AFC Futsal Asian Cup - IR Iran’s Shamsaee, Afghanistan’s Mortezaei expect improvements

Jakarta: Vahid Shamsaee and Majid Mortezaei are hopeful their respective sides will continue to shine after opening their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026™ campaigns with commanding wins on Wednesday.

Shamsaee’s Islamic Republic of Iran walked away with a 4-1 win against Malaysia while Mortezaei’s clinical Afghanistan saw off Saudi Arabia 3-0 but neither head coach wants their players to be satisfied with their start.

#ACFutsal2026 | Group D: IR Iran 4-1 Malaysia

Shamsaee admitted he was unhappy that his team conceded late, with Malaysia also having several other opportunities to score earlier in the game.

“It was a win but I’m not satisfied with my players,” said Shamsaee. “They lacked the required concentration and there were some incidents that stopped us from showing our best qualities."

“When the team qualified for the Finals, you expect them to be better than the Qualifiers, it was only natural that Malaysia gave us a tougher fight as playing against Iran brings a different motivation.

“We want to show in each game our best, we don’t go into games trying to win by a specific score. There’s a big difference between the venues but all the teams that play here face the same situation, so we can only try to show our best.”

Andreu Plaza has to motivate his Saudi Arabia side for Friday’s clash with defending champions Iran, with the head coach feeling that his team held their own against Afghanistan despite the 3-0 scoreline.

“It was an equal match but that is not reflected in the score,” said Plaza. “Afghanistan played well and we didn’t have many options, the difference is that they scored and we didn’t.

“We know the next game is against Iran, very difficult for us and for all. To qualify, we need to win two matches but it’s difficult for sure.”

Saudi Arabia v IR Iran
Venue: Jakarta International Velodrome (Jakarta)
Kick-off: Friday, 13:00 (UTC+7)

Afghanistan showed that their quarter-final run in the 2024 - which was also their debut campaign - was no flash in the pan with the Central Asian side impressing against Saudi Arabia, with Mortezaei delighted that his players will face Malaysian on Friday with some of the pressure eased.

“It was a difficult game, Saudi Arabia worked very well but we had analysed their game very well,” said Mortezaei. “We spent one and a half months analysing the teams, it’s good to be rewarded for the work we put in."

“We’re so happy because we went into this game with a lot of pressure but we managed to come out with the win.

“The game against Saudi Arabia is only based on one system. What we want to do against other teams will be different and based on the strategy that we come out with.”

#ACFutsal2026 | Group D: Afghanistan 3-0 Saudi Arabia

Addie Azwan admitted that Iran were on a different level but the Malaysia head coach was heartened by the fact that his players were able to create numerous chances which augured well for the Afghanistan tie.

“The discipline and focus that we showed helped us create chances to score but we just couldn’t do it until the last moment,” said Addie. “We know Iran are strong and they are clinical. I have to say whatever we planned, the boys delivered."

“Perhaps the boys were nervous because it was the first game and against Iran, so hopefully after they have experienced this, they will be calmer in front of goal for the next game.”

Malaysia v Afghanistan
Venue: Jakarta International Velodrome (Jakarta)
Kick-off: Friday, 17:00 (UTC+7)

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