Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
This afternoon, the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup continued with the Round of 16. The match between Spain and the Czech Republic stood out for the number of goals and Spain’s total dominance. The Spanish team crushed the Czechs 5-1.
The Spanish national team, which entered this round as co-leaders of Group B, tied with Venezuela on points, faced the Czech Republic, which qualified as third in Group C with only one victory against Guatemala.
The match was dominated by Spain from start to finish, as they never trailed on the scoreboard and dictated both attacks and defenses throughout. In the first half, the only dangerous moment was a long-range shot by Javier Sains (#13), Spain’s goalkeeper. It took 19 minutes for the first goal to come, and with just 31 seconds left in the first half, a direct free kick without a wall gave Spain the chance to take the lead. Íñigo Amezquita (#5) struck the ball to break the deadlock in favor of the home team. Spain 1-0 Czech Republic.
The second half started with Spain holding a narrow lead, but the goals soon followed. At 15:52, Beñat Tapiz (#19) assisted Román Sañudo (#9), who placed the ball in the top right corner of the Czech goalkeeper’s net, making it 2-0 for Spain.
To seal the victory, Íñigo Amezquita (#5) recovered the ball in midfield, sprinted forward, and chipped the ball over the Czech goalkeeper, leaving one of the most memorable goals of the international tournament in the fans’ minds.
As the match was nearing its conclusion, the Czechs did not want to leave empty-handed. In the dying moments of the game, David Formacek (#12) struck the ball into the far post after a pass from Tomás Fichtner (#9), giving the Czechs a consolation goal. Spain 5-1 Czech Republic.
The referee blew the final whistle, confirming Spain’s direct passage to the quarterfinals of the FIFUSA World Cup, while the Czech Republic exits the tournament without much glory.
Match Lineups:
Spain (Coach: José Veras)
Starters:
-#13: Javier Amezquita (Goalkeeper)
-#19: Beñat Sanz (1 Assist)
-#5: Íñigo Amezquita (2 Goals, 1 Assist, Booked)
-#9: Roman Zanudo (2 Goals)
-#10: Guillermo Bueno (Captain, 1 Assist)
Substitutes:
-#3: José Ortiz (Booked)
-#6: Antonio Benitez
-#7: Julio Luque
-#8: Juanma Quintanilla
-#12: Mario Flores (1 Goal)
-#14: Diego Huarte
-#15: Francisco Cracero
Czech Republic (Coach: Ales Storc)
Starters:
-#15: Martin Mares (Goalkeeper)
-#4: Martin Sop (Booked)
-#6: Jiry Musik
-#9: Tomas Fichtner (Captain, 1 Assist)
-#13: Milán Bialek
Substitutes:
-#7: Tomas Abrham (Blue Card)
-#8: Tomas Boboril
-#2: Martin Buleiko
-#10: Tomas Pecka
-#12: David Formacek (1 Goal)
-#1: Ondres Slany
-#11: Ondres Havrda
PRENSA FIFUSA