FC Erem create history with first-ever continental club win
Ho Chi Minh City: Kyrgyz Republic’s FC Erem produced the AFC Futsal Club Championship Vietnam 2017’s first major upset after they defeated home favourites Thai Son Nam 5-4 in a thrilling encounter from start to finish on Thursday.
Despite being adamant to deliver for their home fans, it was the away side who began the brighter with Emil Kanetov coming close inside the first five minutes with a lightning shot that required a strong hand from Thai Son Nam goalkeeper Nguyen Van Huy.
However, it was the Vietnam fans who had the early reason to cheer as Pham Duc Hoa gave the home side the lead three minutes later. The 26-year-old was first to react to his earlier effort, capitalising quickly on goalkeeper Kirill Ermolov’s parry to slot home the opener.
Thai Son Nam almost doubled their lead after Brazilian Lukaian Baptista dispossessed Iman Ahmadipaeinlamouki to set Pham through on goal but the forward failed to test the keeper.
The match then took an unexpected twist in the final minute of the first half. Undeterred by the home side's relentless attacks, FC Erem showed immense resilience to finally break the stubborn Thai Son Nam defence when Baigazy Uulu Ulanbek outmuscled Tran Van Vu to feed Maksadbek Alimov, who made no mistake from close range.
Alimov then turned provider, laying-off a neat one-two with Dilshat Kadyrov which left the Vietnamese defence wide open, with the latter stretching his left foot to steer the ball into an empty net, giving the away side a surprising lead heading into the break.
In the opening period of the second half, where the dynamic tempo on the pitch was matched by the electric atmosphere in the stands, Thai Son Nam surged forward with greater intent, coming close to an equaliser but Kirill’s strong right hand denied Iranian Hossein Tayebibidgoli.
FC Erem then delivered a major blow to the home side with their third when Alimov intercepted Baptista’s kick-in from inside Thai So Nam’s half to set Ahmadipaeinlamouki through on goal, only for the Iranian to lay-off unselfishly for Alimov to silence the capacity crowd.
The home side, however, were thrown a lifeline when Tran Van Vu laid off to Le Quoc Nam who smashed a clinical right-foot rocket to the delight of the home fans. The jubilant scenes would prove to be premature though as Alimov secured the competition’s first hat-trick for FC Erem’s fourth goal of the match.
The Kyrgyz Republic club added their fifth in the closing minutes after Ulanbek capitalised on Thai Son Nam’s failed attempt to launch an all-out-attack. Thai Son Nam did score a fourth goal in the closing seconds, courtesy of Tayebibidgoli, but it was a case of too little too late for the home side.
Thai Son Nam will take on Vic Vipers next, who earlier in the day succumbed 4-1 to FC Erem’s next opponents, UAE’s Al-Dharfah, with both matches on Saturday.
Miguel Rodrigo (Thai Son Nam Head Coach)
“We are obviously disappointed with the performance, we wanted to win but it was not our night. I must congratulate FC Erem for playing well. We need to regroup and continue with our preparations. We must understand that we are trying to adopt a new style of play, a more sophisticated style which will take some time to achieve success. Today, we were too negative in our play and my immediate aim right now is to ensure the players are positive in the next game. The target is the same; we want to get into the next round.”
Amirzhan Mukanov (FC Erem Head Coach)
“The moment we saw the results of the draw, we knew what we had to do. We spent a lot of time studying Thai Son Nam. This is the first time that a team from Kyrgyz Republic are playing in this continental competition so obviously, I am very pleased with the result. Credit goes to my players for giving their best. As individuals, as a team, we were excellent. Earlier today, we came to watch the other two teams in the group and I am confident we can get a result but it won’t be easy.”
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com
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