Portugal is in the quarter-finals of the Futsal World Cup
The Portuguese futsal team needed today to resort to extra time to beat Serbia by 4-3 and secure the last place in the quarter-finals of the Mundial2021, in which they will face Spain, which also secured a passage.
The coach Jorge Braz considers that Portugal was the best team during the game.
At Zalgiris Arena, in Kaunas, the team led by Jorge Braz reached half-time winning 2-0, with goals from Ricardinho and André Coelho, but the Serbs reacted in the second half and tied, with a double by Dragan Lazarevic.
In extra time, Pany Varela scored twice and practically ruled the tie in favor of Portugal, who saw Serbia reduce towards the end, through Stefan Rakic.
In the quarter-finals, the national team will compete in an Iberian duel with Spain, in a game scheduled for Monday, in Vilnius, where the Spanish, world champions in 2000 and 2004, also ‘stamped’ the qualification with a triumph by 5 -2 over the Czech Republic.
Former Benfica player Raúl Campos, Raúl Gómez, José Raya, Adolfo Fernández and Carlos Ortiz scored the goals of Spain, while Lukas Resetar and Michal Holy reduced to the Czechs, who fell back in the ’round of 16′, as had happened in the last last participation in 2012, in Thailand.
Iran, which in 2016 ‘stole’ the last place on the podium in Portugal, also qualified for the quarter-finals, by overcoming the ‘crazy’ game with Uzbekistan and winning 9-8.
In the next round, the Iranians will face Kazakhstan.
Futsal Mundial2021 runs until October 3rd, in Lithuania.