Iran may have cruised into their 13th AFC Futsal Championship Final but the 11-time winners will be in for their toughest test yet when they face former champions Japan, the team that defeated them in the 2014 climax, according to Javid.

“While I want to make it clear that all the other teams who have participated in this tournament are good, Japan are something special,” said the 30-year-old forward.

“They have been champions of Asia three times, have good players with good technique, and we respect them a lot as opponents.

“I believe the final will be a very exciting match and the quality of the play will be the highest the tournament has seen so far.”

Having faced off against each other on a number of occasions in AFC Futsal competitions, the Samurai Blue are no strangers to Iran, added team captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh.

“We have analysed Japan and have played them several times, so we know them very well and what we have to do in the game,” he said.

 “I know many of their team, having played against them, so  I can say that individuals like Kaoru Morioka are very good players. And, of course, any team that reach the final obviously have a high level of ability.

 “Winning the title is very difficult but retaining it is even more of a challenge.”

 Iran have not lost a game at the AFC Futsal Championship since that final in Ho Chi Min City four years ago, a run that stretches to 11 games unbeaten.

During that period, the Central Asians also famously reached secured the bronze medal at the  FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016, the best ever performance by an AFC Member Association at a FIFA Futsal event.

“The answer to why IR Iran is so good at futsal is: I believe Iranians are born to play futsal and it is in our blood,” added Javid.

“That’s why, in many cases, we’re better than others nations. Hopefully we can show that again in Sunday’s final.

Photos: AFC

 

Iran wasted little time asserting their authority with two goals inside the first minute to immediately take control of the match.

The first came within seconds of kick off when Iran forced a turnover and  AFC Futsal Player of the Year Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh slid the ball across for a simple tap in for Mahdi Javid.

No less than 30 seconds later and they had their second of the evening courtesy of Hassanzadeh, who added Iran’s third and his second a further three minutes later.

Iran then proceeded to go on a scoring spree, adding five goals in the space of three minutes, which included a run of three goals in a minute, to more than put the match beyond doubt half way through the first half.

Myanmar’s defence solidified in the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Yan Paing Hein making some wonderful saves, to restrict Iran to just one further goal for the half, which saw them head in at half time with a commanding 9-0 lead.

 

In the opening 10 minutes of the second half Myanmar’s defence held firm again, with Iran scoring only once in the 22nd minute when Javid scored his third for the evening.

But a flurry of late goals – a further four in the final 10 minutes – added some extra icing on top of the cake for Iran.

In the end, Hassanzadeh and Javid ended with four goals apiece, while Hossein Tayebi tallied a hat-trick highlighting their dominance across the evening.

Iran will next play China on Sunday, while Myanmar will play Iraq, who enjoyed a confidence-boosting win over China in the earlier Group C match on Friday.

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Htay Myint: Myanmar Head Coach

"Iran are a world class team, so we told our players to take this match as an experience. We will try to fix our defensive tactics, and that's what we will improve on for our next match. We already have a plan for Iraq, and that's a final game for us if we want to go to the next round.

Mohammmad Nazem Alsharie: IR Iran Head Coach

"This was a game that we expected. Myanmar are a good team who were fast. The only problem they had was experience, and I can foresee that they will be one of the best teams in Asia."

Photos: AFC

  Abolghasem Orouji Ahmad Esmaeilpour Ali Asghar hassan zadeh Ali Reza Samimi Alireza Rafieipour Farhad Tavakoli Hossein Tayebi Mahdi Javid Mehran Alighadr Mohammad Shajari Mohammadreza  Sangsefidi Moslem Oladghobad Saeid ahmad Abbasi Sepehr Mohammadi Kamalabadi

