Taiwan are hosting top-ranked teams in the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) U20 Futsal Invitation tournament at the Taoyuan Arena in the run-up to the Asian Football Confederation U20 Futsal Championship in June.
Japan are to take on Indonesia in the opener today at 3pm, followed by Taiwan facing Iran at 7pm.
The competition will serve as a warm-up for the men’s national squad, who in December last year topped Group B in qualifying for the regional championship by defeating Mongolia 3-1 and trouncing China 7-3.
The four teams are among 12 sides who are to compete in the finals, scheduled for June 14 to 23 in Tabriz, Iran.
“For this tournament, the four teams will face each other over a total of six matches. These are international friendly matches for the youngsters to play against other top teams without too much pressure,” CTFA secretary-general Fang Ching-jen said yesterday.
The national squad is comprised of players from high school and university teams who have shown good skills and the potential to go far, Taiwan head coach Chang Chien-ying said.
“We want to thank the CTFA for organizing this invitational futsal tournament. It is an excellent opportunity to train and get ready for the Asian championship in Iran,” Chang said.
“This competition will really help the young players, as it will provide them an opportunity to soak up real game experience and spur them on to become better players,” he said.
Iran head coach Hamid Shandizi said: “We are grateful to participate here, and our team will give the best effort to get the desired result.”
Japan head coach Ryuji Suzuki said that his side would face three strong teams, so they must perform their best to win.
They will gain valuable experience from these games, he added.
Indonesia head coach Kensuke Takahashi thanked the CTFA for the invitation, saying that it is a good way for his team to play and hopefully get good results before June’s championship.
Tomorrow, Japan are to face Iran at 3pm and Taiwan are to play Indonesia at 7pm.
On Sunday, Iran are to take on Indonesia at 3pm, while the finale will see Taiwan compete against Japan.
CTFA officials called on the public to attend the games and cheer on all the teams.
Advance tickets are to cost NT$200, while entry at the gate costs NT$300.
Discounts are available for children and people older than 65, as well as Taoyuan residents and people with disabilities.
TOOTHLESS: Bologna never looked like finding a way back, and Antonio Conte and his substitutes were waiting to celebrate long before the final whistle SSC Napoli on Monday lifted the Italian Supercoppa with a 2-0 win over Bologna in Riyadh, David Neres netting both goals to earn the league champions a deserved victory over the toothless Coppa Italia winners. Neres opened the scoring with a stunning strike from distance six minutes before halftime and found the net again in the 57th minute when Bologna were caught trying to play out of defense. “We came here as champions of Italy, we wanted this trophy and we showed it with a great performance,” Napoli forward Matteo Politano told Mediaset. “We could have scored a few more goals, but
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch. “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built
Fulham on Monday climbed away from the English Premier League relegation zone and left Nottingham Forest mired in the fight for survival after Raul Jimenez’s penalty sealed a 1-0 win. Marco Silva’s side started the day just two points above fourth-bottom Forest, but Jimenez’s first-half goal at Craven Cottage moved them 10 points clear of the bottom three. While Fulham’s relegation fears were eased heading into the Christmas schedule, Forest are just five points ahead of third-bottom West Ham United in the scrap to avoid crashing into the Championship. Forest had won six of their previous eight games in all competitions, with a
Barcelona wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on Sunday guided the Catalan giants four points clear at the top of La Liga with a 2-0 win at 10-man Villarreal. Brazil international Raphinha won and converted an early penalty, before Villarreal’s Renato Veiga was sent off before halftime for a late lunge on teenager Yamal. The 18-year-old slotted home Barca’s second midway through the second half, as Hansi Flick’s side restored their advantage on Real Madrid and won an eighth consecutive league game. Villarreal are fourth after Atletico Madrid moved ahead of them with a comfortable 3-0 win at Girona earlier. “The attitude and mentality of
RSS