The Thai futsal team defeated Tajikistan after a tense penalty shootout – Photo: AFC
The semi-final match between the Thailand and Tajikistan futsal teams was exciting from start to finish. The two teams competed for tit-for-tat and created many opportunities.
A rain of goals also appeared on the field. With home field advantage, the Thai futsal team played somewhat better. They scored the opening goal in the 13th minute after good coordination. Receiving a throw-in from his teammate, Worasak headed the ball into the opponent’s net.
Tajikistan immediately rushed forward to find an equalizer. All their efforts helped them equalize 1-1 when there were only 7 seconds left in the first half. The scorer was captain Salomov after a dangerous cross-angle shot.
In the second half, Tajikistan became the team that took the lead to 3-1 when Khojaev scored twice in the 23rd and 29th minutes.
Being put in a difficult position, the Thai futsal team has proven its class. The power-play style helped them quickly shorten the score in the 30th minute thanks to Alongkorn’s close-range finish.
In the 38th minute, Therdsak easily put the ball into the net after well-coordinated coordination. The score of 3-3 sent the two teams into extra time and then a penalty shootout.
Here, the home team was at a disadvantage when Tajikistan led 3-2 after the first four shots. However, at the decisive moment of the 5th shot, goalkeeper Katawut made an excellent save to help Thai futsal continue the game.
High morale helped the home team successfully complete the next 3 turns. Meanwhile, the pressure caused Salomov to fail in the 8th round.
In the end, the Thai futsal team won 6-5 on penalties and reached the final of the Asian Futsal Championship for the third time in history.
The previous two times took place in 2008 and 2012.
