World Deaf Futsal Championships:
Iran beats Brazil to lift the trophy
Iran won a fourth title in five editions at the World Deaf Futsal Championships, thanks to 2-0 victory over Brazil in Montesilvano, Italy.
Ali Zeinalvand and Ali-Asghar Mahboubi were on the scoresheet in the final showpiece as Mahdi Sanei’s men rounded off their campaign in emphatic fashion, claiming an impressive eight wins in as many outings in the competition.
Having lifted the trophy in the 2011, 2015, and 2022 editions, Iran began its title defense with a 12-1 rout of Morocco in the group stage, before defeating Italy (1-0), Uruguay (9-0), England (11-0), and Poland (3-1) to finish atop the group table.
Iran then hammered Kuwait by seven unanswered goals in the quarterfinals, followed by a 3-2 win against Croatia in the last four.
There further joy for the Iranians in the awarding ceremony as Mahboubi took the top scorer prize with 15 goals, while Sanei was the named the best coach.
Alireza Mokhtar-Abadi won the Most Valuable Player prize, with Mohammad-Hassan Abdollahi taking the award for best young talent in the tournament.
Earlier on Friday, Italy defeated Croatia 2-1 in the men’s third-place showdown.