International Futsal Friendly: Vietnam National Team – Saudi Arabia National Team: 2-1
As part of the April friendly match schedule (in Vietnam), this afternoon, the Vietnam Futsal Team played their first match against the Saudi Arabia Futsal Team and won 2-1.
09/04/2025 09:52:34
The Vietnam Futsal Team started the match with great caution, despite being 19 places ahead of Saudi Arabia in the world futsal rankings. The opponent’s proactive approach and good play right after the whistle caught the Vietnam team, which had 50% young players, a bit off guard in the early stages. However, Saudi Arabia’s attacks were not very sharp, so goalkeeper Văn Ý did not have to work too hard. The first half ended with a 0-0 score.
However, the difference was made in the second half. Adjustments during the break helped the Vietnam Futsal Team perform better. The attacking plays organized by Coach Diego Giustozzi’s players were consistently directed towards the opponent’s goal, and they broke the deadlock just 3 minutes into the second half.
In the leading goal, Công Viên made a breakthrough from his own half before sending a low pass to Thịnh Phát, who was moving on the left wing. The 2024 Vietnam Futsal Golden Ball winner took full advantage of the opportunity, finishing with a precise diagonal shot to score for the Vietnam Futsal Team. Two minutes later, Thái Huy displayed great ball control before taking a dangerous shot, but goalkeeper Humood Aldahhan made an impressive save, preventing a clear goal for the visiting team.
Under pressure, Saudi Arabia also made efforts to respond whenever they had the chance. In the 26th minute, Nawaf Aroan took a shot, but goalkeeper Văn Ý made a successful save. Two minutes later, Eihab Ahmed dribbled powerfully toward the goal line, but Vietnam’s goalkeeper managed to clear the ball just in time, preventing a potential goal and averting danger for the team’s goal.
Unable to find an equalizer despite their attacking efforts, Saudi Arabia paid the price with a second goal due to a defensive mistake in the 32nd minute. Under pressure from the Vietnam Futsal Team’s attack, Nawaf carelessly made a sideways pass, allowing Ngọc Ánh to control the ball and fire a left-footed shot into the net, doubling the lead to 2-0. After the goal, Saudi Arabia adopted a power-play strategy to increase the pressure on Vietnam’s half. This tactic paid off in the 38th minute, when Fahad scored to narrow the score to 2-1. That was also the final score of the match.
After the match, Mạnh Dũng commented: “The whole team today was strong thanks to our team spirit, following the coach’s tactics, and securing the 3 points. Our opponent has improved a lot; their national league is developing well, and they are considered on par with Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, Coach Diego Giustozzi expressed satisfaction with the victory, especially considering that half of the Vietnam Futsal Team was made up of young and completely new players: “I am very happy with this match, especially as it was the first one with many new players. Currently, 50% of our team is made up of new players, so they don’t know each other well yet. Therefore, this was a very good match for us.
We scored two goals, but the most important thing is to play more games like this to gain experience, especially when facing strong teams like Saudi Arabia,” Coach Diego shared.
The two teams will meet again at 6:00 PM on April 10 at Lãnh Binh Thăng Gymnasium.
The Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation, Trần Anh Tú, and the team leader of the Saudi Arabia national team exchanged souvenirs before the match
Photo: T.An
