Indonesia surprised Iran yesterday, the last day of the invitaitonal Under-20 futsal tournament at the Taoyuan Arena, scoring three goals in the first half and prevailing 3-1, after Taiwan on Saturday also fell to the Southeast Asian side.
Muhammad Syalfullah got Indonesia started against Iran with a run from the right wing, firing home inside 1 minute after the opening kick-off.
In the 16th minute, Mohammad Rizky doubled the lead and Ari Ramdani added another before the break.
Iran fought back with a goal by Sarbaz Sajjad in the second half and poured onto the attack looking for a way back, but Indonesia’s solid defense thwarted them.
Iran is considered a powerhouse of Asian futsal and had won their two previous matches.
In the opener on Friday, Iran thrashed Taiwan 6-1, while Japan prevailed over Indonesia 3-1.
Iran and Japan met on Saturday, with Iran winning 3-2, while Taiwan captain Chen Ching-hsuan scored the only goal for the hosts as they slumped to a disappointing 6-1 defeat to Indonesia.
“Our players could not cope with pressure from Indonesia’s fast attack and they committed turnovers to cede five goals in the first half,” Taiwan head coach Chang Chien-ying said after the game. “We got better after the break, but we still have lots of room for improvement.”
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