Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Chengdu: Ximbinha netted a first-half hat-trick as Nagoya Oceans underlined their ambitions for a second AFC Futsal Club Championship title following a one-sided 6-0 win over Vic Vipers in Tuesday's Group A tie.
Tomoki Yoshikawa, Kaoru Morika and Kiyoto Yagi were also on target at Shuangliu Sports Centre as Nagoya took a giant step towards a fourth consecutive semi-final appearance.
In a tournament that had seen several of the traditional powerhouse teams struggle to get out of first gear in the opening half of games, Nagoya overwhelmed Vic Vipers in the first period and led by five goals at half-time before Yagi completed the scoring in the second half to put the rest of the tournament on notice.
"We began the game quickly and powerfully, and I was very pleased to see a positive attitude from our players," said Nagoya coach Victor Garcia.
"We have players of very high quality like Ximbinha who is a great asset to the team and Kaoru is always the top-scorer in the league and also the top scorer in last year's AFC Futsal Club Championship.
"However, as we have a small squad, I will need to manage these players carefully as we will really need them in a potential semi-final or final."
Nagoya, who had already looked impressive in their 3-1 opener against Lokomotiv Tashkent, began the match in aggressive fashion and had the first shot on target inside the first minute.
Ryuta Hoshi capitalized on a slip by Miguel Barrigos to force a good block from Kieren Pates in the Vic Vipers goal, the custodian sticking out a strong left leg to divert the ball wide.
But just a minute later, the 2011 winners had taken the lead as Nagoya captain Yoshikawa adroitly stepped inside his marker and struck a swerving drive past the Vic Vipers goalkeeper.
Even better was to come from the Japanese side on seven minutes as Wataru Kitahara slipped in Tomoaki Watanbe who cut the ball back for Ximbinha to cap off a deft three-man move with an emphatic finish.
And just a minute later Ximbinha demonstrated some superb individual skill for his second and Nagoya's third, teeing himself up for a stunning volley past a stationary Pates.
Morika then capped off a nightmare three minute spell for Vic Vipers with a fourth goal for the irrepressible white-clad side as the bleach-blonde player bamboozled Adam Cooper before hammering the ball into the top right hand corner.
While the floodgates were closed for a time, Ximbinha did not have to wait long for his hat-trick as a passing combination with Yagi put him through on Pates goal and the Brazilian slotted confidently home to make the score 5-0 with five minutes of the half remaining.
Nagoya seemed content to control possession as the second period got under way but seven minutes in they scored a sixth as Yagi pounced on a loose ball in the Vic Vipers penalty area and fired into the unguarded net past an already committed Pates.
Vic Vipers went close to breaking their tournament scoring drought on several occasions in the closing minutes, none closer than Angelo Fusca who rattled the crossbar with an angled shot before Jonathan Barrientos was twice denied by solid goalkeeping from Ryuma Shinoda.
"Nagoya Oceans are the top team from the top country in Asia so it was a great experience for our boys to play against the likes of Morioka who is arguably the most influential player in Asia and Ximbinha – two fantastic players," said Vic Vipers coach Sam Mlynarz.
"We had an eight minute period in the game where we showed our inexperience at this level and they captialised as all good teams do."