Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
In an exciting match on the third day of the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup, Spain managed to edge out Chile with a narrow 5-4 victory. The South Americans came close to equalizing, but the Europeans held their lead until the final whistle.
The match started with both teams showing great physical strength. Spain applied high pressure from the first few minutes, trying to steal the ball from Chile’s backline, while Chile responded with quick pressure after losing possession and good ball circulation. The Spaniards relied heavily on fast counterattacks.
In the 3rd minute, Iñigo Amézquita (#5) opened the scoring for Spain after an excellent combination of passes. Chile quickly responded, and in the 7th minute, Kevin Plata (#8) leveled the score with a powerful shot to the near post.
Spain’s captain, Guille Bueno (#10), was one of the standout players of the match, constantly
unsettling the Chilean defense. Five minutes after the equalizer, Iñigo Amézquita once again made a difference with a run down the right wing, scoring to make it 1-2. However, the Chileans did not give up, and Juan Huerta (#9) equalized with a powerful shot in the 16th minute.
Before halftime, Spain regained the lead with a penalty, successfully converted by Iñigo Amézquita, sending his team into the break with a 3-2 lead.
The second half saw both teams striving for victory, and the intensity of the game led to the first blue card of the tournament, shown to Chile’s Matías Guerra (#7) in the 6th minute. Spain extended their lead with an unfortunate own goal by Denny Puche (#3) after a clearance attempt, and Juanma Quintanilla (#8) made it 5-2 with a powerful shot.
Despite the disadvantage, Chile didn’t give up and, within two minutes, cut the deficit. Alex Cortez (#10) scored with a volley in the 15th minute, followed by a goal from Francisco Gutiérrez (#11). However, Chile’s comeback wasn’t enough to equalize the match.
The game concluded with a final blue card for Francisco Gutiérrez, leaving Chile with one less player in the closing minutes. The final score stood at 5-4 in favor of Spain.
Lineups:
Spain (Coach: Carlos González):
•#9: Román Sañudo
•#19: Beñat Sanz
•#10: Guille Bueno (Captain)
•#13: Javier Amézquita
•#5: Iñigo Amézquita
Chile (Coach: Rodrigo Valenzuela):
•#6: Ariel Cárdenas
•#10: Alex Cortez
•#9: Juan Huerta
•#8: Kevin Plata
Spain Substitutes:
•#7: Julio Luque
•#3: José Ortiz
•#6: Antonio Benítez
•#8: Juanma Quintanilla
•#12: Mario Flores
•#14: Diego Huarte
•#15: Francisco Torres
Chile Substitutes:
•#4: Cristian Vicencio
•#3: Denny Puche
•#7: Matías Guerra
•#11: Francisco Gutiérrez
•#2: Ángel Torcates
•#5: Martín Ahumada
FIFUSA PRESS