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Mes Sungun Representing Iran in AFC Futsal Club Championships

Iranian clubs have a habit of making it to the semifinals since the first edition of the championships in 2010 and produced three champions
Mes Sungun’s training session
Mes Sungun’s training session

Mes Sungun futsal club represents Iran in the AFC Futsal Club Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, August 1-12.

Boasting a star-filled lineup which includes three-time AFC Player of the Year Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh and two-time top goalscorer at AFC Futsal Championship Hossein Tayyebi, Mes Sungun is drawn in Group D with Lebanon’s Bank of Beirut, Uzbekistan’s AGMK and Sipar Khujand of Tajikistan, AFC wrote.

“We are happy to be here and our preparations have gone well,” said Iran head coach Hamid Bigham-Tabrizi.

Mes Sungun will first play Sipar on Thursday and Tabrizi is confident about winning against the Tajiks.

“Our team has done a good job tactically and technically and we look forward to playing our first match against FC Sipar,” said Tabrizi. “It is not going to be easy but I believe we can produce the desired result.”

Iranian clubs have a habit of making it to the semifinals since the first edition of the championships in 2010 and produced three champions. But Tabrizi was coy when asked about his team’s chances of winning the tournament.

“This is a tough group to be in and I respect all the teams. Yes, on paper we are strong with many good players in our squad, but we will take it slow and hope for the best,” he said.

Sipar is the tournament debutant but head coach Benyamin Eqbali is confident his side can pull off an upset against Mes Sungun.

“We had a good build-up and we are looking forward to playing the Iranian team,” said Eqbali. “Mes Sungun has top players and it’s easy to be intimidated but our goal is to win the first match.”

 Lebanese and Uzbek Rivals

Also in Group D, Bank of Beirut, the 2015 and 2017 quarterfinalist, will be making its fourth appearance in the competition and head coach Dejan Dedovic says his team is primed to face AGMK of Uzbekistan.

“I’m looking forward to the match against AGMK tomorrow, they are tough opponents and we can’t take them lightly,” Dedovic commented on his rival team. “History is on our side as no Lebanese team has lost a match against an Uzbek side, so we are aiming to continue the trend.”

AGMK will be making its debut and head coach Petrov Denis said his team will take a patient approach into the match against Bank of Beirut.

“We had a good training camp and have been preparing for the tournament since claiming the Uzbekistan league title. I’m familiar with the competition’s expectations as I coached Uzbekistan teams before. I hope we are ready for the Lebanese.”

Mes Sungun will face AGMK and Bank of Beirut on August 4 and 6 respectively.

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