Malaysia gave themselves a chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the AFC Futsal Championship after recording a 5-1 win over Lebanon on Saturday.

Muhammad Shamsul gave Malaysia, who had lost their opening game 7-1 to 2012 runners-up Thailand, the perfect start after less than a minute before two quickfire goals from Nizam Ali extended the advantage at Phu Tho Stadium.

Lebanon pulled a goal back before half-time when Ali Tneich got his third goal of the tournament, but second half goals from Shamsul and Aula Ahmad secured the three points for Malaysia.

“I am surprised that we beat Lebanon 5-1, but now tomorrow I hope that my players will come to training and focus to play against Chinese Taipei,” said Malaysia coach.

“I stressed to my players not to make the same mistakes we made against Thailand and the team were very disciplined and our players followed my instructions and gave their best.

“Thailand are a world-class team and our players realised that we made a lot of mistakes in the first game so they promised to give their best in this crucial match.”

Malaysia opened the scoring when, after just 20 seconds, Qaiser Kadir found Shamsul and he hit his shot first time into the roof of the net.

Malaysia’s lead was doubled on five minutes when Lebanon’s Mohamad Kobeissy tried to intercept a pass only for the ball to fall nicely for Ali who composed himself before beating Hussein Hamadani.

And a third goal for Malaysia arrived in the 11th minute when Ali played a nice one-two with Ahmad before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into an empty net.

Lebanon, though, found a way back into the game four minutes before the break when Tneich pounced on a slip from Abu Hasan to score.

Kamel Elias then missed a chance to pull a second goal back less than a minute after the break as he fired wide after being found in space by Hassan Zeitoun with just the goalkeeper to beat.

And Malaysia restored their three-goal advantage in the 23rd minute as Asmie Zahari fizzed the ball across the face of the goal from Kadir’s corner and Shamsul tapped home his second of the game from close range.

Wanting to get back into the game, and with still 13 minutes remaining, Lebanon coach Francisco Araujo sacrificed substitute goalkeeper Tarek Tabboush and brought on Kobeissy as an extra outfield player.

But the tactic backfired in the 34th minute when Ahmad was able to direct his effort from within his own half on target with no Lebanon players protecting the goal just seconds after Zahari had hit the post.

And Lebanon, who beat Chinese Taipei 8-5 in their opening game, could not find a way back despite the extra outfield player.

“We started the match slowly like the first match, but this time we couldn’t make it back into the game,” said Lebanon coach Araujo, who now must prepare his side for a meeting with 2012 finalists Thailand on Monday.

“We talked in the dressing room that we should be fully concentrated from the start and not to concede early, but we did not start how I wanted and we conceded that first goal and paid for it.

“We conceded three early goals, but it wasn’t like the first game where we came back, it was not that easy to do.”

According to AFC

Unbeaten Kyrgyzstan boosted their hopes of a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Futsal Championship after Rustam Ermekov scored twice to secure a 4-1 win over Korea Republic on Saturday at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium.

Ermekov scored in either half of the Group D contest to put Kyrgyzstan in a seemingly comfortable position only for Shin Jong-hoon to pull a goal back for Korea with just under nine minutes remaining.

But after Marat Duvanaev’s free-kick restored the two-goal advantage with just over three minutes remaining, Vadim Kondratkov sealed the win in the last minute as Kyrgyzstan added to Thursday’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan.

“I am very happy; we showed what we can do,” said Kyrgyzstan coach Rustam Isaev, who saw his side score twice inside the last three minutes to snatch a point against Uzbekistan.

“Playing in such a huge tournament is very difficult for the players, but after the 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan, the players were more confident.”

Both sides showed plenty of attacking intent from the first whistle, although it was Kyrgyzstan who enjoyed the better of the early chances with Tabaldiev denied by Korea goalkeeper Lee Kyung-ho after 10 minutes.

Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Kirll Ermolov was also kept busy mainly dealing with over hit passes, although he was needed to save with his legs from Choi Kyung-jin after 12 minutes.

But it was Kyrgyzstan who opened the scoring just over three minutes before half-time as Duvanaev played a free-kick short to Ermekov, who side-footed the ball into the bottom corner through a crowded penalty area.

Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Ermolov ensured his side maintained that lead at half-time as he first acrobatically turned a snap-shot from Lee Min-yong onto the post in the last minute of the first half before producing a point blank save to deny Park Ha-nul from the resulting corner.

