Vietnam exit Futsal World Cup with narrow defeat against defending runners-up Russia

Vietnam (39th in world ranking) chose a defensive approach right at the start of the knock-out game. They only had 28 percent of possession in the first half, while Russia dominated offensively. Vietnam were able to keep a clean sheet in the first 10 minutes, thanks to five saves from keeper Ho Van Y.

In the 11th minute, a fine setup by Russia players put Robinho in a comfortable position and opened the score for Russia.

Seven minutes later, Russia found the net again. This time Robinho passed to Ivan Chishkala as he finished through the legs of keeper Y.

Just a few seconds after conceding, Vietnam shortened the score to 1-2. Keeper Y made a long pass for Nhan Gia Hung to head it in the box. The ball found Nguyen Dac Huy’s head and he finished cleanly to beat keeper Dmitri Putilov.

In the second half, Russia continued to put pressure on Vietnam but goalkeeper Y was still a solid stopper with many important saves and with a little help from the post. However, in the 30th minute, Chishkala dribbled down the left flank and finished in the far corner to score his double and the third goal for Russia.

Two minutes later, Vietnam got the chance to score from a quick setup, which put Nguyen Van Hieu in an easy position, but he missed the open goal.

When it’s only six minutes left, Vietnam switched to power-play, as Nguyen Minh Tri replaced keeper Y and joined the attacks. In the 38th minute, Pham Duc Hoa won the ball right in Russia’s box and quickly took a shot to make it 2-3.

One minute later, Tri tried to shoot from a narrow angle, which surprised the Russia keeper. The ball was slowly going through his legs but it was cleared by a defender.

Overall, Vietnam lost 2-3 in a game that they played really well against a much stronger Russia, who finished as runners-up at the last Futsal World Cup 2016 in Colombia.

Five years ago, Vietnam also faced Russia in the round of 16, but lost 0-7. This time, Vietnam have shown how much they have improved, causing many troubles for Russia.

 

 

Vietnam exit Futsal World Cup with narrow defeat against defending runners-up Russia

Nga 3-2 Việt Nam