LEBANON v CHINA PR

Lebanon were far from overawed in their first AFC Women’s Futsal Championship match against Japan, remaining competitive for the much of the contest before ultimately falling to a 5-1 defeat.

The performance was one to hearten head coach Maroun El Khoury, who believes his side have the ability to put themselves within touching distance of the Knockout Stage by beating Hu Jie’s China on Saturday.

UZBEKISTAN v TURKMENISTAN

With only three teams in Group D, a positive result against their Central Asian neighbours will secure a place in Wednesday’s quarter-finals, no matter what happens when they meet Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday.

Having seen reigning champions Iran put 14 goals past Turkmenistan, Maksumov said having the day off on Matchday One would benefit his side.

“Yes, I do believe that gives us an advantage to have the opportunity to watch our opponents and study them before our first match,” he said.

Uzbekistan reaching the Knockout Stage would be a first. They were led by Maksumov at the 2015 AFC Women’s Futsal Championship in Malaysia, facing group stage elimination after defeats to Iran and the host nation.

They are also a team with regular futsal experience. In a tournament where many teams feature a mixture of league futsal players and 11-a-sde footballers, Uzbekistan’s team divide their time between both formats.

The Asian Indoor Games silver medallists raced to an early 3-0 lead, but Lebanon – in their first competitive match since 2012 – showed they belong at Asia’s highest level and competed well with one of the continent’s leaders for the majority of the match.

Japan, who now sit on top of Group C, enjoyed an even spread of goal scorers, with five players - including their Ashgabat 2017 top scorer Ryo Egawa finding the net, while Rayane Rachid became the first Lebanese player to score at the tournament.

Things appeared ominous for Lebanon when Mika Eguchi punished some sloppy defending to make it 1-0 inside two minutes, but they defended in a committed and organised fashion from then on.

Five Chinese players found the back of the net in a well deserved victory, but – with captain Yasmeen Fayez Tobellah among their shining lights – Bahrain were far from disgraced in their first ever match at the tournament.

The West Asians made a dream start on debut, taking a surprise lead within the first minute, when Hessa latched onto a long pass to stab the ball past goalkeeper Zhang Yue on the half volley.

China hit back two minutes later, with Li Jingjing poking home an equaliser from less than a yard. 

In an entertaining clash of styles, China retained the bulk of possession and looked to pass their way through the Bahraini defence, while Elrashid Bukhari Ahmed’s side created the majority of their chances with quick counter-attacks.

Nouf Al Khalifa made the first of several outstanding saves to deny Shen Nan, but the Bahrain goalkeeper was eventually beaten when Tian Jiao stroked the ball in from just within the second penalty spot in the 11th minute.

Zhan Huimin punished some sluggish defending to make it 3-1 in the 15th minute, but Bahrain responded immediately, with Manar Ebrahim Yaqoob slamming the ball home to keep her side within touching distance.