The Iranian futsal team is aiming for their 14th title in the continent. However, according to coach Vahid Shamsaee, they will have a not-so-easy match against the host Indonesia - the team that reached the final for the first time.
In the semi-finals, Iran defeated Iraq 4-2. Meanwhile, Indonesia unexpectedly won 5-3 against Japan - a team that has been 4 times Asian champion. According to Vahid Shamsaee, who has won the Asian Futsal Championship as a player and coach, the final will bring many challenges for Iran.
He said: "I believe that the final will be very attractive for two reasons. First, Indonesian fans really like to show their passion and love for this sport. Second, we are facing a team that is entering the final for the first time and they have a lot of motivation.
This is the beauty of football, unpredictability. In theory, of course Japan will be rated higher, but when entering the match, anything can happen, for example, Indonesia reaching the final.
Iran has won many titles, but that's the past. Tomorrow is a new match. Like other coaches, I respect Indonesia. We focus on playing fairly and whichever team is worthy will win the title.
With the Indonesian team, they are very confident as they are writing their own historical story. In previous participations, their best achievement was only a quarter-final appearance. But in this year's tournament, coach Hector Souto's team has continuously made history. In front of them is the opportunity to win the Asian Futsal Championship for the first time at home.
Souto is completely confident that the home team will continue to take advantage of the great support they have received to focus on recovering after the arduous semi-final with a 5-3 victory over Japan, a match that had to enter extra time, with enthusiastic cheers from fans.
He said: "We handled the recovery well because we have experienced this in friendly matches here with 15,000 spectators. Now we have reached the final of one of the biggest futsal tournaments in Asia and the world.
In the final, the cheers of the audience will not be a decisive factor because the most important thing is what happens on the field. But it is a positive factor for us because they always support us and I believe it will continue.
The Iranian team has played 105 matches in this tournament (in recent years) and only lost 4 times, so we are not under any pressure. Pressure is weighing heavily on Iran. They are the defending champions and have players playing abroad. They have skills and excellent players.
We have to recover well because we ended the match later than them and had to play extra time. The whole team is in good form, solidarity gives us motivation, we understand each other and with our tactics, I am sure we will compete fairly with the opponent”.
The final match between Indonesia vs Iran will take place at 7:00 PM on February 7.
