HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam landed in Bucaramanga yesterday, prepared to challenge powerful Italy in their last round match of Group C in the Colombian Futsal World Cup.

The other match between Guatemala and Paraguay is set to be played in Cali.

Head of Việt Nam delegation Trần Anh Tú said the target is only one point, so his team could be one of the best four teams that rank third, after the group round, and qualify for the next stage.

After one win and one loss, Việt Nam are in third position, while Italy grabbed two wins to stand on top.

“We are still in good spirits after a big loss 1-7 to Paraguay (on Thursday). There were mistakes in that match, but losing to a big team like Paraguay is nothing to be sad about because they are at a higher level than us,” said Tú who is the Việt Nam Football Federation’s Head of Futsal Department.

“What we need is to know how to avoid these mistakes again. We sat down together and coach Bruno Garcia said that we must have one point from Italy.”Spanish expert Garcia also talked about Vietnamese losses and how to resist Italian power.

“We can play better in tactical concentration (against Paraguay). Of course, the effort was on the field, but it’s not enough when you are playing against the best teams. We are very demanding with ourselves and we need to follow our plan and not make silly mistakes, because the other team will take advantage of it,” Garcia said in an email to Việt Nam News.

“We need to learn from the game about individual mistakes and have to increase our intensity and concentration about tactics, we are playing against the best teams in the world and the mistakes can be very expensive,” Garcia explained.

“(In the coming match) we need to play more than 100 per cent over our performance. Our team is characterized by a high spirit and good tactics, as we follow our plan. We need to show it and reach perfection, because Italy is a strong team with experienced players in this type of tournaments,” he said, adding that Việt Nam journey in Colombia has not ended yet. 

World No 4 Italy is one of the title favourites in this World Cup. They won a bronze medal in Thailand in 2012, in Brazil in 2008, and were also runners-up in Chinese Taipei in 2004.

Meanwhile, Việt Nam is enjoying their first-ever World Cup. The team ranks 39th in the world.

On the Italian side, coach Roberto Menichelli said he is very satisfied with what his players have achieved.

Speaking to the media, he said he watched Việt Nam play against Guatemala on Monday and saw that Việt Nam was a well-organised and enthusiastic team. However, he said, Italy would again win.

Striker Rodolfo Fortino, who set a record of 50 goals for his team, also want a victory.

He predicted that the Italians will play with all of their ability and earn three points.

The game will be organised at the Bicentenario Stadium and will be aired live on K+ channel from 5.30pm Hà Nội time. — VNS