Vietnam Futsal Team finish as Runners-up at the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship – Thailand
The Vietnam Futsal Team concluded their campaign at the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship – Thailand as runners-up after Russia secured a convincing 7-1 victory over hosts Thailand in the final round of matches on the evening of 6 August.
Going into the decisive match, Thailand held a significant advantage as a draw would have been enough to secure the title, while Russia needed a win. The importance of the encounter saw both teams start at a high tempo from the opening whistle.
Russia quickly demonstrated their attacking intent, needing just two minutes to open the scoring through Mikhail Moskhalev. In the 15th minute, the same player completed his brace to extend the visitors’ lead to 2-0.
Thailand briefly revived their hopes when Panut pulled one back in the 17th minute to make it 1-2. However, that proved to be the only goal the hosts could manage against a dominant Russian side.
In addition to finishing as runners-up, the Vietnam Futsal Team also received the tournament’s Fair Play Award
Russia completely dominated the remainder of the match. Ponkranov scored twice in the 19th and 28th minutes, while Antoshkin found the net in the 22nd minute to make it 5-1. With around 10 minutes remaining, Thailand were forced to adopt a power-play strategy in search of a comeback. However, rather than improving their situation, the approach left gaps at the back. Russia capitalised fully on their opponents’ mistakes, adding two more goals in the 38th and 39th minutes to seal a convincing 7-1 victory.
At the end of the tournament, Russia were crowned champions with 8 points and a +11 goal difference. Vietnam also finished with 8 points but had an inferior goal difference of +4, securing the runners-up spot. Hosts Thailand finished third with 7 points.
Russia Crowned Champions
The achievement of HLV Diego Raul Giustozzi’s side is particularly noteworthy as Vietnam remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. The Vietnam Futsal Team drew 2-2 with Russia, defeated New Zealand 4-1 and Afghanistan 2-1, before holding hosts Thailand to a 3-3 draw.
The 3-3 draw against Thailand in the final round was one of the tournament’s major highlights. Trailing 0-3 at half-time, HLV Diego Raul Giustozzi’s players showed great character in the second half, effectively deploying the power-play strategy to score three unanswered goals and earn a valuable point against the reigning Southeast Asian champions.
Finishing as runners-up at the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship – Thailand not only reflects the Vietnam Futsal Team’s progress on the technical front, but also provides positive momentum as they prepare for important challenges ahead.
