Afghanistan appeared in their first ever AFC final at any level and Momrak said this will be the foundation for the sport's continued development.

Despite their 3-1 loss to Japan in Saturday’s final, Afghanistan held their own and the result could well have been different had they converted their dominance into goals.

The AFC President said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate Japan for their consistency and for their captivating performances.

“The country’s ability to regularly produce the Continent’s best in futsal is a testament to the Japan Football Association’s efforts in creating sustainable pathways to grow the sport.

It was an intense match from the start, as Afghanistan wasted no time in signalling their intent when Seyed Hossein Mousavi sent a brilliant pass into the box which Ali Arab Zada shot just wide in the first minute.

The back-and-forth action was non-stop as Japan adapted well to the Central Asian team's pressure, and forced ‘keeper Mohammad Javad Safari into action in the third minute, denying Otsuka Hiroto’s effort.

Aghapour opened Iran’s 2019 campaign with a goal against Hong Kong, before firing two more goals to complete his hat-trick in their 6-3 win.

In their quarter-final match with Lebanon, Aghapour gave Iran the lead in the eighth minute, and struck an important extra-time goal to ensure the host nation advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-2 win.

Iran were knocked out of contention for a second successive title after their defeat to eventual champions Japan, but he found the back of the net three more times against Indonesia to ensure the young Team Melli finished third at home.

Iran were looking to impress their fans with a third place finish after their 8-4 loss to Japan in the semi-finals, but they had to do it without Sahand Rezapour, who was serving a one-match ban.

The match was intense from the first whistle of the blow, with Indonesia playing a little more aggressively as Muhammad Rizki Xavier picked up the first yellow card of the game within the first minute.

Afghanistan progressed to their first AFC U-20 Futsal Championship final after seeing off a plucky Indonesian side, beating the Southeast Asians 4-3 in extra time.

Meanwhile, Japan defeated the defending champions and host nation Islamic Republic of Iran 8-4 in extra time to also make their first appearance in the final.

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Indonesia 7-5 Vietnam

MATCH REPORT