On the evening of April 21, the Vietnamese futsal team lost 1-2 to Thailand in the final match of Group A of the 2024 Asian Futsal Championship. However, Vietnam still won a ticket to the quarterfinals thanks to a better goal difference than Myanmar.
It was no surprise that the Vietnamese futsal team entered the match with the intention of limiting their losses. In fact, they played with concentration and efficiency, blocking many attacks from Thailand.
However, when star Muhammad Osamanmusa entered the field, everything immediately changed. The player wearing the number 11 shirt showed his superior class and caused quite a stir. He also brought home the opening goal 1-0 in the 12th minute after pressing, turning and finishing neatly.
After conceding the goal, coach Diego Giustozzi's team played with even more determination. They had many situations where they fought hard to avoid conceding another goal. Goalkeeper Ho Van Y also made many excellent saves.
In the beginning of the second half, coach Diego Giustozzi changed the way he played. He let his players play more adventurously, pushing higher. And this tactic immediately took effect in the 21st minute. Thinh Phat, who had caused much disappointment since the beginning of the tournament, pressed and then passed the ball wisely. Tu Minh Quang, in a one-on-one situation, defeated goalkeeper Senbat to equalize 1-1.
The goal helped the Vietnamese futsal team play confidently. They continued to put pressure instead of defending deep. Many opportunities appeared, but Minh Quang, Thinh Phat, Manh Hung… could not take advantage. Meanwhile, Thailand once again showed their class. They scored a goal to raise the score to 2-1 despite being under a lot of pressure, with Srirangpirot scoring.
Meanwhile, Myanmar found a third goal to lead China 3-1. However, that was all they could do. The match ended first and the Vietnamese futsal team immediately made a calculated decision to play power-play to avoid Thailand having the ball.
This way of playing worked as they kept the score 1-2 until the end of the match. In the end, the Vietnamese futsal team had the same 4 points as Myanmar but won the ticket to the next round thanks to a better goal difference (0 vs -3).
TB (according to Tuoi Tre)