Iranian Women in the Final of the Asian Futsal Championship

The Iranian women's national futsal team advanced to the final of the first Women's Futsal Asian Championship by defeating Thailand. In the semi-final stage, the Iranian players settled for a goalless draw in the first half against Thailand. With a tactical and calculated game, Iran scored the winning goal in the second half and managed to defend it until the end of the match. Zahra Mithami scored the goal that secured Iran's place in the final in the 32nd minute. Iran's goalkeeper, Farzaneh Tosuli, was named the best player of the match for her brilliant performance against the Thai players' attacks. The other semi-final match was held between Japan and the host Malaysia, where Japan, as the most successful women's futsal team in Asia, ended the one-sided game with an 8-1 victory, becoming Iran's opponent in the championship battle. In the top scorers' table, Farah Rezvan from Malaysia leads with seven goals. Iran's Fereshteh Karimi and Sara Shirbigi have scored five goals each. Kichi Bayashi from Japan and Sarikova from Uzbekistan have netted four goals. Fahimeh Zarei is also among the players with three goals. In the Iranian team, Sepideh Zarrin Rad has scored two goals, while Nasimeh Gholami, Soheila Malmali, and Zahra Mithami have each scored once. Japan, Iran's rival in the final, first defeated Vietnam 4-2, then overcame Thailand 3-2, and topped the group with a 7-1 victory over China. The Iranian head coach stated at the press conference: 'This was one of the best games Iran has played. Iran's effort was much greater than Thailand's. We were also superior tactically and physically.' Forouzan Soleimani noted: 'In the final, we will face the powerful Japanese team with all our players. We have come for the championship and will do our utmost to achieve this goal. We are prepared to defend against the power play style of '5 players without a goalkeeper.' The head of the Iranian Football Federation, along with Elaheh Arab Amiri, head of the women's committee, attended the gathering of Iranian futsal players after their victory against Thailand and said: 'Thank you very much for your efforts. Now you have gone beyond the level of Asia, and I hope you will be successful in tomorrow's game.' Kafashian reminded: 'FIFA has decided that the two top teams in Asia, namely Iran and Japan, will participate in the World Cup hosted by Guatemala.'