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FIFA.comCuzzolino: Argentina will be stronger25 Sep 2016There wasn’t much more Argentina could have done in trying to negotiate their way past Ukraine. While a keenly fought encounter, built on the basis of two rock-solid defences, as the game progressed it turned into an onslaught by the Albiceleste.
Shot after shot, chance after chance, they couldn’t find their breakthrough as 40 minutes passed and penalties looked like an inevitability, as Ukraine goalkeeper Ievgen Ivanyak saved 21 shots on target in a row. But, with 90 seconds remaining, a sixth foul gave Argentina the chance to register a 22nd. Into the spotlight stepped Leandro Cuzzolino.
“My mind was totally clear,” he told FIFA.com on the moment when we was faced with the seemingly unbeatable keeper and a penalty from ten metres. With the lottery of spot-kicks the price to pay should he miss, a few choice words in his ear from his comrades in blue and white did the trick.
“I just knew I had to score for my team-mates,” the 29-year-old explained. “They filled me with all the confidence I needed to get the job done and I just couldn’t miss.” The result was exactly as he had hoped, firing low and precisely just inside the right post, finding the chink in Ivanyak’s armour.
“I have to congratulate the goalkeeper,” Cuzzolino graciously said at full time. “He was the best player on the court, he was unbelievable, but I just have to thank God that we were able to get our goal. There’s nothing more to say.”
And having slogged, sweated and searched fruitlessly for 48 minutes and 30 seconds, the elation at seeing the net ripple was profound. “I was overwhelmed with emotions when I saw it hit the back of the net. It was like a weight had been lifted from our shoulders the moment it crossed the line.”
Argentina have stuttered at times so far at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016. With unconvincing displays at the back against Solomon Islands and Costa Rica – where they so often excel – the Pescara forward believes that overcoming this task could be the psychological boost to take them forward.
"It was amazing that we hadn’t won the game sooner, as we played so well,” he said, having added a fourth World Cup goal to the three he struck at Thailand 2012 – with reaching the quarter-final against Egypt matching their finish from years ago already. “We could easily have had two or three at the very least.
“But this win is going to do wonders for our confidence, we needed it to know where we stand. With this win we will be stronger, we will be on top of our game and I believe we will make another step forward during the quarter-finals.”
Facing them will be Egypt – extra-time arrivals themselves – having dispatched Italy in similarly late fashion. The pair have met twice before, at Guatemala 2000 and Brazil 2008, with Argentina coming out on top both times. But the question to be answered in Medellin this time around will be whose trajectory towards the semi-finals will be boosted more by their most dramatic of victories.
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FIFA.comEgypt’s Elashwal training his sights on Argentina25 Sep 2016Three years ago Abdelrahman Elashwal was earning a living as a delivery boy at his father’s laundry, scooting around on his little motorbike through the streets of Giza, the city that is home to the most famous pyramids on the planet.
As the 22-year-old Elashwal himself explained, his life took a whole new direction when his father suggested he try his luck with a local football club. Given the choice, he opted for futsal instead, a decision he has since shown to be the right one, not least by inspiring Egypt to a ground-breaking defeat of Italy in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.
“It’s hard to describe just how happy we felt at knocking Italy out,” the young pivot told FIFA.com. The scorer of a hat-trick in his side’s momentous 4-3 win, he added, with understandable pride in his voice: “Nobody believed in us as much as we believed in ourselves, and here we are. We’re the champions of Africa and one of the eight best teams in the world.”
Though it might have gone unnoticed by most fans, the Egyptians needed little motivating before the Italy tie, as the No3 explained: “Some of their players said on social media that they were going to qualify, that they were confident they were going to beat us. That drove us on even more.”
The smiling Elashwal added that the number on his back is increasingly important to him: “It’s what I wear at my club and I asked to have it for this World Cup. And then I got three goals against Italy! It’s my lucky number for sure.”
