Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
Tonight, the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup continued with the second day of the tournament. The match between Argentina and the Czech Republic was marked by physical play and intensity, ending with a 3-0 victory for the Argentinians.
Argentina, coming off a 7-1 thrashing of Guatemala in their debut, faced a more complicated challenge than expected against a Czech Republic team making their tournament debut. The Argentine team took the initiative from the first few minutes, attacking with determination, while the Czechs waited for opportunities on the counterattack.
Both starting fives showed good ball control, moving the game from right to left on several occasions and controlling the ball in both their own half and the opponent’s. Goal-scoring opportunities quickly arose for both teams.
From the start, Aies Storc, coach of the Czech Republic, showed his respect for the physicality of the Argentinians, making frequent substitutions throughout the game, as the Argentine side displayed strength and intensity in their first match of the World Cup.
At minute 14:47 of the first half, the score opened when Matías Cárcamo (#8) stole the ball in a dangerous area from the Czechs, who were caught out of position. Three Argentinians attacked, and only one Czech defender tried to stop them. The ball ended up at the feet of Tomás Civeli (#4), who finished into an empty net to make it 1-0.
Ten minutes of intense play followed, with the Czech Republic creating some chances to equalize, but without success. The game remained fluid, with few stoppages due to fouls.
At minute 1:46 of the second half, Tomás Civeli (#4) recovered the ball during high pressure and quickly passed to Jeremías Asencio (#11), who, after cutting inside past a Czech defender, shot into the top left corner of the visiting goalkeeper’s net, making it 2-0 for Argentina.
Just before the end of the first half, with 20 seconds remaining, Jeremías Asencio (#11) received the first yellow card of the match for a tough tackle in an attempt to stop a Czech Republic attack. In the second half, Tomás Civeli (#4) was also booked for forgetting the ball and directly colliding with a Czech defender. The visiting team’s Sosa Batiz (#10) was also shown a yellow card for slapping an opponent in the face.
The match was finally sealed in Argentina’s favor at minute 2:10 of the second half when Diego Koltes broke down the left wing and crossed the ball, which deflected off Tomás Fichtner’s (#9) leg, resulting in an own goal and the final 3-0 scoreline.
The referee blew the final whistle with the clock at zero, giving Argentina their second consecutive victory in the championship, while the Czech Republic suffered their first defeat but still has hopes of advancing to the next round.
Lineups:
Argentina (Coach: Julio Armando Corvalán):
-#1: Juan De Lucía (Goalkeeper)
-#4: Tomás Civeli
-#5: Santiago Verón
-#8: Matías Jesús
-#3: Diego Koltes (Captain)
Substitutes:
-#2: Fabian Emiliano
-#6: José María Carrizo
-#7: Julio Sánchez
-#9: Diego Vargas
-#10: Sosa Batiz
-#11: Jeremías Asencio
-#12: Augusto Río
Australia (Coach: Vinicius Letie):
-#15: Martín Mares (Goalkeeper)
-#11: Ondres Havrda
-#4: Martín Sop
-#9: Tomás Fichtner
-#13: Milan Biarer
Substitutes:
-#1: Ondres Siany
-#2: Martín Buleiko
-#6: Muzik Jiri
-#7: Abraham Thomas
-#8: Tomás Voborai
-#10: Tomás Pecka
-#12: David Formacek
FIFUSA PRESS