Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan sealed their place in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand™ 2024 semi-finals after coming from behind to edge Vietnam 2-1 in their last-eight tie on Wednesday.

While Uzbekistan will continue their bid to win the continental title for the first time in the semi-finals against Islamic Republic of Iran, Vietnam’s hopes of qualifying for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 now depend on navigating through a playoff.

Uzbekistan head coach Jose Venancio Lopez praised his players for remaining committed to the cause till the very end.  
 
"I would like to commend Vietnam because they made the game difficult for us. We managed to score 55 seconds before the end of the game. We had a bit of luck. Vietnam also deserve to be in the semi-finals,” said Lopez.
 
“There was nothing special about my half-time team talk. We just fixed our defence but the key was the winning mentality. The players always fight until the end.”

Vietnam head coach Diego Giustozzi said his immediate priority would be to get his players to refocus. 
 
“I’m pleased with my players’ performance. Even though we lost today, we still have another chance to reach the World Cup through the playoffs. If we play the same way we did today against Kyrgyz Republic (in the playoff), we can certainly win,” said Giustozzi.
 
“We need to shift our focus on to the next game and recovery is key as we need everyone to be ready. I’m confident in my team’s ability to raise their game and get the victory."

It was a scrappy start to the contest at the Bangkok Arena with Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Ropiev hitting the side netting from the left flank in the first minute.
 
Uzbekistan came close again in the fifth minute when Abror Akhmetzyanov gained possession on the counter-attack but pulled his effort just wide while Ilkhomjon Khamroev shot straight into a packed box a minute later.
 
Vietnam barely had a foot in the game but should have scored in the eighth minute when Tran Nhat Trung pulled away from his marker at the top of the box only to send his effort over the bar.
 
Uzbekistan continued to apply pressure and came close a minute later with Abror Akhmetzyanov forcing a fine fingertip save from keeper Ho Van Y.

Vietnam missed a golden opportunity in the 17th minute with Nguyen Thinh Phat starting the move when he sent a diagonal pass to Nguyen Manh Dung, who darted down the left flank, before receiving the ball again, only to be denied by the post from an acute angle.
 
It was end-to-end action as Van Y then had to be at his best to keep Vietnam in the game moments later to deny Dilshod Rakhmatov from close range.
 
Despite their dominance, Uzbekistan were stunned in the 17th minute when they failed to properly clear a corner, with Tu Minh Quang pouncing on the rebound from his initial effort to square the ball to an unmarked Thinh Phat to slot home from close range.

With Vietnam opting to play a cautious game in the second half, Uzbekistan had to work hard to find openings. 
 
They activated the power play in the 33rd minute which saw Akbar Usmonov sending a delightful cross into the box for Elbek Tulkinov, who should have done better with his finishing.

The goal, however, finally arrived for the Central Asian side off a corner a minute later when Ropiev’s volley from distance took a deflection, looping over a packed box before bouncing off the underside of the bar and crossing the line. 
 
Tu Minh Quang could have put the game to bed for Vietnam with two minutes left in the game but was denied by the crossbar and it came back to haunt the Southeast Asian side as Sunatulla Juraev scored a dramatic winner for Uzbekistan just before the end.