Vic Vipers came close to scoring to a win when they produced a second half fightback against FC EREM but their two goals were not enough as the Kyrgyz Republic outfit ran out 4-2 winners to take second spot in Group C.

Sakkos, although disappointed with the result, was pleased with his charges who performed admirably but also stressed that more support back home in Australia would be helpful for the development of futsal in the country.

Prior to the match, Erem were tied with Qatar’s Al Sailiya on three points, and came unto the tie knowing they needed a win to progress to the quarter-finals.

Erem forced the issue right from the get-go and were rewarded just two minutes into the game when Yazid Kamaruzuan made a questionable pass back which was intercepted by an oncoming Dilshat Kadyrov, who slid the ball in to open the scoring.

 

The defending champions will face Group D runners-up Bank of Beirut in the quarter-finals.

Bluewave took control of the match early on with Rudimar Venancio firing a low drive which forced Al Sailiya goalkeeper Ahmad Khalil into conceding a corner.

This time, Venancio was the orchestrator when his corner kick found Suphawut Thueanklang at the top of the arc, who gave no chance to Khalil for the opening goal in the first minute.

Al Sailiya got a grip on the game two minutes later of a counter when Mohamad Safari broke free and unleashed a shot from the left which forced a save from Bluewave goalkeeper Katawut Hankampa.

Al Sailiya continued to prod the Thais but often fell short against their quicker opponents.

 

Both teams had already qualified for the Knockout Stage after winning their previous games and faced off to determine the group winners.

Mes Sungun wasted no time in testing Beirut as Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh forced a save from Bank of Beirut goalkeeper Hussein Hamadani in the first minute.

The Iranians employed a high-pressing game with quick passes which opened up their opponents but Beirut were organised and fought back with counters whenever they found space.

Ahmad Kheir El Dine had an opportunity at goal four minutes in but his grounder was easy for Mes Sungun custodian Alireza Samimi.

 

AGMK began proceedings on the attacking foot, applying early pressure on FC Sipar, who took a more defensive approach.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, AGMK’s multiple shots on targets could not find the back of the net with Akbar Usmanov coming closest in the 10th minute when Shukhrat Tojiboev’s pass found him unmanned in front of the box but his right-footed strike flew wide to the right.

FC Sipar faced slight difficulty in crossing the half-line mark, and when they did, their shots were rarely on target but two minutes later, Sobirdzhon Gulyakov’s shot successfully forced AGMK goalkeeper Rustam Umarov into making his first save of the game.

 

Al Nafit topped the group with seven points after defeating Jeonju MAG 6-1 in another tie, while Al Dhafra finished third with four points, two less than Thai Son Nam.

Thai Son Nam will face the winners of Group A, while Al Nafit will take on the runners-up.

It was a high-intensity game from the first blow of the whistle as both teams came racing out of the blocks in the first half, trying to stamp their authority.

Thai Son Nam’s Ton That Phi found himself some space in the middle two minutes in and fired a long-range effort but it was parried to safety by Al Dhafra goalkeeper Hassan Ali Alhantoobi.

Al Dhafra had a chance to get in front a minute later when Mohammad Obaid Mohammad raced on the right with only the keeper to beat but his shot found its way straight to the advancing Ho Van Y.

Jeonju, who were already out of contention, played for pride but Nafit played for the win, knowing a victory would surely secure their place in the last eight.

The intensity of the game was high, as both sides deployed serious man-to-man marking, and while Nafit had the better opportunities in the opening minutes, Jeonju held a solid defence.

However, Nafit eventually broke through the Korean barricade and took the lead when a corner kick-in found Farhad Tavakoli unmanned near the penalty spot and he made no mistake from 10 metres with a strike into the bottom left corner of the net.