Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
This afternoon, the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup continued in the quarterfinals. The third match, between Argentina and Spain, was marked by a high level of equality that lasted for most of the game, ending in a 3-1 victory for the Argentinians.
Argentina, coming off a dominant 13-1 victory over Costa Rica in the Round of 16, which was the biggest win of that stage, faced a tough opponent in Spain, who had comfortably defeated the Czech Republic 5-1.
Both teams entered the match with high expectations and did not disappoint. The game was intense from start to finish, providing a rollercoaster of emotions for the spectators.
In the first 20 minutes, the match was evenly contested, with both teams creating scoring opportunities, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, after some technical adjustments and the need to find the goals that would decide the match, the scoring began. Argentina took the lead with a brilliant goal from Sosa Batiz (#10), who fired a shot from the right wing that found the back of the Spanish net.
At the 10th minute of the second half, Spain found enough space to equalize when Iñigo Amezquita (#5) connected with Antonio Benítez (#6), who scored with a powerful shot, briefly tying the match.
Just one minute later, Argentina regained the lead thanks to a solo effort from Fabian Emiliano (#2), who penetrated the Spanish defense and scored a stunning goal to make it 2-1.
The final blow to Spain came when Diego Vargas (#9), after receiving a pass from Fabian Emiliano (#2) near the box, scored the goal that sealed Argentina’s victory and secured their place in the FIFUSA World Cup semifinals.
With this result, Europe is left without representation in the next stages of the tournament, while Argentina joins Brazil and Venezuela in the semifinals.
Match Lineups:
Argentina (Coach: Julio Armando Corvalán):
Starters:
-#1: Juan De Lucía (Goalkeeper)
-#4: Tomás Civeli
-#5: Santiago Verón
-#8: Matías Jesús
-#3: Diego Koltes (Captain)
Substitutes:
-#2: Fabian Emiliano (1 goal, 1 assist)
-#6: José María Carrizo
-#7: Julio Sánchez
-#9: Diego Vargas (1 goal)
-#10: Sosa Batiz (1 goal)
-#11: Jeremías Asencio
-#12: Augusto Río
Spain (Coach: José Veras):
Starters:
-#13: Javier Amezquita (Goalkeeper)
-#19: Beñat Sanz
-#5: Iñigo Amezquita (1 assist)
-#9: Roman Zanudo
-#10: Guillermo Bueno (Captain)
Substitutes:
-#3: José Ortiz
-#6: Antonio Benitez (1 goal)
-#7: Julio Luque
-#8: Juanma Quintanilla
-#12: Mario Flores
-#14: Diego Huarte
-#15: Francisco Cracero
FIFUSA Press