Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa issued the congratulatory message after Iran beat Portugal on penalties to finish third in Colombia on Saturday (local time).
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran for their spectacular displays, commendable resolve and consistency throughout the competition,” Shaikh Salman was quoted by AFC official website as saying.
He continued “as articulated in our Vision and Mission, Iranians have proven that Asian teams can not only compete but dominate the world’s biggest stages. I hope that Iran’s achievement will inspire more Asian teams to scale new heights in world futsal.”
“Iranian athletes are now a dominant force in world futsal and their success in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 is a testament to the culmination of years of hard work and commitment of everyone at the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.”
In the Round of 16, Iran produced one of the biggest upsets after eliminating FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 winners Brazil, 3-2 on penalties, after a hard-fought 4-4 draw in extra time.
Later, Iran became the first Asian team since 1992 to reach the semifinals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup when they overcame a resilient Paraguay side 4-3 in the quarterfinal.
Again, the Iranians defeated their opponents on penalties, beating Portugal 4-3 after a 2-2 draw in extra time to clinch a third-place finish.
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