And Kyrgyzstan doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half as Ermekov rounded off a quick exchanges of passes by beating Lee at his near post from the left side of the Korean penalty area.

Kyrgyzstan thought they had added a third with just under nine minutes remaining, but Ulan Ryskulov was adjudged to have fouled Lee before bundling the ball home from close range.

And Korea took full advantage less than a minute later as Shin rounded off a swift counterattack with a composed finish from the edge of the penalty area.

But with just under four minutes remaining Lee carried the ball outside of his penalty area, and with that bringing up Korea’s sixth foul of the half, Duvanaev was given a free shot at goal from the resulting set-piece and he made no mistake.

And with just over 10 seconds of the contest remaining, Kondratkov sealed the win with Korea pushing forward.

“It was what we were looking for after the last defeat as we were 100% focused from the first whistle,” said Korea coach Raul Gonzalez after seeing his side suffer a second loss of the campaign following Thursday’s 12-0 defeat by defending champions Japan.

“We hoped that the team could score first and we took risks. The players were able to mentally do that, but we could not score first and our opponent was able to.”

According to AFC

AFC Futsal Championship hosts Vietnam posted their first win of the campaign in emphatic style on Friday evening with a 10-4 victory over Tajikistan in front of another large crowd at Phu Tho Stadium.

Pham Thanh Dat, Phung Trong Luan and Ngo Ngoc Son all scored a brace as the hosts made up for the missed chances in their opening Group A game defeat to Iraq on Wednesday.

And with Kuwait earlier beating Iraq, Vietnam are now tied for second place in Group A alongside Iraq ahead of Sunday’s final round of fixtures.

“I am very happy for my player because they needed to win and I made them work very hard,” said Vietnam coach Bruno Garcia, who now must prepare his side to face Kuwait on Sunday while Tajikistan face Iraq.

“The average age of the team is 23 years, but they are very hard working. The first game they did not score with their chances, but today in the first half they were more clinical which was very important.”

The deadlock was broken in the 10th minute when Ly Khanh Hung cut the ball back to find Tran Van Vu on the edge of the penalty area and he slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

The lead, though, was short lived as Tajikistan were back on level terms within a minute when Alisher Ulmasov’s shot was parried by Dang Phuoc Anh, and the Tajikistan player was able to latch onto the rebound and calmly played the ball to Khurshed Makhmudov who could not miss with an open goal in front of him.

But Vietnam found themselves back in front on 12 minutes courtesu of a fine individual goal by Trong Luan as he beat Samad Shohzukhrov down the sideline before firing a low shot across the face of the goal and into the bottom corner.

And the lead was doubled in the 13th minute when Ngoc Son cut back inside to score past Murodullo Alikulov.

Vietnam extended their advantage in the 15th minute after Ton That Phi was fouled on the edge of the area by Orzu Dodkudoev, and from the resulting free-kick, the ball was squared by Nguyen Bao Quan to Le Quoc Nam who fired into the roof of the net.

And Pham Duc Hoa got his name on the scoresheet in the 16th minute with a superb solo goal as he rounded the Tajikistan goalkeeper before finishing from a tight angle having received the ball from Phuoc Anh.

Tajikistan, though, pulled a goal back three minutes before half-time when Ulmasov played a cross-field pass to Mansur Mamedbabaev and he scored into an empty net with Phuoc Anh out of position.

But it was not long before the sixth goal arrived for the hosts when, in the 25th minute, Bao Quan hit a stunning volley which was past Alikulov.

And with Tajikistan pushing for a way back into the game, Vietnam further extended their lead with Trong Luan getting his second of the game following a counterattack before providing the assist for Ngoc Son to claim his second a minute later.

Despite the deficit, the Tajikistan players did not give up and scored a quick double through Sherzod Jumaev and Makhmudov in the 28th minute to give them a glimmer of hope.

But Trong Luan was again involved in the goals in the 33rd minute as his mazey run saw the ball break to Boa Quan to score his second and Vietnam’s ninth.

And Vietnam reached double figures with three minutes remaining when a smart flick from Duc Hoa set-up Khanh Hung.

“I feel very disappointed after that game,” said Tajikistan coach Damir Kamaletdinov.

“We were not ready for this, our opponents played a very fast game and we could not compete with them.”

