Sport
Afghanistan defeats Vietnam 5–2 in another friendly ahead of AFC Futsal Asian Cup
Afghanistan’s national futsal team recorded an impressive 5–2 victory over Vietnam in a friendly match on Tuesday as part of the team’s preparations for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026, which will be held in Indonesia.
Hamid Reza Hosseini and Reza Hosseinpour each scored one goal, while Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini starred with a hat-trick, sealing the win for Afghanistan.
The friendly encounter provided valuable international match experience as Afghanistan continues to fine-tune its squad and tactics ahead of the continental tournament.
Vietnam managed to score twice but struggled to contain Afghanistan’s offensive pressure throughout the game. The match was played two days after Afghanistan beat the same team 5-3.
The AFC Asian Futsal Cup will kick off on January 27 in Indonesia, featuring 16 of Asia’s top teams. Afghanistan has been drawn into Group C, alongside regional powerhouse Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia, making qualification for the knockout stage a significant challenge.
The Asian Cup is regarded as Asia’s premier futsal competition and also serves as an important platform for emerging teams to gain international exposure at the continental level.
All matches of the tournament will be broadcast live by Ariana Television across Afghanistan, allowing fans nationwide to closely follow Afghanistan’s journey in the competition.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team defeated India 2-1 in the quarter-finals of Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
The match marked Afghanistan’s eighth appearance in the competition, with the young Afghan side recording their fifth victory.
Afghanistan will face Hungary in the semi-finals of the placement competition for positions 81 to 88 later on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team secured a convincing 6-2 victory over Namibia in the Round of 16 of the lower bracket in Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Afghanistan will now face India in the quarter-finals for positions 81 to 88, today (Thursday).
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the opening match of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Tuesday, thanks to a blistering half-century from Ijaz Ahmadzai and impressive all-round performances from Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan were struggling at 66 for 5 in the 12th over before Ahmadzai turned the innings around with an explosive knock. He reached his half-century off just 20 balls, putting Zimbabwe’s bowlers under pressure with a series of powerful shots.
Ahmadzai combined with Shahidullah, who scored 46 off 42 balls, to rebuild the innings. The pair added 61 runs in just 4.5 overs, helping Afghanistan recover from their early setbacks.
Rashid Khan provided another late surge, smashing 30 runs off just 10 deliveries, including four sixes and a four. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out with one ball remaining in their innings but managed to post a competitive total of 177.
Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets for 31 runs.
In reply, Zimbabwe struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 140, handing Afghanistan a comfortable victory.
Rashid played a key role with the ball, taking two wickets for 20 runs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi also claimed three wickets to restrict Zimbabwe’s chase.
Afghanistan tightened their grip during the middle overs as Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck crucial blows. Mujeeb finished with two wickets, while Zimbabwe continued to lose batters at regular intervals and failed to build the partnerships needed to challenge the target.
The victory marked Afghanistan’s sixth consecutive T20I win against Zimbabwe and improved their overall record in the format to 20 wins against two defeats.
The sides will meet again for their next T20I on Thursday.
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