Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bucaramanga: Vietnam were made to wait to see if they are among the contenders in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 after they bowed down to heavyweights Italy 2-0 on Saturday (local time).
The Vietnamese finished third in Group C and now need heavy losses for fellow third-placed finishers in Groups E and F which will conclude on Sunday (local time) to progress to the knockout stages. Italy, meanwhile, advanced to the Round of 16 with a perfect record.
The Italians played with the comfort of already having a place in the next round, but with dropping to second certainly possible, it perhaps took Vietnam rattling the bar to get them in shape. Captain Gabriel Lima ensured that they earned some early security by rifling home the opener.
Italy were giving the fleet-footed Vietnamese side no room to breathe as they pressed high and snuffed out resulting counterattacks quickly and efficiently. While their elegance in managing the game was striking – moving as an Azzurri wave across the blue court, Vietnam did find opportunities to threaten.
The closest of which coming when Duc Hoa Pham showed great strength to shake off his marker before rattling Stefano Mammarella’s upright. But with their eyes looking forward they were undone at back, when a quick Luca Leggiero corner caught Vietnam half asleep and Murilo Ferreira slotted it in to give his side their third straight win.
Source: FIFA.com, FIFA/Getty Images