According to AFC

Coach Miguel Rodrigo is confident Japan can mount a successful defence of their AFC Futsal Championship title in Vietnam this month despite only having six players remaining from the squad which triumphed two years ago.

Japan claimed their second AFC Futsal Championship in the United Arab Emirates in 2012 after posting a 6-1 win in the final before reaching the Round of 16 at the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

And ahead of Thursday’s 2014 Group D opener against Korea Republic at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium, Rodrigo is looking for his revamped side to pick up where they left off in Dubai.

“We were preparing in Spain for two weeks at the end of March before going back to Japan for 10 days in Nagoya, so a total of 20 days preparation for the tournament. Considering the tight schedule of the Japan league, this was sufficient time to prepare,” said Spanish coach Rodrigo, who will be without Kotaro Inaba, who was part of the squad in 2012, due to suspension.

“Only four players and two goalkeepers have the experience of winning the last title, so more than half the players are new to this challenge. The new players lack experience, but we will look to build on the positives and we are confident.

“Korea have a new coach so that means tactical changes so they are no longer an easy team. I respect them a lot. There are no more easy games in Asia and I believe this is the most difficult group as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan can reach the final.”

Korea failed to pick up a point in the UAE two years ago, but Spanish coach Raul Gonzalez is eyeing improvements with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan also drawn in Group D.

“We prepared in Korea but we couldn’t play any matches with high level teams due to organisational issues,” said Gonzalez.

“Our first match is against one of the best teams in the competition and that means for a team like Korea, our goal is to improve and playing against the best teams is a good opportunity for our team to improve.”

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, who both reached the quarter-finals in 2012, round off the opening day in Group D on Thursday evening at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium.

“We have prepared for six months. We had training in Kyrgyzstan and some matches in Kazakhstan,” said Kyrgyzstan coach Rustam Isaev.

“During training we have looked at dealing with pressure as we know Uzbekistan press.

“Even though we are in a strong group, we want to go as far as we can.”

Uzbekistan, who lost to Iran in the 2012 quarter-finals, secured their place in Vietnam after winning the South & Central Zone qualifiers with a 100% record.

“We started our preparations in September. The qualification round was in Tashkent and we also played against Iran, so I think we are ready,” said Uzbekistan coach Bahodir Ahmedov.

“We have prepared well and want to win all the games, but we will take it step-by-step.

“It is a tough group and Japan are favourites as we know them as we have played them before, but all the games will be difficult.”

According to AFC

Thailand coach Victor Hermans believes there could be a few surprises at the 2014 AFC Futsal Championship as the 2012 runners-up prepare to open this year’s campaign against Malaysia on Thursday at Phu Tho Stadium.

Thailand, who lost the 2012 final 6-1 to Japan in the United Arab Emirates, head into the tournament full of confidence after claiming the 2013 AFF Futsal Championship title with a 2-1 victory over Australia in Bangkok October.

They also claimed the gold medal at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar in December after beating Vietnam in the final.

“Futsal is growing in Asia, which is good because we need strong teams,” said Dutch coach Hermans.

“We will do our best again in this tournament and hope to get a better result than in Dubai. I hope we still have the feeling and the spirit in the squad from Dubai.

“Surprises are happening more and more, but do not take that as I don’t want to go to the final, I am just being realistic.”

Malaysia, meanwhile, have qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2008 when they recorded one win in their three group stage games.

“Our first game is against Thailand and I hope that my players perform well and get a good result,” said coach Maizal Marzuki.

Also in Group C on Thursday, Lebanon face fellow 2012 qualifiers Chinese Taipei after both sides advanced to the tournament in Vietnam with unbeaten records.

Lebanon finished second behind eventual champions Japan in their group in 2012, but lost to Group C opponents Thailand in the quarter-finals.

“We know we are in a good group and have a tough team like Thailand, so it is going to be a fight for second place between ourselves, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei,” said Lebanon coach Francisco Araujo.

“We already played against Chinese Taipei in 2012, in the group stage. We don’t have any idea if the team has changed, but we still have the same mentality to win when we play them.”

In the UAE two years ago, Chinese Taipei exited in the group stage following three loses, which included a 3-2 defeat by Thursday’s opponents.

“This is my first time as the head coach and also the first time to meet the Lebanon team,” said coach Chang Wu-Yeh.

