Portugal beat Kazakhstan on penalties in Futsal World Cup semi-final and for the first time in the final of the race!
The quinas team came very close to deciding the outcome of the match in regulation time. After splitting the first half, marked by two throws by the Kazakh team on the iron goal and a mistake by the Portuguese at the end, Portugal took the lead in the 23rd minute thanks to Pani Varela.
The team closed behind and managed to hold back five against four, with the help of which Kazakhstan tried to throw off the Portuguese block. He resisted, resisted and resisted … until, 46 seconds before the end of the game, Nurgozhin crossed the goal line and scored, which extended the game by at least another ten minutes.
In the first half of extra time, Douglas Junior brought the Kazakhstanis forward thanks to a free kick between Bebe’s legs, which was almost always insurmountable.
For the first time that night, Portugal was at a disadvantage and forced to earn more for a living than ever. As for the Kazakhstanis, it was Leo Higuita’s turn to shine at the goal. He defended almost everything that could be defended, except for a shot by Bruno Coelho (2: 2) with 1.38 minutes before the end of the 2nd half of extra time.
The drama continued until the penalty shootout, where Portugal was happier. Bebe parried the blow right after the opening, Pani Varela missed the only Portuguese, but Vitor Hugo, who surrendered to Bebe after the first two Kazakh attempts, saved one of the free throws. Then Thiago Brito had the composure to put an end to the second semi-final.
On Sunday, at 18:00 at Zalgiris Arena, Lithuania, the story against Argentina continues.
(updated article)
