Losing painfully in the quarterfinals, Vietnam’s door to the World Cup has not closed, why?

The competition with Uzbekistan in the Asian futsal quarterfinals is a huge challenge for the Vietnamese team. Because even though they were near the threshold of the World Cup, the performance from the beginning of the tournament by Diego Giustozzi and his team was not convincing enough.

Nguyen Thinh Phat and his teammates were held to a 1-1 draw by Myanmar in the opening match, only winning against China with a minimum score of 1-0, before losing 1-2 to host Thailand in the final match. Meanwhile, the Uzbekistan team is a force in the Asian futsal village.

However, overcoming the difference in strength and still being skeptical of experts, the Vietnamese team played with confidence. Coach Giustozzi’s students entered the game confidently with double play, starting with Chau Doan Phat’s shot off goal in the 3rd minute.

In the 7th minute, Uzbekistan responded with two consecutive shots from Ropiev, but goalkeeper Ho Van Y saved the goal. Then Ho Van Y played excellently to block Olkhomjon Khamroev’s difficult shot.

The Vietnamese team then switched to a defensive position, ceding control to Uzbekistan. Ho Van Y’s goal was therefore “bombarded” more, but Coach Giustozzi’s students still patiently waited for the opportunity to counterattack. Then in the 17th minute, Thinh Phat kicked Uzbekistan’s goal. Pivo of Vietnam futsal ran wisely to finish after a corner kick to open the score.

In the 19th minute, Thinh Phat almost doubled the gap for Vietnam. From Pham Duc Hoa’s mischievous free kick, number 10 made a smart move but missed the mark.

In the second half, Uzbekistan attacked with suffocating pressure, causing Ho Van Y’s goal to be threatened many times. Uzbekistan’s efforts were rewarded in the 34th minute, when Ropiev Ikhtiyor headed home from close range to equalize after a teammate’s shot hit the ground. Although Van Y played excellently in this match, the goalkeeper of Thai Son Nam Club could not prevent the situation from being too difficult.

Uzbekistan’s futsal team pressed Vietnam in the last 5 minutes of the match. This was the time when the goal posts of the two teams took turns vibrating. While Uzbekistan’s shot hit the post in the 36th minute, Vietnam also had the right to regret when Tu Minh Quang beat the Uzbekistan goalkeeper, but the shot bounced off the goal and went out.

Pain for the Vietnamese team in the 40th minute, when Juraev fired a cannon shot at a tight angle and put the ball through Van Y’s legs, sealing a 2-1 victory for Uzbekistan.

However, the Vietnamese team’s opportunity to participate in the Futsal World Cup has not ended. Coach Giustozzi and his team will look for a ticket in the play-off round, with an important match against Kyrgyzstan – the team that defeated defending champion Japan in the group stage.