Narrow win keeps FC Erem in the hunt
Ho Chi Minh City: FC Erem's quarter-final hopes remain alive after they defeated Australia’s Vic Vipers 1-0 in their final AFC Futsal Club Championship Vietnam 2017 Group A match on Monday.
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From their opening two matches, FC Erem’s campaign had been a tale of contrasting fortunes. Taking the competition by storm with a memorable victory over hosts Thai Son Nam FC, the Kyrgyz Republic side then crumbled against Al Dhafrah, setting up an all-or-nothing encounter against Vic Vipers.
After seeing his charges suffer back-to-back defeats, Vic Vipers Head Coach Miltiadis Sakkos had stressed to his players to play for pride and his words seemed to have made an impact as the Australians looked more determined, creating the first clear chance of the match.
Forward Javier Torres did well to beat three players to find Jordan Constantinidis on the right flank in the second minute but instead of cutting back to the unmarked Spaniard, the Australian chose to shoot straight at goal, which FC Erem goalkeeper Kirill Ermolov easily saved.
Five minutes later, Vic Vipers came close again, Shayan Alinejad combining well with Torres but the Australian, with only the keeper to beat, failed to get any accuracy with his attempt.
FC Erem then missed a golden opportunity to take the lead five minutes later when a quick interchange between Maksadbek Alimov and Beksultan Nazarov created space for the latter but Alinejad stretched his left leg on the goal-line to rescue his side after golkeeper Christos Apostolakis was caught in no man’s land.
With 26.6 seconds remaining in the first-half, FC Erem took the lead after Alinejad’s wayward clearance found an unmarked Ruslan Ermekov, who lured Apostolakis from his goal before cutting back for Adilet Kultaev to guide the ball into an empty net.
The Kyrgyz Republic played with more confidence in the second half, coming close to doubling their lead when a defensive mix-up between Miguel Barrigos and Alinejad paved the way for Beksultan Nazarov with only the keeper to beat but Apostolakis made a fine save to keep Vic Vipers in the game.
With six minutes remaining, FC Erem came close again with a long-range effort by Maksadbek Alimov whisking just over the bar. The Kyrgyz Republic side then carved the best chance of the second-half when Adilet Kultaev unleashed a belting effort which smashed against the crossbar, then bounced on the goal-line before being hoisted clear.
It was only a matter of time before Vic Vipers activated their power play, coming close through a Torres free-kick and a back-heel by Scott Rogan but despite their spirited efforts, the Australians were unable to leave Ho Chi Minh City with a point.
The win saw FC Erem move to six points - the same as Al Dhafrah, who were to play Thai Son Nam in the group's final match later on Monday. The Vietnamese club are on three points and could pip FC Erem on goal difference with a win.
Miltiadis Sakkos (Vic Vipers Head Coach)
“Looking back at our campaign, I am not at all disappointed. I think we showed today and in our first match, that we belong here. We are a young team with mostly 18 and 20-year olds who clearly need more time and experience. Obviously, there is a big difference between us and the rest of Asia and that’s something we are working on. Ultimately, the aim is to get these boys more court time and hopefully through the network we have built here, we can start to do that in the near future.”
Amirzhan Mukanov (FC Erem Head Coach)
“Our aim today was first to keep a clean sheet. I told my players that as long as we don’t concede, we will score and true enough. We prepared two teams, one to defend and another to score and it looks like our strategy paid off today. You know, I think people forget that we were one of lowest seeded teams during the draw, but look at how far we have come. Whether Thai Son Nam win later or not, we can be proud of what we achieve here.”
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com
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