Havana.- CUBA He reached a point in his debut against Canada in the Concacaf Futsal Championship in Managua 2024, in Nicaragua.
The five-goal tie did not represent the best result, but taking into account that they had a considerable advantage on the scoreboard, it can be assessed as positive.
Given that in the other match Nicaragua lost to Panama, which showed clear superiority, those from the Greater Antilles can still finish second and even first in key B.
The match began with the Cuban team imposing its rhythm and showing scoring ability, scoring three goals from Iduán Martínez, Jonathan Hernández and Bárbaro Álvarez.
However, defensive errors allowed the Maple Leafs to discount the score, and they managed to go into half-time with the score at 3-2.
At the beginning of the complementary match the northerners tied, but again the Caribbeans put the distance with goals from Jorge Luis González and another from Iduán Martínez.
The team led by Osmel Valdivia was able to score the sixth, but defensive failures again appeared against a team that tried with individual quality and put a draw on the board.
Individually, center Jonathan Hernández stood out, who in addition to weighing in on the scoreboard with an excellent goal, hitting the ball over the goalkeeper, assisted others to help collectively.
Diego Ramírez and Iduán Martínez also stood out, as did Harold Aguilera and goalkeeper Kevin Rueda, who could do little in the opposition’s goals.
This Sunday they will face Nicaragua, a priori the strongest team in the section, against which they will try to add to bring their positions closer to the quarterfinal match that will determine qualification for the Fifa Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan 2024.
To do this, they must concentrate efforts on taking advantage of every opportunity against a complex opponent and organize themselves defensively to minimize errors.
The Cubans’ chances are to add as many points as possible to be among the first two in their group, or failing that, to compete for one of the best third places that also grants the possibility of advancing.
For the latter, it is comforting that in the other two groups there were no ties, so two teams in each case did not add up, which indicates an advantage considering the place among the eight best in the tournament.
