Photography: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
The fourth day of the VIII FIFUSA Indoor Soccer World Championship brought the first victory for the Czech Republic, which won 7-1 against Guatemala. The Czechs, who were coming off tough defeats against Argentina and Panama, were much more solid in this match, while Guatemala suffered their second defeat in the championship.
Czech Republic took the initiative from the first minutes, with a determined attack, while Guatemala opted for the counterattack. Both teams showed good control of the ball, moving it from side to side, which created numerous scoring opportunities.
The match was characterized by an intense back-and-forth rhythm, with both teams looking for the opposite goal. Despite Guatemala's attempts, the Czech Republic was much more effective in its finishing. Czech coach Ales Storc, true to his style, made multiple substitutions during the match, constantly refreshing his team with replacements of up to four field players.
The Czech victory began thanks to Tomás Pecka (#10), who scored the first goal with a powerful shot from his right foot at minute 16:43 of the first half, after an assist from Tomás Voboril (#8). Pecka repeated at 2:33 of the second half, again assisted by Voboril, and the scoreboard reflected a clear 5-0 at the end of the first half.
Guatemala managed to pull one back in the second half with a goal from Osbeli Kwon (#8), who took advantage of a series of rebounds in the Czech area to beat the goalkeeper. However, the Czech Republic's response was immediate, and Martin Sop (#4), with an assist from Jiri Muzik (#6), sealed the victory by scoring the seventh goal for his team.
With this victory, the Czech Republic revives its hopes of advancing in the tournament, while Guatemala, although still without victory, still has a chance to qualify for the next phase.
Party Lineups:
Guatemala (DT: Gustavo Valderramos):
Headlines:
-#12: Luis Díaz (Goalkeeper)
-#10: José Juárez (Captain)
-#2: Henry Hernandez
-#7: Anthony Mayen
-#11: Jefferson Morales
Substitutes:
-#1: José Morales
-#3: Daniel Chavez
-#4: David González
-#5: Richard of Leon
-#6: Carlos Villatoro
-#8: Osbeli Kwon (1 goal)
-#9: Pablo Merida
Czech Republic (DT: Ales Storc):
Headlines:
-#15: Martin Mares (Goalkeeper)
-#11: Ondres Havrda
-#6: Jiri Muzik (1 assist)
-#9: Tomás Fichtner (Captain) (2 goals)
-#13: Milan Bialek (1 assist)
Substitutes:
-#7: Tomás Abram (1 goal)
-#8: Tomás Voboril (2 assists)
-#2: Martin Buleiko (1 assist)
-#10: Tomás Pecka (2 goals)
-#4: Martin Sop (1 goal)
-#12: David Formacek (1 goal)
-#1: Ondres Slany
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