Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: Jarrod Basger and Daniel Fogarty each scored a brace as Australia defeated Iraq 5-3 at the AFC Futsal Championship on Thursday to book a play-off date with Kyrgyzstan on Friday for the final FIFA Futsal World Cup ticket on offer.
With both teams needing to win to keep the FIFA Futsal World Cup dream alive it was Australia who went in front early on at Uzbekistan Stadium through Basger before Mustafa Bachay levelled things up for the Iraqis.
Fogarty and Basger’s second put Robert Valera’s Australia in firm control at 3-1 at the interval before Wade Giovenali and another from Fogarty seemingly put the game beyond Iraq. Late strikes from Saif Abdulmalek and Salim Faisal then brought the West Asians back into the game but Australia held on.
Australia took the lead within six minutes when Basger twisted and turned on the edge of the Iraq penalty area before making the space to fire low under goalkeeper Omar Sabti for his second of the tournament.
But Iraq equalised on eight minutes after Hussein Al Zubaidi's accurate corner from the right found Bachay, who fired an unstoppable left-foot strike into the top left corner.
The Futsalroos responded strongly, though, and regained their advantage midway through the half as Fogarty connected perfectly with Tobias Seeto’s corner from the right to drill his second of the campaign under Sabti.
And Valera’s side opened up a two-goal lead a minute before the interval when captain Gregory Giovenali burst down the left and centred for Basger to tap home his brace.
Haitham Abbas’s Iraq came out with intention after the restart and Australia goalkeeper Roberto Maiorana twice had to save with his legs within the first five minutes, first from Hasan Al Saedi and then Waleed Khalid.
Then on 30 minutes Iraq came inches away from pulling themselves right back into the game when Al Zubaidi’s toe-poke struck the bottom of the right post.
But Fogarty nearly grabbed his second when Basger played him in only to see Sabti win the one-on-one duel by getting down low to save.
A minute later Australia all but wrapped the tie up when Gregory Giovenali played a short ball into Wade Giovenali for him to tap in from close in.
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And as Iraq pushed forward on a power play Fogarty rolled into an empty net from distance to put his side 5-1 to the good before Iraq pulled one back through power-play player Abdulmalek.
Iraq were not done there, though, as Faisal blasted home his second of the tournament with just under two minutes remaining although Australia managed to hold out.
Photo: AFC