Australia lost their quarter final to Thailand at the AFC Futsal Championships overnight in Uzbekistan but they remain in the hunt for a spot at the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
With five sides from the AFC to earn a spot at October’s World Cup in Colombia, the Aussies now move into a play-off with fellow quarter-final losers for that precious final qualifying spot.
Australia takes on Iraq in a do-or-die play-off later tonight in what should be an epic encounter.
If the Futsalroos win, they'll then meet the winner of the Japan-Kyrgyzstan encounter for a World Cup spot.
In the quarter final, despite trailing just 2-1 at the break, the Futsalroos were unable to overrun the impressive Thai outfit, eventually losing 6-1.
“We’re disappointed with the result after a slow start but we managed to get back into the game with the goal just before half time,” Futsalroos boss Rob Varela said.
“We held our own for the majority of the second half but in the end their class and teamwork proved too strong for us.
“We are now thinking about our game tomorrow against Iraq, where we are confident we will be competitive and move onto the 5th place playoff match.”
A slow start cost the Futsalroos against Vietnam, down 2-0 inside 10 minutes after goals from Jirawat Sornwichian and Suphawut Thueanklang.
But the Aussies gave themselves hope right on the stroke of half-time when some great lead-up play by Grant Lynch was finished off by Greg Giovenali.
The Futsalroos enjoyed plenty of possession and chances after the break but were punished by the slick and clinical Vietnam side, as Jetsada and Wiwat Thaijaruen scored within five minutes of each other midway through the half before Suphawut and Jirawat completed the scoring late on.
Images courtesy of Mark Seeto.