Iran Press/ Middle East: The 16th edition of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2022 has started on September 25, hosted by Kuwait. Sixteen teams in four groups (each group with four teams) scheduled to compete against each other for 12 days (untill October 8th) in 32 games to win the championship.
Iran, champions of 12 of the 15 editions of the competition, won 7 straight editions before their streak was broken by Japan. Japan have won the other 3 editions of the competition.
According to the AFC website, Just as Iran head coach Vahid Shamsaee had predicted, Vietnam adopted a defensive approach but the defending champions wasted no time in testing goalkeeper Ho Van Y through Salar Aghapour and Hossein Tayebi’s early efforts.
Ho then denied Saeid Ahmad Abbasi and Mohammadhossein Bazyar in the fifth and sixth minutes respectively to keep his side in the game.
The Vietnam keeper, however, could do little to stop Tayebi’s incredible strike in the seventh minute, with the Iran skipper volleying home Moslem Oladghobad’s corner-kick for a deserved lead.
Iran, who scored a whopping 24 goals to top Group C, displayed their attacking brilliance in the 10th minute when Abbasi teed up Aghapour (pictured above), who let loose a scorching right-footed strike from over 20 metres out into the top right corner, before Alireza Rafiei Pour (pictured below) drilled home their third goal moments later from a corner-kick set-piece.
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Vietnam could have been further adrift in the 11th minute after committing their sixth foul, but Alireza Javan failed to convert from the second penalty spot. Desperate to stay in the game, Vietnam initiated power play in the 11th minute but found no openings to exploit.
Instead, Iran further widened their lead in the 16th minute when Oladghobad intercepted a pass before relaying it to Tayebi to place the ball in an empty goalmouth.
Vietnam tried to limit the damage by pressing the Iranians with man-to-man marking, but Tayebi completed his hat-trick in the 33rd minute after Abbasi's initial shot deflected off the upright.
Abbasi netted the eighth three minutes later with Vietnam then scoring a consolation - amazingly only the second goal Iran have conceded in the tournament - through Pham Duc Hoa.
Iran, who scored their fourth consecutive victory en route to making the Kuwait 2022 semi-finals, will face the winners of the Thailand-Tajikistan last eight tie next.
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