Bahadori inspires Nafit to resounding opening victory
Ho Chi Minh City: Five-goal hero Ghodrat Bahadori lifted Nafit Al Wasat to a 7-2 victory over Disi Invest to take top spot in Group B of the AFC Futsal Club Championship Vietnam 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday.
Playing as the competition's top seeded team, much was expected of the Iraqi side, but it was their lesser known opponents who began the game brighter, as Disi Invest’s Shavqat Halimov slotted home from a well taken corner by Iranian import Amin Nasrollah Zadeh.
The celebrations were short-lived however as Nafit hit back with a succession of goals within a spell of two minutes. The first within seconds after the opener, orchestrated almost to suggest the Iraqis were capable of elevating their gear at will. From the centre circle, Nafit pieced together 11 passes before Iranian Bahadori finished from close range.
Two minutes later, it was Bahadori again. This time the 27-year-old, who won the 2015 edition of the AFC Futsal Club Championship with Iranian side Tasisat Daryaei, displayed sublime composure after Salim Faisal showed great strength to seize possession from Shavqat Halimov.
The 2016 finalists continued to dominate and were duly rewarded three minutes from half time, when Bahadori bolted a rocket past Firuz Bekmurodov after a clever low delivery by fellow Iranian Farhad Tavakoli.
Determined to set the competition alight with his dynamic approach to the game, Bahadori combined with Tavakoli again a minute later. This time the 2016 MVP winner found his teammate completely unmarked on the right before connecting perfectly with a first-time finish to give Nafit a three-goal cushion heading into the break.
The restart saw Nafit continue their dominance, Bahadori again coming close with a long-range effort that whisked over Bekmurodov’s goal. The Iraqi side finally got their fifth after some fine individual play by Salim Faisal who beat his marker before rounding Bekmurodov for a cool finish.
Nafit then extended their lead in the 32nd minute courtesy of an audacious, yet sublime chip by Bahadori from his own half. The Iranian was clearly saving the best for his fifth and final goal of the night.
Diji Invest managed to pose a rare threat, pulling one back a minute later when Brazilian Bruno Santiago Jonatan guided the ball through the legs of Ahmed Duraid. But Nafit restored their five-goal cushion with Rafid Hameed capitalising on the Tajik’s lapse in defence three minutes from the end.
Sitting comfortably on top of Group B, Nafit Al-Wasat will play Vamos FC in their next match on Sunday. DISI Invest will play on the same day against Al-Rayyan who narrowly defeated Vamos FC in the earlier tie.
Haitham Abbas Bawei (Nafit Al Wasat Head Coach)
“We needed this today, the score line does not matter to me, the most important is the three points. We had an early scare, but I always had hope and trust that my players would deliver. They are a very professional group of players so I knew we needed to be patient, and the result came and over time, so did the performance.
“We have seen today and even in the earlier game, when the Indonesian team lost, there are no easy teams. We need to continue working hard and like I said, most important is to get three points.”
Afzali Hosein (Disi Invest Head Coach)
“We are playing in this tournament for the first time so of course, it was always going to be difficult. Look at our team; we have boys with the oldest here maybe aged 22. Nafit are one of the best teams in Asia and I think they did well. I lost today, but my players did not lose, they only gained a valuable experience.”
Photo: AFC
Source: the-afc.com
Comments
This article has 0 comment(s) , give your comment