Iran pose major challenge for Vietnam in AFC Futsal Asian Cup quarter-final
VOV.VN - The national futsal team are set to play against Iran in the quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Asian Cup at 3 p.m. on October 4 in Kuwait (local time), with the upcoming match a huge challenge for the Vietnamese side.
A 2-0 defeat against Japan in the final group stage didn’t impact the Vietnamese side progressing through to the quarter-final round, although the loss consigned them to a second-place finish in Group D, thereby forcing them to face a stronger rival in Iran instead of Indonesia.
According to the Futsal World Ranking, Iran are ranked sixth in the world and are the leading team in Asia, whilst they are also winners of 12 of the previous 15 editions of AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
Competing against the strongest side in Asia, the team led by head coach Diego Giustozzi will focus on defending going into the next game.
The Vietnamese players have shown plenty of progress over the past two months under the guidance of Argentinian coach Giustozzi.
They have shown their capabilities of playing flexibly in power-play tactics, whilst displaying both confidence and assertiveness in their performances. Indeed, the national futsal players have been willing to change tactics in order to surprise their opponents, as can be seen were through Vietnam’s two wins against the Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia in the group stage of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
In a friendly played ahead of the Asian tournament Iran enjoyed a 3-1 win over Vietnam, with the upcoming match surely set to prove difficult for the Vietnamese team.
Under the guideline of head coach Vahid Shamsaei, the regional giants are aiming to lift their 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup trophy.