Philippines v Vietnam
The Philippines put up a tremendous display on their tournament debut against two-time champions Iran, with only a late goal condemning them to a 1-0 defeat.

The battling performance pleased head coach Rafael Rodriguez, who believes that his players can only benefit from facing quality opposition.

“To spend 40 minutes defending against (a team like) Iran is very difficult, but I am happy with the team, not with the result, but because of the way the team fought throughout the game,” he said. “We will continue to learn, to fight and to improve. These games are very important for us because we have never played against teams like Iran.”

The Spaniard called for the Philippines to bring the same sort of focus and fighting spirit into their second match against Vietnam on Friday.

“Vietnam are a very good team, they move the ball very fast, but I think we are ready,” Rodriguez said. “We need to have the same mentality as we did against Iran, because we worked very hard, and keeping this kind of mentality is important for us to compete.”

For Vietnam head coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang, the priority is to ensure that his team start each half better than they did against Hong Kong, China, where they nearly fell behind after one minute and conceded twice in quick succession after the break.

“We were not quite ready and did not settle into the game fast enough,” the 38-year-old said. “The first match of a tournament is always difficult… after we conceded (at 3-3), I motivated the team and encouraged them to overcome the setback.

“(Overall), we are very satisfied with the performance, even if there were some mistakes, which we need to work on. But in general, we did well and I am happy, and I want to thank my players for their efforts.”

Philippines v Vietnam
Venue: Hohhot Sports Centre, Hohhot

Kick-off: 11:00 (UTC+8)

Despite eventually succumbing to Vietnam, Ho Wing Kam was proud of Hong Kong, China’s showing as they gave their opponents a tough time, at one point levelling the score at 3-3.

“I felt that we played very well and even though we lost, the result showcases a huge improvement for us because we were able to match Vietnam for large parts of the game,” she said.

 “Compared with Vietnam, there are not many opportunities to play futsal in Hong Kong, as we don’t have a league.”

The 53-year-old cited room for improvement in their defending, combination play and high press, and believes that Iran can be overcome.

“We watched the Iran game earlier and I feel that there isn’t too much of a difference in quality between Vietnam and Iran, so we will (largely) adopt the same strategies as we did today when we play them.”

Meanwhile, Iran head coach Foruzan Solymani is confident that her charges will improve after being run close by the Philippines in their first game.

“I am so happy to win the match,” she said. “The Philippines were very fast and agile, and they are a good team. They were defensive and played on the counter-attack, which made us work hard. The first match always has its own challenges for any team and we will get better, step by step and game by game.”

The 55-year-old admitted that the reigning champions entered this edition with some pressure, having lifted each of the previous two titles by winning every game; in fact, Solymani was in charge when Iran triumphed at the inaugural edition in 2015 and having returned to helm the team again in Hohhot, is dreaming of glory again.

“All of Iran is waiting for the best result from us, and they want and expect us to be champions for a third time,” she said. “Winning in 2015 was one of the best times of my life – when you get your hands on the cup, it is the best feeling and I cannot compare it to anything else.”

Solymani is wary of Hong Kong, China’s threat and urged her charges to stay focused.

“They have played many matches with East Asian teams as part of their preparations,” she said. “They are so speedy, and we have to possess the best organisation and mentality for the match in order to do well.”

Venue: Hohhot Sports Centre, Hohhot

Kick-off: 17:00 (UTC+8)