AFC Futsal Asian Cup
Iran opened the scoring at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall through Saied Ahmad Abbasi’s 15th-minute strike, only for Kazuya Shimizu to cancel out their lead a minute later.
Despite Shamsaee's side dominating, Japan took the lead in the second half through Arthur Oliveira’s sublime free-kick, and went further behind when Abbasi scored an own goal in the final minute, with Alireza Javan Shahkali’s last ditch effort coming too late as Iran were denied a record-extending 13th title.
Despite Shamsaee's side dominating, Japan took the lead in the second half through Arthur Oliveira’s sublime free-kick, and went further behind when Abbasi scored an own goal in the final minute, with Alireza Javan Shahkali’s last ditch effort coming too late as Iran were denied a record-extending 13th title.
#ACFutsal2022 - FINAL | Islamic Republic of Iran 2 - 3 Japan
Shamsaee, who lifted the AFC Futsal Asian Cup trophy eight times as a player, bore all responsibility for the defeat and said despite losing the final, he was proud of his players, with Moslem Oladghobad named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and Hossein Tayebi winning the Yili Top Scorer award.
“I told my players that I am responsible for the defeat. They showed their best with maximum effort,” said Shamsaee. “
“They didn’t want to lose the trophy and were crying, but they have to accept the result. If they want to make a good future for themselves, they will need to understand the defeat.
“We had a plan for our team and if there were any mistakes, it’s all on me and my colleagues."
“I wanted to dedicate the win to the people of my country, and I hope they accept my apology.
“All my players were perfect today. But he (Moslem Oladghobad) was fantastic as usual, same as the other players today.”
Iran's Kuwait 2022 squad only featured a handful of players who won them their 12th title in 2018, but Shamsaee sees a bright future in the new generation.
“After losing, I don’t want to talk about the past. I’ve brought in 10 new players to replace 10 legends. In the very near future, these 10 new players will be the legends of Iranian futsal.
“If I continue with the team, I will definitely work on all our weaknesses. I don’t want to make any excuses, or say that it was a loss of opportunity. It just wasn’t meant to be today. I’m ashamed that I couldn’t dedicate a win to our people today.”
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