Vietnam lost 1-2 to Thailand in the final round of Group A but still entered the quarterfinals of the 2024 Asian Futsal Championship.
* Goals: Osamanmusa 12', Srirangpirot 30' - Minh Quang 21'.
The victory helped Thailand top Group A with nine points. Vietnam had the same four points as Myanmar - who beat China 3-1 in the same match - but had a better goal difference of zero to -3.
This is the fourth consecutive time Vietnam has reached the quarter-finals of the Asian futsal tournament, since 2014, when the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, Thailand has reached the quarter-finals 14 times, with nine consecutive appearances since 2007.
In the quarterfinals, Vietnam will face the group B winner – most likely Uzbekistan – on April 24. The Central Asian team is currently ranked third in Asia and 25th in the world – 17 places above Vietnam. If they win, Vietnam will advance to the semi-finals and will certainly qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup. If they lose, Vietnam will join the other three losing teams in the quarter-finals in a play-off to compete for a World Cup ticket.
Tu Minh Quang (No. 12) scored the equalizer in Vietnam's 1-2 loss to Thailand, in the final round of Group A of the 2024 Asian Futsal Championship. Photo: AFC
At Hua Mark Stadium on the evening of April 21, Vietnam played tightly in the first three minutes before Jirawat Sornwichian had a chance to face the ball but his shot hit Ho Van Y. It was not until seven minutes later that Thailand had their second good chance. Alongkorn Janphong turned past Thinh Phat but lost momentum so his shot was not strong and was controlled by Ho Van Y.
Thailand had to wait until pivo Muhammad Osamanmusa – who plays in Spain for the Cordoba club – entered the field to make a difference. In the 12th minute, from a right-wing corner, Sornwichian passed to Osamanmusa who shot with his left foot and hit the post. Then, the Thai captain passed the ball to No. 11 who put his right boot on the sole and turned around to shoot with his left foot, the ball went lightly but dangerously, leaving Ho Van Y helpless.
Thailand maintained good control in the remaining minutes of the first half but did not create any more goals. Vietnam's best chance came in the 18th minute when Nhan Gia Hung flicked the ball from the left wing, but Thinh Phat was a bit slow in coming in and let Arut Senbat push the ball away for a corner.
In the second half, Vietnam unexpectedly equalized in the 29th second. From a counterattack, Thinh Phat kept the ball on the right wing and then passed it to Tu Minh Quang who was running up. In a one-on-one situation, Quang shot with his left foot diagonally through Arut Senbat's armpit to score.
Muhammad Osamanmusa (blue shirt, middle) opened the score for Thailand in the 12th minute. Photo: AFC
Vietnam continued to be in a panic in the 33rd and 35th minutes when Osamanmusa had two one-on-one chances but his shot missed the post or hit Ho Van Y. With 4 minutes and 55 seconds left, the match at the same time ended with a 3-1 victory for Myanmar, so Vietnam only needed to avoid a 1-5 loss to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Things got tougher when Vietnam committed five fouls and faced the threat of a 10-meter penalty. Coach Diego Giustozzi let his team play the power-play to ease the pressure on the defense and run out of time. Everything went according to plan and Vietnam maintained their 1-2 loss.
Starting lineup
Thailand: Arut Senbat, Alongkorn Janphon, Jirawat Sornwichian, Suphawut Theanklang, Apiwat Chaemcharoen
Vietnam: Ho Van Y, Chau Doan Phat, Nguyen Anh Duy, Nguyen Thinh Phat, Tu Minh Quang.
Hieu Luong
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