Thailand exit Futsal World Cup at last-16

With the fixture at Ivan de Bedout Coliseum pitting a Thai side against Azerbaijan, the opponents who sit two places above them in the 10th spot in the world’s rankings, many expected a close encounter between the two teams who both qualified for the first knock-out round as the runners-up from their groups.

While it did turn out to be a tight affair in the first meeting between the two sides, few could have envisaged a high-scoring game before the Azerbaijanis emerged victorious thanks largely to Fineo who bagged five goals.

The result meant the Thais, who earned a record tally of six points in the group stage, failed to achieve their best ever campaign in the tournament after they also suffered the last-16 exit four years ago when they hosted the event.