Vietnam can think of a berth at the Futsal World Cup in the not-too-distant future, Vietnam’s futsal team coach Sergio Gargelli said.

Vietnam’s Futsal team coach Sergio Gargelli (R) talks with Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation Chairman Tran Anh Tu. Photo Hoang Anh

The Italian tactician made the statement after the Vietnamese indoor footballers beat Uzbekistan 6-5, Kuwait 4-2 and lost 9-0 to Italy to finish second at the International Futsal Exhibition Tournament that ended in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.

“We still lost to strong teams like Italy. But the Vietnamese players’ performances showed that they can cause a lot of trouble for big rivals if they apply the strategies well and play with high spirits. The win over Uzbekistan and Kuwait were good examples.”

Gargelli said the just-concluded International Futsal Exhibition Tournament was just a friendly event and it is hard to assess all the strengths and weaknesses of the Vietnamese players, but they deserve special praise because Uzbekistan is one of the strongest teams in Asia and Kuwait has qualified for the 2012 Futsal World Cup in Thailand from November 1-18.