The next hurdleThe most of important of those three goals was his extra-time winner: “When I saw the defender slip, I knew I was going to get on the ball and have just the keeper to beat. I said to myself: ‘Stay calm and keep it simple’. So I went round him and on to my left foot. I can hardly remember how I celebrated the goal.”
Elashwal, who stands 5’7 (1.70m) tall, is one of eight Misr Lel-Makkasa Sporting Club players in the Egypt squad. Though the club is based in the city of Fayoum, he lives in Cairo where he is studying Commerce. Waiting for him there is his girlfriend, with wedding plans to be made.
For the moment, however, his thoughts are elsewhere, namely on the upcoming quarter-final against Argentina, who are in form and have beaten Egypt on their last two meetings at the world finals: 4-3 at Guatemala 2000 and 4-2 at Brazil 2008.
“We know them pretty well,” said Elashwal. “They play an attacking game but they also defend well. I don’t think there’s a clear-cut favourite for this game. It’s going to be an interesting match to play and to watch.”
As Egypt’s young goalgetter went on to explain, however, he and his team-mates need to be in the right frame of mind to face the Argentinians: “We can’t just settle for knocking Italy out. We know it was a huge emotional high for us, but we want more, and we’ll be mentally ready to take on Argentina.”
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FIFA.comOld hands versus newcomers25 Sep 2016Four teams, one goal: to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016. With the final now just two wins away, experienced sides face newcomers in the last eight. FIFA.com looks ahead to the second day of quarter-final action.
Match of the dayAzerbaijan-Portugal, 18:00 (local time)
While it is no great surprise to see Portugal among the last eight, the same cannot be said of Azerbaijan. The tournament debutants have progressed to the quarter-finals at the first attempt, impressing with a compact yet very attacking style of play. That much was evident in the last round when they scored 13 goals past Thailand. However, the victory came at a high cost: not only was it physically draining, the side also lost a number of players to suspension. Leading striker Vassoura, who has six goals so far, Fineo and the excellent goalkeeper Rovshan Huseynli will all be absent with bans for accumulating yellow cards.
The latter, in particular, would have been crucial against Ricardinho. Portugal's No10 leads the scoring charts with 11 goals, is the side's key figure and captain and has played superbly at the tournament. Yet the Iberians are by no means a one-man team, as they have the best defence at the competition having conceded just twice to date.
The other matchArgentina face Egypt in the day's first fixture. The north Africans are surprise participants in the last eight and have reached this stage for the first time ever. After finishing third in the group phase, they knocked out the hotly favoured Italians in the Round of 16. Although the Pharaohs were put under great pressure they went ahead three times, so Argentina will have to be wary of their clinical finishing. The South Americans struggled to overcome Ukraine for long periods and peppered their goal, but remained patient and were eventually rewarded. A similar game against Egypt could be on the cards.
Player to watchEmin Kurdov (AZE)
With goalkeeper Huseynli suspended, stand-in custodian Kurdov will take his place. The Azerbaijan No1 has not yet featured at the tournament so will make his Futsal World Cup debut in the quarter-finals. The 32-year-old can expect to be busy against Ricardinho and Co.
The stat70 – The number of shots on goal Italy had against Egypt, of which only three found the back of the net. Egypt's next opponents, Argentina, even had 73 shots in their Round of 16 clash with Ukraine. It will be intriguing to see how the north Africans try to contain such an attacking threat.
The words"We need to make sure that we can play our game, but at the same time we have to adapt to Azerbaijan. They're very well organised and have a very intelligent coach. It'll definitely be difficult but we should still try to enjoy it. After all, we're representing our country." Jorge Braz, Portugal coach
Match scheduleQuarter-finals
Argentina-Egypt (15:30, Coliseo Ivan de Bedout, Medellin)
Azerbaijan-Portugal (18:00, Coliseo el Pueblo, Cali)
(All kick-off times given are local)
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
