FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup:
Iran’s Tavassoli vows fightback after opening-day defeat to Brazil
Iran goalkeeper Farzaneh Tavassoli promised her team would bounce back from the opening-day defeat to Brazil at the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines.
The Asian powerhouse endured a tough start in Group D of the inaugural event, losing 4-1 to eight-time Copa América champion Brazil on Sunday.
Brazil applied early pressure, with Debora Vanin’s shot deflecting off Tavassoli and onto the post before Elham Anajfeh produced a superb diving challenge to prevent Taty from finishing into an empty net.
Iran registered its first shot on target in the seventh minute, when Mahsa Kamali’s powerful long-range effort was tipped away by Bianca.
Brazil’s persistence paid off in the 15th minute as Emilly picked out Ana Luiza with a fine pass, the latter lifting the ball past Tavassoli for the opener.
The South Americans doubled their lead two minutes later, this time Ana Luiza turning provider with a back-heel for Vanin to strike home.
Iran’s task became more difficult a minute after the interval when Ana Luiza teed up Emilly to smash a shot high into the top corner.
Emilly added another in the 24th minute before Kamali pulled one back a minute later.
Despite the defeat, Tavassoli believes her team has what it takes to progress to the quarterfinals.
“We gave it our all, and I’m glad I made a couple of good saves to help the team stay in the match,” the Iranian skipper said.
“We will try to be the best version of ourselves for the next two games. We will go onto the court with high motivation and focus to deliver a better performance than we did today.”
The two-time Asian champion will take on Panama on Wednesday and hopes to still be in contention for a top-two finish when facing Italy – who demolished Panama 17-0 earlier in the day – next Sunday.
“I can only promise that in the next two matches, we will fight with all our strength and focus to advance to the next round. Our team has the necessary capacity and motivation, and we are confident that we can achieve good results,” Tavassoli added.
Meanwhile, Iran head coach Shahrzad Mozaffar was pleased with how her players “went toe-to-toe” with the South American heavyweight.
“We have to accept that Brazil is the best team in the world, and they have played many friendlies in their preparation for this tournament. Facing a team of this caliber was a valuable opportunity for us to gauge our level and identify our strengths and weaknesses,” she said.
“My players demonstrated with motivation, commitment, and remarkable unity that they can compete with the world’s best teams. Every player on the court gave their all, and a fighting spirit and team camaraderie were completely evident.
We will have precise planning for our next two games, and we see every match as a lesson and an experience.”