Courtesy: Nine.com


Iran cause major upset in Futsal World Cup

by George Vlotis


Iran has pulled off one of sport’s great upsets after knocking defending champions Brazil out of the Futsal World Cup in the round of 16.

An early brace from departing great Falcao gifted the favourites an early lead while the minnows couldn’t find their feet until a piece of class from Hossein Tayyebi - the Iranian forward duping keeper Tiago with silky footwork.

The ever-threatening Falcao then notched a hat-trick in what was to be his final professional game, but when cracks began to appear in his nation’s defence a 3-2 lead quickly turned into 4-4 draw at the end of regular time.

After neither side could break the deadlock in extra time, spot kicks were needed to spate the two teams.

A missed spot-kick from Brazilian Ari set the stage for Ahmad Esmaeilpour, who made no mistake in firing home into the thick of Tiago’s net, sending the underdog’s into raptures and setting up a quarter-final showdown against Paraguay.

In a final display of reverence, Falcao was honoured with an Iranian team salute as the Brazilian brought down the curtains on an extraordinary career.


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