Courtesy: Latin American Herald Tribune


Portugal Tops Uzbekistan at Futsal World Cup, Clinches Top Spot in Group A

MEDELLIN, Colombia – Portugal cruised to a 5-1 win over Uzbekistan in its third and final round-robin match at the Futsal World Cup, clinching the top spot in Group A.

The Iberian squad dominated Friday night’s game at the Ivan de Beodut Coliseum from the outset, although Uzbek goalkeeper Rustam Umarov kept the game scoreless early on by denying scoring opportunities by Andre Coelho, Tiago Brito and Fabio Cecilio.

But the two-time reigning Best Player of the World, Ricardinho, began asserting his authority midway through the first half when he got free and notched his seventh goal of the tournament to give his side a 1-0 lead.

The 31-year-old winger then scored Portugal’s next two goals, one before halftime and the other just after the intermission to make the score 3-1.

The Uzbeks, who were eliminated from the tournament with the loss, got their lone goal of the contest in the first half on a shot that ricocheted off Ricardinho and into the back of the net.

Andre Coelho and Djo scored Portugal’s final two goals in the 25th and 35th minutes, respectively.

In one other Group A match Friday night, host Colombia also booked a spot in the 16-team knockout phase by edging Panama 4-3 in the southwestern city of Cali to clinch second place, while in Group B action Thailand squeezed past Egypt 2-1 in Medellin and Russia routed Cuba 7-1 in Cali.

First-place Russia and second-place Thailand both have advanced to the knockout phase out of Group B.

Egypt still has a solid chance of reaching the round of 16, but would have to do so as one of four third-place teams. Panama’s chances of advancing are slim due to a poor goal differential (-8).



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