It was the 18e edition of the Asian Futsal Cup.
The Iranians had to backtrack three times after backing the Indonesians despite their raw and passionate support. The match ended 5-5.
As the nerve-wracked tension in Jakarta’s Indonesia Arena reached almost unbearable levels, Iran secured the title in a 5-4 shootout win, with Hossein Sabzi converting the decisive penalty.
A total of 64,381 fans attended the matches at the Indonesia Arena and the Jakarta International Velodrome, where they were treated to a 166-goal haul in the 31 games.
Iran’s 7–4 victory over Uzbekistan in the quarter-final was the highest-scoring match, while only one match ended goalless, the Group C draw between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Iran topped the scoring with 27 goals, with Hossein Tayebi contributing six.
For Indonesia, the hosting was a great success, both on and off the field. Runners-up saw them beat their previous best performances, having reached the quarter-finals just once in 2022.
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated Iran for their victory and continued excellence in the format and Indonesia for their “tenacity and dynamism to reach the final”.
“Both the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation and the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) deserve our praise, not only for their commitment to increasing the love for the sport, but also for producing formidable squads capable of succeeding at the highest level, as underlined in the AFC’s vision and mission,” Salman said.
He reserved special praise for the PSSI organisers: “In both football and futsal, we have seen Indonesia reach new heights of excellence at all levels and credit must go to the PSSI for the concrete steps taken to transform and raise the standards of the game among its passionate fan base,” he said.
“Hosting the AFC’s premier indoor football competition is another great example of the PSSI’s ambitions to raise awareness of the sport. While we thank them for their desire to take on this proud responsibility, we must also applaud their historic success, and we are confident this is a sign of more to come from Indonesia.”
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