AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup: Hong Kong vs IR Iran [Preview]

AFC – HOHHOT, After picking up a victory in their opening matche of Group B, Islamic Republic of Iran know that three more points on the second matchday of the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup™ China 2025 will see them through to the knockout stage.

Defending champions Iran eked out a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Philippines, while group opponents Vietnam came out on top in a 5-3 thriller against Hong Kong, China.

Despite eventually succumbing to Vietnam, Ho Wing Kam was proud of Hong Kong, China’s showing as they gave their opponents a tough time, at one point levelling the score at 3-3.

“I felt that we played very well and even though we lost, the result showcases a huge improvement for us because we were able to match Vietnam for large parts of the game,” she said.

“Compared with Vietnam, there are not many opportunities to play futsal in Hong Kong, as we don’t have a league.”

The 53-year-old cited room for improvement in their defending, combination play and high press, and believes that Iran can be overcome.

“We watched the Iran game earlier and I feel that there isn’t too much of a difference in quality between Vietnam and Iran, so we will (largely) adopt the same strategies as we did today when we play them.”

Meanwhile, Iran head coach Foruzan Solymani is confident that her charges will improve after being run close by the Philippines in their first game.

“I am so happy to win the match,” she said. “The Philippines were very fast and agile, and they are a good team. They were defensive and played on the counter-attack, which made us work hard. The first match always has its own challenges for any team and we will get better, step by step and game by game.”

The 55-year-old admitted that the reigning champions entered this edition with some pressure, having lifted each of the previous two titles by winning every game; in fact, Solymani was in charge when Iran triumphed at the inaugural edition in 2015 and having returned to helm the team again in Hohhot, is dreaming of glory again.

“All of Iran is waiting for the best result from us, and they want and expect us to be champions for a third time,” she said. “Winning in 2015 was one of the best times of my life – when you get your hands on the cup, it is the best feeling and I cannot compare it to anything else.”

Solymani is wary of Hong Kong, China’s threat and urged her charges to stay focused.

“They have played many matches with East Asian teams as part of their preparations,” she said. “They are so speedy, and we have to possess the best organisation and mentality for the match in order to do well.”