What did the Kazakhstan futsal coach say about the match against the Vietnam team?

The Kazakhstan futsal team arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11 to prepare for two friendly matches with the Vietnam futsal team. The team will face the Vietnam futsal team in two matches, taking place on April 13 and 15.

On the FIFA world futsal rankings, Kazakhstan is currently ranked 7th, far above Vietnam's 31st position, thereby showing a certain difference in level.

Among the Kazakhstan players in Ho Chi Minh City is goalkeeper Leo Higuita. As one of the six players who reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Futsal World Cup, he shared about facing the Vietnamese futsal team.

Goalkeeper Higuita of Kazakhstan team will face Vietnam futsal team

"I regularly follow the Vietnamese futsal team and know that this is one of the strongest teams in Asia. I am very grateful for your warm welcome. However, I want to focus on the match and not focus on scoring goals for myself" - Higuita expressed in the press conference before the match.

This naturalized Brazilian goalkeeper was born in 1986 and is famous not only for his ball-catching ability but also for his impressive footwork and scoring skills, a rare trait for goalkeepers.

He was named the best futsal goalkeeper in the world by Futsal Planet in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Together with his parent club AFC Kairat, Higuita won two UEFA Futsal Champions League titles in the 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 seasons.

When asked about his colleague, goalkeeper Ho Van Y of the Vietnamese national team, Higuita did not hesitate to give praise: "I know Van Y quite well - an excellent goalkeeper who was once in the top 10 in the world. I heard that he was contacted by some European clubs. My advice is to continue to maintain the current spirit of progress and effort. With such form, he can absolutely play football in a higher environment."

Vietnam futsal team just had 2 wins against Saudi Arabia in a series of friendly matches taking place this April.

On the side of the Kazakhstan coaching staff, head coach Ricardo Kaka also had positive comments: "We know quite a lot about the Vietnamese futsal team, especially since coach Diego Raul took charge. This time, we did not bring the strongest squad due to some players being injured, but there is still a combination of experience and youth."

He also appreciated Vietnam's progress: "I saw Vietnam play with very high intensity when meeting Saudi Arabia. They organized well and showed a modern futsal style. This is really one of the strongest teams in Asia today."

Tomorrow (April 13), the Vietnamese futsal team will face Kazakhstan at 6 p.m. at Lanh Binh Thang Stadium.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hlv-tuyen-futsal-kazakhstan-noi-gi-ve-tran-gap-tuyen-viet-nam-196250412200847415.htm