Hosts Vietnam were eliminated from the 2014 Asian Futsal Championship after losing 4-15 to ten time champions Iran in their quarterfinal match in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

Despite the loss, the Vietnamese players staged a riveting game of football with quick and impressive attacks.

However, goalkeeper Phuoc Anh made many fatal mistakes while his Iranian counterpart put up an effective and outstanding fight.

Vietnam created at least ten clear chances to score but only succeeded with four.

After the match, Spanish coach Bruno Garcia of Vietnam was quoted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website as saying, “The score reflects the game. I don’t want to make excuses. Iran played a very good game and is a very good team.

“At the moment we know where the top is and know how to improve and get closer to the top.

“This is a young team and they can go a long way and improve in the future. This game was good for them to understand just how good the competition is.”

He admitted that physical fitness and height made the most difference between Vietnam and Iran.

The Vietnamese players are small and must compensate with speed to compete against their strong rivals.

Iran’s coach Jesus Candelas was quoted by the AFC website as stating, “I think in the game with Vietnam, there was a lot of direct play, which has its consequences. Each game has its own style.” “During the game, Iran was attacking too much, but we are trying to improve futsal. I love futsal and the aim of futsal is to score goals.

“Iran doesn’t feel that it is the best, but it is trying to do its best. They are very different things.”

In the semifinals, Kuwait will take on Japan and Iran will clash with Uzbekistan at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, respectively, on Thursday at Phu Tho Sports Center in HCMC.

Results of other quarterfinal matches:

Kuwait          5-2   Australia Thailand       2-3   Japan Uzbekistan   6-2   Lebanon

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