Monday, 19/09/2016 16:37 (GMT+7)
(CPV) - The Vietnam’s Futsal (indoor football) national team made history by reaching the knockout stage at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in its first appearance at the event in Colombia.
They secured the berth as one of the best third-placed teams after finishing Group C with one win and two losses.
They beat Guatemala 4-2 in the opening match thanks to goals from Nguyen Minh Tri and Tran Van Vu, but lost the next two matches against Paraguay and Italy.
The match between Vietnam and Russia (Group B’s top) will kick off at the Ivan de Bedout Stadium in Medellin at 05h30 (Vietnam time) on September 21st.
Vietnamese players should travel from Bucaramanga (capital city of the department of Santander, the fifth largest economy by GDP in Colombia) to Medellin (the second-largest city in Colombia and the capital of the department of Antioquia).
Head coach of the Vietnamese team Bruno Garcia shared that the team should try its best for the upcoming game, hoping to demonstrate a strictly disciplined performance.
Russia is among the strongest teams in Europe, along with Spain, Italy, and Ukraine. It is a strong candidate for a berth of this year’s semi-final round.
The championship has attracted the participation of 24 teams and will conclude on October 1st.
World No.4 Italy is one of the title favourites in this World Cup. They won a bronze medal in Thailand in 2012, in Brazil in 2008, and were also runners-up in Chinese Taipei in 2004.
Meanwhile, Vietnam ranks 39th in the world./.
ATP