New Zealand’s Futsal Whites secure bronze at OFC Futsal Championship
The New Zealand futsal outfit managed to win the bronze medal at the 2011 Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Futsal Championship. They won the match on a penalty shoot-out on the last day of action at the championship against Vanuatu by 5-4. The match
was played on May 20 at the Vodafone Arena Suva, Fiji.
The key player from the Futsal White squad proved to be the goal-keeper, Elias Billeh. He stepped out from the shadows and became the hero after he not only scored a goal on the last chance of his side’s penalty shoot-out, he also saved a goal kicked by
the goalkeeper Chickau Mansale from the Vanuatu on a spot kick.
The Futsal Whites missed a chance to play the finals on the fourth day of the championship. Both teams were determined and focused to win this time around. The intensity and level play was proven in the first half of the match as it went goalless. Both side
were fighting for bragging rights and gave no chance to their opponents to score any goals.
In the second half of the match, the Futsal Whites took the lead and Micky Malivuk scored the first goal in the fourth minute of the second half. Vanuatu players responded and Lui Sifas levelled the matters with the Futsal Whites in the last minutes of the
match.
The result of the match was decided on a penalty shoot-out as none of the teams managed to score any goal in extra time.
Toach Matt Chandler of the Futsal Whites said, “It’s very pleasing. I’d rather have won the penalty shoot-out yesterday but it was nice. I thought our goalkeeper David Plowright was superb. He was very psychologically in the shoot-out clever and did very well.
Unfortunately, we conceded with a second to go but I think we deserved to win because we played the better futsal. Nathan Robertson has retired now for us and he was superb.”
The final will be played amongst the defending champions Solomon Island and Tahiti. The winner of the title of the OFC Futsal Cup will qualify and participate in the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
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