Two-time champions Spain defeated fellow Europeans Kazakhstan 5-2 in an entertaining, back-and-forth match to advance to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.
Not quite three minutes had passed in the match when Lozano blasted in a free-kick from nearly half-court after he took a long run-up to score the opener for Spain and his team-leading fourth of the tournament.
Just two minutes later, Chingiz Yessenamanov was the man in the right place when he levelled things up for Kazakhstan after he followed up a long-range effort from goalkeeper Higuita. Surprisingly, the Kazakhstan keeper was his side's main goalscoring threat as he peppered Paco Sedano's goal on multiple occasions with audacious attempts on goal.
Spain had the majority of possession throughout the first half, however Kazakhstan were no less efficient than the Spaniards as they had just as many shots on target as their European counterparts.
The second half began similarly to the first as Spain scored early on and regained their lead. Bebe managed to squeeze a shot past Higuita with a precise effort directly from a cross-court pass by Rivillos.
And continuing with the deja vu theme, Kazakhstan found their way back in the match again when Dauren Nurgozhin finished off a great team goal with an assured finish. However, Nurgozhin went from hero to villain within seconds when he deflected a Spanish shot from the restart into his own goal.
Kazakhstan didn't let the goal completely deflate them and they continued to press towards Sedano's goal but Spain were able to hold on in the end and will continue their Colombia 2016 journey while Kazakhstan will pack their bags for home.
Raul Campos and Miguellin rounded off the scoring for Spain with two late goals as Kazakhstan threw everyone forward in search of an equaliser. The final scoreline flatters Spain slightly as Kazakhstan gave them just about all they could handle.
While it was mainly a positive evening for Spain progressing in the tournament, there was one sour note for them as Lozano left the match injured and in visible pain after falling hard on his own to ground on Kazakhstan's goalline. Coach Venancio Lopez and his squad will be hoping the injury is not as serious as it first appeared.
The two-time Futsal World Cup champions will meet Russia in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Cali.
