Afghan Futsal Team Battles Back for 3-3 Draw Against Malaysia in Thailand Opener

The Afghanistan national futsal team showed grit and determination in their first match of the NSDF Thailand competition on Sunday, March 24th. Despite leading 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Reza Hossainpour and Mehran Gholami, Malaysia mounted a strong comeback in the second half. They equalized with goals in the 30th and 34th minutes. Undeterred, Afghanistan’s Gholami found the net again in the 38th minute. However, just seconds later, the Malaysian team equalized again with Muhammad Awaluddin’s controversial equalizer raising eyebrows.

Their next match comes against Australia tomorrow on Monday, 25th March.

This four-team tournament serves as crucial preparation for the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup. The competition in Thailand continues until March 28th, after which Afghanistan will play two friendly matches in Myanmar before returning to Bangkok for their final Asian Cup warm-up matches against Saudi Arabia and South Korea.