalry between us and Spain since both of us want to be the best," said Pereverzev. "Spain currently have their noses in front but I hope that from the next match onwards, we will be able to start redressing the balance."

"We showed that we were as good as them at the EURO final and had we won, it would have been fully deserved. I hope that God realises this and decides to give us a little help this time. Spain are going to have to lose one day, and I hope that that day will come on Wednesday."

Coach Skorovich is also expected a tight match against the Spaniards. "It'll be a tough game for both teams," he said. "It's a re-run of the final of the EURO and both us and Spain will be going all out to win. I think they're the favourites, but we'll be doing all we can to knock them off their perch."

The defence know exactly what is expected of them on Wednesday, including Pereverzev, who, despite already getting his name on the score-sheet at this FIFA Futsal World Cup, is happy to remain in the background when it comes to writing the headlines.

"It's not always easy to strike a balance between going forward and staying back, but my main task is to cover for any mistakes my team-mates make and keep things in place in front of our own net," said 5'7 Pereverzev, who is the second-youngest member of the Russian squad. And he will certainly have his work cut out against a Spain team which has already scored 22 goals here in Thailand, though he knows better than to focus on one star player to the detriment of his overall duties. "We need to keep an eye on every single Spanish player," he said. "They are an incredibly solid and dangerous group rather than just being a bunch of individuals."

Pereverzev is also concerned that, unlike their opponents, his side may not have found top gear yet at this tournament. In their opening fixture, Spain played out a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Iran, one of the best teams in the world, while Russia have had a far easier time of it thus far.

"That could well be a problem, since we have to make a mental shift after playing against Solomon Islands and Guatemala to facing Spain," said Pereverzev. "But they're an opponent we know inside-out and we'll be up for the fight," added the player who was part of the team that finished fourth at Brazil 2008.

After listening to Pereverzev and Skorovich, it would be an understatement to say Russia have every respect for the reigning European champions. Yet for all that, they are determined to put an end to two incredible runs. Russia are gunning for their first win over Spain in 20 years, and also hoping to consign La Furia Roja to their first defeat in 118 matches. And if the eastern Europeans can keep another clean sheet on Wednesday, then they will be well on the way to achieving this.






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