Holding Czech Republic to a draw, Vietnam enters the 1/8 round of the futsal World Cup for the second consecutive time

Coach Pham Minh Giang and his team achieved their goal of holding the Czech Republic to a draw for the second consecutive time to advance to the round of 16 of the futsal World Cup. Vietnam's opponents in the knockout round will be Russia or Kazakhstan - two teams ranked in the top 7 in the world.

Vietnam futsal team celebrates entering the World Cup round of 16. Photo: VFF.

Against an opponent ranked 26 places higher in the world, Vietnam was dominated for most of the match, and only had half the shots as their opponents. However, the red team unexpectedly opened the score in the 35th minute thanks to Chau Doan Phat. Just one minute later, a mistake by Pham Duc Hoa helped captain Lukas Resetar equalize 1-1. Thanks to that, Vietnam finished Group D in third place with four points. Minh Giang's team entered the quarter-finals regardless of the results of the other matches, as they were already guaranteed a place in the group of third-placed teams with the highest achievements.

The Czechs dominated the first 10 minutes but the talent of goalkeeper Ho Van Y helped Vietnam stand firm. Van Y saved his team at least six times in the first half. After this period, the Czechs slowed down the pace of the match, and Vietnam did not dare to push too high.

Vietnam played even better in the first half of the second half, when Nguyen Minh Tri, Nguyen Dac Huy and Nguyen Anh Duy missed consecutive chances. Minh Tri and Dac Huy wasted one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper in the 27th and 28th minutes.

After many chances, Vietnam finally opened the score in the 35th minute. Chau Doan Phat stole the ball from midfield, then nutmegged a Czech player. He shot from a distance, sending the ball hard and through the legs of goalkeeper Ondrej Vahala into the net.

Just one minute later, Czech equalized from a mistake by captain Pham Duc Hoa. Duc Hoa passed the ball in an unfavorable position, into the feet of captain Lukas Resetar. Czech number 7 shot from a face-to-face position to the top corner, defeating Van Y. After this goal, coach Tomas Neumann breathed a sigh of relief.

In the final minutes, the Czechs switched to a power-play, bringing their goalkeepers forward to support the attack. However, they did not move the ball too quickly. The draw was enough for the Czechs to keep second place in the group, and advance to the round of 16 to meet the top team of Group E, most likely Spain.