Fotografía: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
On an exciting fourth day of the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup, Argentina secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Panama in a match filled with physical intensity and constant back-and-forth action.
Argentina, who had previously defeated the Czech Republic 3-0, faced a much tougher challenge against Panama, who came off a dominant 6-1 win over the Czechs. From the start, Argentina took the initiative in attack, but Panama quickly found their rhythm and began to take control of the match.
Both teams displayed excellent ball control, alternating between quick attacks and solid defenses. The match was characterized by intense physical play and numerous fouls, though neither team earned a free kick without a wall.
The first goal came at the 8:58 mark of the first half, when Gaspar Sosa (#10) made a run down the left wing and assisted Diego Vargas (#9), who only had to tap the ball in to make it 1-0 for Argentina. As the match progressed, yellow cards began to appear. Matías Cárcamo (#8) received the first booking of the match at 3:14 of the first half for stopping a dangerous Panamanian attack.
The first half ended with Argentina leading 1-0, while the fans kept a vibrant atmosphere with chants and horns. In the second half, Panama came out determined to equalize. However, at the 11:49 mark, Diego Koltes (#3) broke down the right side and sent a cross that Matías Cárcamo (#8) headed into the far post, extending Argentina’s lead to 2-0.
Panama didn’t give up, and at 7:50, following a throw-in from Braayan Hurst (#3), Edgar Rivas (#9) scored to make it 2-1. Three minutes later, Argentina increased the lead with a quick counterattack led by Emiliano Lauletta (#2), who once again assisted Diego Vargas (#9) for his second goal of the match, making it 3-1.
Panama responded almost immediately, and at 4:37, Edgar Carvajal (#2) took advantage of a series of rebounds in Argentina’s box to score the final 3-2.
Despite Panama's pressure in the final minutes, the referee blew the final whistle, giving Argentina their third consecutive victory in the tournament. Panama, despite suffering their first loss, still has hopes of advancing to the next round.
Lineups:
Argentina (Coach: Armando Corvalán):
Starters:
-#12: Rúben Augusto Ríos (Goalkeeper)
-#3: Diego Koltes (Captain) (1 Assist)
-#4: Tomás Civelli (Yellow Card)
-#8: Matías Cárcamo (1 Goal) (Yellow Card)
-#5: Santiago Verón
Substitutes:
-#1: Juan de Lucia
-#2: Emiliano Lauletta (1 Assist)
-#6: José Carrizo
-#7: Julio Sánchez
-#9: Diego Vargas (2 Goals)
-#10: Gaspar Sosa (1 Assist)
-#11: Jeremías Asencio
Panama (Coach: Porfirio Rebolledo):
Starters:
-#1: Carlos Secaida (Goalkeeper)
-#3: Braayan Hurst (1 Assist)
-#9: Edgar Rivas (Captain) (1 Goal) (Yellow Card)
-#5: Michael Saavedra
-#7: Jarold Hinojoza
Substitutes:
-#2: Edgar Carvajal (1 Goal)
-#4: Darío Hassan
-#6: Mario Molo
-#8: Carlos Batista
-#10: Pedro Santana
-#11: Cristian Bermúdez
-#12: Rafael Franco
FIFUSA PRESS