KOCHI: European champions Spain produced a quality exhibition of tiki-taka as they decimated Iran 3-1 to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 on Sunday. Spain, one of the pre-tournament favourites, completely dominated the quarter-final match as their one-touch passing game proved to be too good for the Asian giants, who were completely outplayed on the day. Captain Abel Ruiz gave Spain the lead in the 13th minute before Sergio Gomez(60th) and Ferran Torres (67th) added a goal each. For Iran, Saeid Karimi pulled one back in the 69th minute at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium. Spain, seeking their maiden title, now meet African champions Mali in Navi Mumbai in the second semi-finals on October 25. This will be Spain's sixth appearance in the semi-finals in ninth attempt. The La Rojita were runners-up in 1991, 2003 and 2007 and finished third in 1997 and 2009. Spain were the overwhelmingly dominant side with nearly 70 percent possession. They had seven shots on target while Iran barely had any clear chance except for one in the closing stages of the match. But for some fine saves by their goalkeeper Ali Gholam Zadeh, Iran would have lost by a bigger margin. Zadeh was busy all day as Spain made waves of attacks through their fast-paced passing football. Valencia youth team winger Ferran Torres, who has been on the radar of Barcelona and Real Madrid, created a lot of problems for Iran throughout the match with his speedy runs and crosses from the right flank. It was a completely different and unusually defensive Iran today as they did not look like a side, who had not lost any match before Sunday. They sorely missed suspended striker Younes Delfi who had scored twice in Iran shock upset of formidable Germany in the group stage. Spain, who had several players from the world famous academies of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, would build their attacks through their flowing passing and the Iranians could not even touch the ball for long spells. One such spell resulted to the first goal, which came after 26 uninterrupted touches by the Spaniards from which captain Ruiz scored. The first Spain chance came in the 11th minute but Mateu Morey's right footed shot from outside the box just missed the near post. Two minutes later, Spain took the lead through Ruiz who scored his fourth goal of the tournament. The goal came after 26 passes were completed by Spanish players before Ferran Torres got the possession of the ball. Torres got the better of his marker in the right flank and sent a long cross for Sergio Gomez who, in turn, gave a square pass to Ruiz at the center of the Iran box. Barcelona youth team striker Ruiz's first shot hit a defender built from the rebound he made no mistake with his right footer finding the left side of the Iran net with a diving goalkeeper unable to reach the ball. This was Ruiz's 24th goal in 28th appearances for the Spain U-17 side. He is currently on the radar of top English Premier League sides. Spain had two fine chances to increase the lead but Iran goalkeeper Ali Gholam Zadeh kept the scoreline 1-0 with two fine saves, one in the 19th minute and then in the 34th.

A flowing start to the second half saw Spain push for a second goal. At the hour mark, another Barcelona youth team player Sergio Gomez took the game out of Iran's reach with a spectacular strike from well outside the box that hit the underside of the crossbar and went into the net.

A contest of the Asians’ resilience versus the Europeans’ languid attacking style

   

IRAN				SPAIN
W	Guinea	3 - 1	GROUP	L	Brazil	2 - 1
W	Germany	4 - 0	GROUP	W	Niger	4 - 0
W	Costa Rica	4 - 0	GROUP	W	Korea DPR	2 - 0
W	Mexico	2 - 1	ROUND 16	W	France	2 - 2
Played	4			4
Won	4			3
Draw	0			0
Lost	0			1
GF	11			9
GA	3			3
GD	+8			+6

Togo internationals Emmanuel Adebayor and Floyd Ayité are set to miss the Sparrow Hawks’ encounter against Iran. The two sides will lock horns in an international friendly match at the Azadi Stadium in Tehrān, Iran on 5 October 2017. The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) has since announced that Adebayor and Ayite have both been withdrawn from the squad due to injuries. “Injured in their respective clubs, Emmanuel Adebayor (Basaksehir) and Floyd Ayité (Fulham) have declared forfeit,” a statement read. Adebayor, the Togo captain and striker, who is playing for İstanbul Başakşehir in the Turkish Super Lig, has been out nursing an injury. Togo midfielder Ayite plies his trade in the English Championship for Fulham and he was substituted in the 42nd minute against Middlesbrough last weekend due to injury. It remains to be seen whether the FTF will call up replacements before the match.