7 -13 December 2000
Issue No.511
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 7 -13 December 2000 Issue No.511 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Mini-achievements
By Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
Spain, runners-up in 1996 in their country, pulled off a surprise when they beat Brazil 4-3 in the final of the futsal World Cup.
Egypt's Nader Suleiman tries to break through a Russian defence
(photo: Reuters)
A sell-out crowd of 7,500 in Guatemala City's Domo Hall saw two goals by Javi Rodriguez in the last five minutes decide the thriller which prevented title-holders Brazil from winning its fourth world championship in a row. Portugal secured third place with a 4-2 win over Russia.
Egypt finished a respectable sixth, six places higher than its 12th place in 1996. It lost 5-3 to Holland in its opening game but qualified for the second round after trouncing Thailand 7-0 and downing Uruguay 4-2.
Against Brazil, Egypt was clubbed 12-4, managed to recuperate for a 6-4 win against Russia, only to lose 4-3 to Argentina. The Russians advanced on goal difference. "The players did their best while fasting," said coach Emad Suleiman. "With some attention and international exposure, we can threaten the world." Perhaps not so empty a threat considering futsal is only two years old in Egypt.
In the final, Spain went ahead by a penalty converted by Daniel after just two minutes. Anderson scored the equaliser in the 18th minute. But the Europeans, who had lost the final 4-6 to the Brazilians in Barcelona four years ago, once again went ahead when Javi Sanchez scored an outstanding goal only a few seconds before the end of the first half.
Spain played tactically well and made life for their opponents difficult. Brazil never managed to dictate the game as they wanted although Manoel Tobias, with 19 goals top scorer of the tournament, scored the equaliser. Just five minutes later, Vander put the defending champions in front.
Spain summoned enough strength not to throw in the towel at that moment, and Javi Rodriguez became the big hero four minutes before the final whistle. He made it 3-3 and in the last minute netted the decisive goal.
The match for third and fourth place between Russia and Portugal was equally gripping. Russia, tipped as favourites, led 2-0 after just 10 minutes through goals by Denis Agaphonov and Boris Kupetskov. The Russians, European champions, dominated the game, but not enough to prevent the Portuguese from scoring after 15 minutes through captain Vitinha.
In the second half, within 60 seconds, the southern Europeans had scored two more goals, both netted by key player Majo. Russia attacked but goalkeeper Nana did not let another goal in. After 36 minutes, Russia's Agaphonov was sent off after a foul. Portugal took advantage and two minutes later scored its fourth goal as the Russian bear was left in the cold.
One of the innovations among FIFA's world competitions is the world championship for indoor football, popularly known as futsal. Brazil proved to be the dominant force in the first three series, winning in Holland in 1989, Hong Kong in 1992 and Spain in 1996. There were also fine performances from less-established football countries for whom the five-a-side version offers a welcome opportunity to promote their domestic game and shine in the international spotlight.
While 46 countries took part in the qualifying competition for the 1996 futsal World Cup in Spain, 70 associations entered the qualifying stages for Guatemala 2000. Sixteen teams participated in the main draw, divided into four groups.
Although FIFA acknowledges the importance of futsal as a game in its own right, it has resisted the temptation to diverge too far from the principles of 11-a-side football, designing the rules to ensure continuity with the classic outdoor game. FIFA is convinced that futsal is and will continue to be an important and attractive component of football.
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