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| AFC Futsal Championship |
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| Shamsaee settles hard-fought semi |
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| Vahid Shamsaee scored the only goal of the game as defending champions Iran edged Japan in the semi-final. |
BANGKOK - Vahid Shamsaee's first-half goal was enough to send Iran into the final of the AFC Futsal Championship courtesy of narrow 1-0 victory over Japan.
Shamsaee took advantage of Yusuke Komiyama's defensive slip to put Iran ahead just before the interval at Nimibutr Stadium and they never relinquished their advantage in what proved to be their toughest test of the competition to date.
Shamsaee threatened first for Iran with a snap shot that forced Hisao Sadanaga into a smart save at his near post.
Daisuke Ono then produced a strong run down the right flank that ended with a strike from the Japanese player that Mostafa Nazari did well to keep out low down to his left.
Mohammad Hashemzadeh then drilled a free-kick on the edge of the area wide of the right-hand post before Mohammad Taheri was denied by Sadanaga.
Shamsaee drew another good stop out of Sadanaga low to his right after working a shooting chance for himself before good hold-up play by the same player played in Taheri but his effort was blocked by a combination of defender and keeper.
But Iran were enjoying the upper-hand in the first-half and took the lead shortly before the break when a terrible defensive error by Komiyama allowed Shamsaee nip in and score with Sadanaga out of position.
Javad Asghari Moghaddam fired narrowly wide after a good run at the start of the second period.
Japan then had a glorious chance to equalise when excellent work from Ono down the right saw him deliver a ball across the box but Yuki Kanayama hit Nazari from point-blank range, although the keeper did not know too much about it.
With time running out, Japan began to pull their keeper and it lead to an opening for Kenta Fujii but he fired over when unmarked at the edge of the area before Nazari pulled two more good saves to deny the same player as Japan piled on the pressure but could not find a way through.
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