“The target is to win the first game and we will then prepare again for the other games.”

According to AFC

Coach Jesus Candelas insists Iran have their sights set on winning an 11th AFC Futsal Championship in Vietnam this month ahead of Wednesday’s Group B opener against Indonesia.

Iran are comfortably the most successful side in the history of the AFC Futsal Championship having won 10 of the first 11 editions, although they were forced to settle for third place in the United Arab Emirates two years ago after losing 5-4 after extra-time to Thailand in the semi-finals.

But ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Indonesia at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium, Candelas is eyeing a return to winning ways after Japan claimed a second AFC Futsal Championship two years ago.

“Our objective is to do our best and take the cup. We should prepare well to do our best,” said Spanish coach Candelas.

“There is no pressure for us, it is a responsibility. We must try and relax when we are under pressure so we will not encounter stress.

“We are not looking at the past. We will concentrate on these players and put our focus on them.”

Indonesia finished bottom of their group two years ago after losing all three games which included a 5-2 defeat by China, although Andri Irawan’s side are boosted by reaching the semi-finals of the 2013 AFF Futsal Championship.

“It is a very tough group, but we believe we can go to the next round,” said Indonesia coach Irawan.

“We know Iran are the best team in Asia and also China and Australia are good. We will do our best and fight with these teams.”

Also at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium on Wednesday, 2014 semi-finalists Australia face China.

Two years ago in the UAE, Australia lost 3-0 to Japan in the semi-finals before suffering a 4-0 defeat by Iran in the third place play-off.

“We have prepared for nine weeks, one day per week with two sessions per day. I expect the team to perform as well as they can following the preparation. I hope the team gets through the first round,” said Australia coach Steven Knight.

“Iran are the strongest team in the group and I think the other teams are similar, so the opening match with China will be very difficult.”

China also featured in the 2012 edition, although they failed to reach the knockout stage after losing to Uzbekistan and Kuwait despite beginning their campaign with a win over Indonesia.

“We have not had the preparation we wanted as we had a short time to prepare, but it is the time we have had,” said China’s Portuguese coach Andre Lima.

“We know it will be difficult, as in my opinion, this is the strongest group and they will all be hard games. I hope my young team can improve and learn by the end of the tournament by getting more experience.

“Iran are favourites to win the championship, so Indonesia, Australia and China will fight for second place and all will be tough games.”

According to AFC

New coach Bruno Garcia has made a rallying call to the home fans to get behind tournament hosts Vietnam ahead of Wednesday’s AFC Futsal Championship opener against Iraq.

Spanish-born Garcia has only been in charge of the national team for two months, but is looking to build on last year’s third place finish at the AFF Futsal Championship.

Vietnam will also face Kuwait and Tajikistan, who open proceedings at Phu Tho Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, in Group A.

“The national team needs the support of our fans. I don’t think there is pressure on us being the hosts; the players enjoy playing for the fans,” said Garcia, who will be without Dang Phuoc Anh due to suspension.

“I have only had a short time to prepare this team for the tournament, but I am happy with the squad at this time.

“We have a strong group, but as the hosts we are ready to start the tournament.

“Our target is to win the first game and then after that we can think about the second game.”

Opponents Iraq have enjoyed mixed preparations for the tournament with Haitham Abbas’ side failing to win in two games against Lebanon after losing once and being held to a draw in the other before travelling to Malaysia and winning twice.

“This game is a very important game for us because if we win we are already halfway to getting through the group,” said Abbas, who will be without Amjad Kareem due to suspension.

“We must play very hard because we know Vietnam are very good.”

Kuwait, meanwhile, face Tajikistan with coach Luis Fonseca happy to have avoided defending champions Japan, 10-time winners Iran and 2012 runners-up Thailand in the group stage.

“We’ve had an intense preparation in Spain,” he said.

“We know that the three favourites in this tournament are not in our group, but it is still an intense group, especially as it includes the host nation Vietnam.”

Tajikistan, who secured a place at the tournament as runner-up to Uzbekistan in the South & Central Zone qualifiers, will be hoping to improve on finishing third in their group at the previous edition in the United Arab Emirates two years ago.

“I know the power of our opponents, but the main target is to qualify from the group,” said assistant coach Husein Shodiev.

“I think our opening game against Kuwait will be difficult, but I am hoping it will be a good match.”

According to AFC