Courtesy: Latin American Herald Tribune


Argentina Edges Kazakhstan 1-0 at FIFA Futsal World Cup

BOGOTA - Argentina defeated Kazakhstan 1-0 in Group E action at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Bogota.

Alamiro Vaporaki scored the loan goal for Argentina, which has won all of its opening matches at the Futsal World Cup, a streak that has reached eight matches in as many tournaments.

"We're fairly pleased because the World Cup has only just started and we expected to have a few teething problems. The team didn't play as well as I would have liked, but keeping a clean sheet was crucial to our winning the game," Argentine coach Diego Giustozzi said.

Vaporaki saw that Kazakhstan's goalkeeper was out of position in the middle of the court and pounced when he saw the ball loose, nailing a long shot for a goal.

Argentina tried to expand its lead, but a tough Kazakh defense prevented the South American squad from scoring again.

Kazakhstan made a big push to get on the scoreboard, but the squad was unable to avoid the shutout.

Kazakhstan's best scoring opportunity came in the final minute of play, when Pavel Taku took a shot that missed being a goal by just one meter.

In other Group E action, Costa Rica knocked off the Solomon Islands 4-2.

"It was a big challenge for us to face Costa Rica and to be playing at this level. We know we made mistakes, but we had our chances and I think the match could have gone either way. Even so, I'm proud of my boys," Solomon Islands coach Juliano Schmeling said.

On Thursday, Kazakhstan will play Costa Rica, while Argentina will take on the Solomon Islands.

The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 started on Sept. 10 and runs until Oct. 1.


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