NARROWING THE GAP IN FUTSAL

And while there was no doubt that Thailand – regardless of the fact that they were represented by their Under-21 squad – would eventually emerge champions again, still the tournament this year provided a few surprises.

The surprise package would definitely have to go to Laos as even though they took part in the championship for the first time ever, they played with a lot of heart following their win over Vietnam in a group match.

“It was our first time in this meet but I believe that this is one game which I believe Laos can excel in,” said Viengkeo Phommakaxay, the head coach of Laos.

“The experience of playing Futsal at the last SEA Games and now through this AFF Futsal championship, we really hope that we can develop further. Certainly, taking part for the first time has been an invaluable experience.”

But if there is anything which Laos have learned at all, it is that Futsal is a game which does not tolerate lack of concentration.

Players will have to be at their feet – literally – 100% of the time and mistakes are punishable by abject defeat.

And this was proven by Laos’ loss to Brunei in a crucial group match.

Brunei, who had seldom put up more than token challenge in the past, were more organised this time round and although they lost their first two matches, they still played with gusto.

And in their last crucial game against Laos, they took the match 6-1 to make the semi-finals for the first time ever – thus carving an important milestone not only for Brunei but also for Asean Futsal.

“We are more determined and more organised this time and I hope that through our performance here, we can develop the game in Brunei,” said Mohd Yunos Yusof, the head coach for Brunei.

“I believe that the competition will be a lot closer next year and we have to thank the AFF for creating this avenue for the development of Futsal.”

With the absence of double-digit scores and with the news that several countries have already or about to start their Futsal league, the game can only grow from here.

And we can only look forward to next year to see how much of a progress they have made and whether any at all can challenge the might of Thailand.