BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
AUSTRALIA National Futsal Team Futsalroos captain Shervin Adeli hailed Solomon Islands Kurukuru Raphael Lea’i’s performance after Wednesday’s 2-1 narrow victory, while he feels his side needs to improve in their second match in the PacificAus Sports Futsal Series 2024.
The Futsalroos were left frustrated by Raphael’s display in scoring a goal in the opener of the three-match international friendly series at Friendship Hall yesterday, as he kept defenders alarmed with his string of impressive attacks.
The results mean Australia has secured their first win and is now aiming for their second match of the series, which will take place on Friday, February 23rd, at 6:00 p.m. at the Friendship Hall.
Shervin described Raphael Lea’s performance on the court as formidable and also praised the performances of duo Futsalroo debutants, Ryan Jones and Atay Ibrahim.
“Raphael was very sharp and dangerous to deal with. However, we are excited to have players like that on the court, and I think this team is in good hands, so I’m looking forward to match day two.
“We have Ryan and Atay, who make their debut. I’m really happy with them. They have been training really well and fit in with the boys really well,’’ he told journalists at the post-match interview.
“Luckily, we scored two goals in the first two halves. It’s our first game for a long time, so it would be ideal for us to look into it and find a few moments in the game where we can improve, and by doing that, we can put on a better show in round two,” Shervin said.
With the loud cheers and support from the home crowd, the Futsalroos captain said that his team used that as their motivation.
“Every player responds differently to that. It is quite exciting, and I think the crowd was really positive. So I guess for us, we use that as our motivation and think that it is our crowd at some point,” Shervin said.
Likewise, Futsalroos Head Coach Miles Downie told journalists that his boys did really well and have managed to hold on to their lead until the final whistle.
“I was a little bit nervous in the end minutes, but the boys stayed calm and were able to hold on to a 2-1 lead. The Solomon Islands new transition in the game was right. They did it correctly with the set pieces and counterattacks with the duo Charley and Rafael Lea’i.
Coach Miles said that the Futsalroos had to create more changes and take changes but were not able to capitalize, and it’s their work for the next few days.
“From my perspective, I don’t want to stop the playing. I think I like us to continue playing regardless of the score line, and I think it is probably in their backs, so they are probably playing a bit safer against the Kurukuru.
He said that his side is able to bring their skills, with some of his players bringing what they are capable of while others are still working on being comfortable.
“I look forward to the next matches. And I think Kurukuru will also step up. There was a big difference in the way Rafael played after he scored the goal. Fantastic speed and explosive power; fantastic shoot, so I expect Solomon Islands to feel comfortable and cause us problems in our next matches.
“I think my boys did well with Atay and Ryan. They perform very well. Atay’s physical presence creating more good opportunity. It’s a very big positive for us to be able to bring the debut on stage when there’s not much on the line,’’ Coach Miles said.
