Despite foreseeing difficulties, the Portuguese coach, who in April qualified Angola for an unprecedented final of the African futsal championship, in which the Angolans were defeated finalists, did not hide his desire to win games to bring joy to the Angolans.
“We know that this is one of the best races in the world and that there are no easy groups. Argentina is a very strong team, with attributes, tradition, and is a losing finalist in the last World Cup. Ukraine is a team that has many structural problems, due to the war with Russia, but we know that it is a team with a colder, more meticulous style of play. Afghanistan is a surprise, but we will also study the team", said the coach.
Marcos Antunes said that good preparation by the team will be essential for the players to live up to expectations.
“It is important that we are well prepared, just like what we did at CAN, to give a response that is at the level of what we did at CAN, with more gradual objectives, setting goals and evaluating what we can do”, he stated.
The national coach also said he hopes for the government's support for the team in the competition, which will take place in the capital Tashkent, Bukhara and Andijan, from September 14th to October 6th this year.
- Groups for the 2024 futsal World Cup, in Uzbekistan:
Group A: Uzbekistan, Netherlands, Paraguay and Costa Rica;
Group B: Brazil, Cuba, Croatia and Thailand;
Group C: Argentina, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Angola;
Group D: Spain, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Libya;
Group E: Portugal, Panama, Tajikistan and Morocco;
Group F: Iran, Venezuela, Guatemala and France.
