The 2-3 defeat to Kyrgyzstan in the first match of the play-off round caused the Vietnamese futsal team to officially miss the 2024 Futsal World Cup.
Vietnamese futsal players push their squad higher to approach the match with Kyrgyzstan. In the first 5 minutes, Chau Doan Phat, Tu Minh Quang and Nguyen Thinh Phat had a chance to shoot towards the opponent’s goal but failed. After that, the representative from Central Asia caught the rhythm of the match and created a tug-of-war with Pham Duc Hoa and his teammates.
In the 9th minute, Kyrgyzstan counterattacked to score the opening goal. After catching Thinh Phat’s pass, Murzakulov pushed the ball and poked the ball for Maksat Alimov to escape and defeat goalkeeper Ho Van Y in a face-to-face position. A minute later, Dzhanat Uulu almost doubled the score when he headed the ball against Van Y’s goal post.
Coach Diego Giustozzi’s students regrouped their squad after the loss. The Vietnamese futsal team’s attacking efforts paid off in the 13th minute. Taking advantage of a messy ball from a corner on the left wing, Nguyen Manh Dung quickly scored to equalize 1-1. Continuing the excitement, the white-shirted futsal team faced a chance to score a second goal in the 16th minute. Dao Minh Quang escaped but unfortunately could not beat goalkeeper Akmataliev in a face-to-face position.
The 1-1 draw also reflected the true situation of the first half. The Vietnamese futsal team got back into the match better in the second half, including Duc Hoa’s strong shot that Akmataliev struggled to block. In a balanced match, coach Giustozzi’s team suddenly conceded the second goal. Makhmadaminov skillfully dribbled the ball in front of the penalty area and then scored diagonally to regain Kyrgyzstan’s advantage.
The Vietnamese futsal team pushed their squad high with an all-or-nothing mentality. At minute 24, coach Giustozzi used the power-play strategy with Duc Hoa wearing a goalkeeper shirt. Under the offensive pressure of the white shirt players, Kyrgyzstan’s defense system could not stand. In the 28th minute, it was Duc Hoa who assisted Manh Dung to score the ball from close range, equalizing 2-2 for the Southeast Asian representative.
Continuing the excitement, the Vietnamese futsal team continued to use the power-play strategy when the match had just over a minute left. However, this became a “double-edged sword” causing the entire team to accept final defeat. Nguyen Anh Duy’s technically incorrect finishing situation became the assist for Askarbekov to score the goal that sealed the 3-2 victory for Kyrgyzstan.
Failure in the play-off round caused the Vietnamese futsal team to miss the 2024 Futsal World Cup. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan played in the “final” match with Afghanistan to compete for the final spot of Asian Futsal to the world arena.
HUU THANH
