Courtesy: the-afc.com


AFC Futsal Championship 2016 East Zone Qualifiers

Ulaanbaatar: China took pole position in the East Zone qualifiers for the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship on Wednesday when a 4-1 win over host Mongolia took them to the top of the table following their third successive win at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Palace.
An own goal from Mongolia keeper Ser-od Batsaikhan in the first minute gave China the perfect start but they couldn’t add to their early advantage until four minutes into the second period when Geng Deyang doubled the lead before skipper Lu Yue put the two-time AFC Futsal Championship semi-finalists firmly in control of the encounter.

China had to do without the services of Zhao Liang for the remaining ten minutes but after he received a 29th minute red card but they were in control of the tie and extended their advantage in the 35th minute though Hi Yihui’s second of the qualifiers following his against opening goal in China’s 3-1 win over Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.

China’s third successive victory sees them sit top of the table with nine points from three matches, three more than both Korea Republic and Chinese Taipei, who defeated Hong Kong 6-5 earlier on Tuesday, with the first period of an evenly fought contest between the two East Asian giants ending 4-3 in favour of a Hong Kong side looking for their first win after three successive defeats.

Chu Chia-wei’s third goal in as many matches for Chinese Taipei and a Yeung Chi Lin goal for Hong Kong saw both sides get on the scoreboard in the first minute before the frantic start to the match continued as Liu Yik Shing put Hong Kong 2-1 up in the third minute only for Chang Chien-ying to restore parity barely 60 seconds later.

With ten minutes on the clock Hong Kong had So Sheung Kwan red carded as Chi Sheng-fa made it 3-2 to Chinese Taipei but goals from Chan Kwong Ho (17th) and Yeung’s second of the match had Hong Kong 4-3 up at the interval.

Hong Kong held their advantage until the 27th minute when Chi’s second drew Chinese Taipei level and after Lin Chien-hsun put his side 5-4 in front the same player’s own goal six minutes later brought Hong Kong back on level terms.

But Hong Kong’s qualifying campaign was to end without a point to their name as Huang Po Chun scored a last minute winner for Chinese Taipei, who take on Mongolia on Wednesday in their final match of the round-robin tournament.

The top two teams from the East Zone qualifiers will complete the 16-team line up at 2016 AFC Futsal Championship, with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan claiming the tickets to next year’s finals from from the Central Zone qualifiers.

Fourteen teams are now confirmed for the event with four qualifiers from the ASEAN and West Zones joining champions Japan, Iran, and Uzbekistan - the top three sides at the 2014 AFC Futsal Championship - and Saudi Arabia, the next best team from the West Zone qualifiers who enter the tournament as a replacement for suspended Kuwait.

Kuwait finished fourth at last year’s AFC Futsal Championship and had qualified on account of 2016 hosts Uzbekistan receiving automatic qualification only to lose their place following FIFA’s suspension of the Kuwait Football Association government interference with the football body’s affairs.

The top four finishers at the AFF Futsal Championship make up the ASEAN zone’s qualifiers with the quartet of champions Thailand, runners-up Australia and beaten semi-finalists Malaysia and Vietnam joining Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Qatar - who made it through from the West Zone qualifiers - at next year’s finals in Uzbekistan.




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