Vietnam tie with Lebanon in Futsal playoff match

Illustrative photo (Source: Khorfakkan Club)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam tied with Lebanon 0-0 in a play-off match held in the UAE on May 23 in their bid to advance to the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup finals in Lithuania in September.

The first half of the match ended with both scoring no goal. The Vietnamese team actively played counter-attack, both to probe the opponent and to limit mistakes.

Entering the second half, the pace of the match was faster. The Lebanese team did not hide their intention to score an advantage, while Vietnam remained defensive and careful.

Draw 0-0 after the first leg, the chance to attend the finals is still divided equally between Vietnam and Lebanon before the second leg scheduled to take place on May 25.

The Asian Futsal Championship, which is a qualifier of the World Cup, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, organisers decided Japan, Iran and Uzbekistan got automatic places in the final based on results in recent tournaments. Four other teams – Thailand, Iraq, Vietnam, and Lebanon – had been set to compete for two remaining berths.

Vietnam currently rank 44th in the world, four places below Lebanon. They had not met each other in any competition before the match.

Before the tie, coach of the Vietnamese team Pham Minh Giang said: "I think it is a chance is for both sides. If we could manage our opportunities the door will be wide open for us."/.