Courtesy: The AFC.com


IRAN CLAIM HISTORIC THIRD PLACE IN FIFA FUTSAL WORLD CUP

Oct 02 2016

Cali: Islamic Republic of Iran’s remarkable journey at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 ended on a high note, as they claimed third place after a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Portugal following a 2-2 draw in Cali on Saturday (local time).
The Iranians came from two goals down to take the third-place match to a dramatic penalty shootout, where six rounds of spot kicks were needed to decide the contest.

The first half had the feeling of a friendly contest, with both goalkeepers in Iran’s Alireza Samimi and Portugal’s Bebe being the standout performers in the opening period.

Both sides created a good opportunity to open the scoring. Ahmad Esmaeilpour had Iran’s best chance, but his chip over Bebe also sailed over the crossbar. At the other end, Samimi did well to deny Cardinal at close range.

Where the first half was fairly tepid, the second half came to life, as Cardinal scored a quick-fire brace within the first minute of the restart for Portugal. He showed great patience to beat the onrushing Samimi to open the scoring before combining with captain Richardinho to make it 2-0.

Cardinal then made a key defensive play to deny Ali Hassan Zadeh’s shot, even though replays showed he may have used his arm to block the goal-bound effort.

Then an ugly melee that involved both sets of players in the Portugal half produced a pair of red cards, as Iran’s Mohammadreza Sangsefidi and Portugal’s Miguel Castro were given their marching orders.

It was at that stage that Iran turned the match around. Afshin Kazemi pulled the Asian champions back into the game with an assured finish before Mahdi Javid converted a second penalty past Portugal’s back-up goalkeeper Vitor Hugo to send the contest to a penalty shootout after the full-time whistle.

It required six rounds of penalties to decide this encounter. Iran’s back-up goalkeeper Sepehr Mohammadi made a pair of big saves, but his team-mates twice hit the woodwork with their spot-kick efforts.

Then after Portugal’s Joao Matos hit the post with his sixth-round penalty, Javid stepped up to convert his spot-kick and ensure Iran’s best-ever finish to a Futsal World Cup, surpassing their fourth-place accomplishment at Hong Kong 1992.



Courtesy: The AFC.com


AFC PRESIDENT LAUDS IR IRAN FOR RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

Oct 02 2016

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has offered his heartfelt congratulations to Islamic Republic of Iran for producing Asia’s best-ever performance at the FIFA Futsal World Cup after they beat Portugal on penalties to finish third in Colombia on Saturday (local time).
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran for their spectacular displays, commendable resolve and consistency throughout the competition.

“As articulated in our Vision and Mission, IR Iran have proven that Asian teams can not only compete but dominate the world’s biggest stages. I hope that IR Iran’s achievement will inspire more Asian teams to scale new heights in world futsal.

“IR Iran are now a dominant force in world futsal and their success in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 is a testament to the culmination of years of hard work and commitment of everyone at the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.”

In the Round of 16, IR Iran produced one of the biggest upsets after eliminating FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 winners Brazil, 3-2 on penalties, after a hard-fought 4-4 draw in extra time.

Later, IR Iran became the first Asian team since 1992 to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup when they overcame a resilient Paraguay side 4-3 in the quarter-final.

Again, the Iranians defeated their opponents on penalties, beating Portugal 4-3 after a 2-2 draw in extra time to clinch a third-place finish.


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