DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ARGENTINA REACH KL WORLD 5’s FINAL
KUALA LUMPUR (2nd Feb 2008) Argentina gained their rightful place in the final of the KL World 5’s at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.
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| Argentina Luis Gonzalez (No.11) - Thailand Nattaphon Suttiroj (No.3) |
The South Americans fended off the challenge from Thailand in their Cup Competition semi-final clash today (Saturday), and earned the right for a shot at the title and the US$150,000 prize purse for the second time.
The defending champions were always the favourite to beat the Thais. Nevertheless, the Asean champion did not make it easy for them.
Their spirit was given a tremendous lift after their victory over the Asian champion Iran on Friday night and similarly against the Argentineans, the Thais never backed down.
They wanted to win and the band of travelling supporters kept willing them on too.
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| Thailand Nattaphon Suttiroj (No.3) - Thailand Ekkaphan Suratsawang (No.11) - Argentina captain Jose Luis Godoy |
It was a see-saw affair in the beginning with Argentina scoring first with Christian Borutto, their top marksman hitting the target in the 9th min for his tenth goal. The Thais responded almost immediately and Ekapong Suratsawang levelled the score in the 11th min.
The Argentineans pulled ahead again in the 12th min via Pablos Basile, and then the Thais saw their skipper Panuwat Janta shown the red card, which became the turning point of the game.
The numerical disadvantage allowed the Argentineans to pull further ahead with skipper Josoy Godoy stretching its lead to 3-1 in the 13th min. It was 4-1 in the 19th min again through the lethal right foot of Godoy and the Thais knew it was all over.
Anucha Munjaren reduced the deficit in the 29th min to give the Thais a glimmer of a hope at 4-2, but the promise of a revival was wiped out when Ignacio Cavigla restored Argentina’s three-goal advantage with their fifth goal of the match in the very next minute.
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| Thailand Ekkaphan Suratsawang (No.11) - Argentina Ignacio Caviglia (No.3) - Adan Gonzalez (N0.11) |
The Thais valiantly scored once more though Anucha at the 39th min, but that would be the final goal of the match to finish the game 5-3, with the Argentineans home and dry for the Cup final.
Said Thai team manager Adisak Benjasriwan: “We played to our maximum ability given the strength of our squad. We had three key players out injured, and against the Argentineans we cannot afford not to have a full team.
“But we can hold our heads high. To lose 5-3 to a world power in Futsal is no shame. The Argentineans are a tough team to beat. They have so much experience and they know when to press us and when to slow down the tempo.
Argentina’s coach Jose Fernanado: “We are in the final and that’s the most important thing. But whether we win the title or not is a different story. I look forward to the final and you will see an Argentinean side which will be under no pressure to win.
“I have decided that the team will go out there and enjoy themselves. Beating Thailand today is a good result for us. They are a strong team and better than many other South American teams I’ve seen.”
The KL World 5’s Cup is broadcast across Asia on STAR Sports. Kindly refer to the schedule of matches below.
http://www.klworld5s.com/news/news-23.html
FIFA Futsal World Cup (3)
