Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Dubai: Thailand coach Victor Hermans was delighted with his side's 5-3 come-from-behind win over Lebanon in the quarter-final of the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship as it silenced the cynics that suggested the young Thais might not be up for the match with a place at the FIFA World Cup already assured as tournament hosts.
Lebanon were battling not just for a berth in the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Championship for the first time in their history but also a place at November's Futsal World Cup, which would be the first time a team from Lebanon had competed in the finals of a FIFA event.
As such the men from the Middle East appeared the hungrier of the two sides and raced to a 2-0 lead with just four minutes at the Al Wasl Indoor Stadium played thanks to Kassem Kawsan's early double.
But the Thais turned the tie on its head and after Jetsada Chudech, Suphawut Thueanklang and Apiwat Chaemcharoen gave the ASEAN champions a 3-2 half-time lead, second-half strikes from Nattavut Madyalan and Jirawat Sornwichan took the score to 5-2 before Ali El Homsi netted a late consolation for Lebanon.
"Our target was to win as many people were saying that because we already have a place at the World Cup as hosts we wouldn't be up for the game against Lebanon but we clearly were and I am very proud of the way the boys played," Hermans said at the post-match press conference.
"They are here to win every game they play and to show what they can do and with this win we have proved that we deserve to be at the World Cup."