Aussie comeback sinks Mexico

Australia have revived their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of Thailand 2012 with a battling 3-1 win over Mexico at Bangkok’s Nimibutr Stadium. These sides were both under pressure to pick up points after losing their Group D openers, and it was the Futsalroos who rose to the occasion to claim a well-deserved victory. They had to come from behind to do so, after Victor Quiroz gave Mexico a seventh-minute, drilling low into the net follow a short free-kick. However, the match turned in the space of 18 seconds midway through the second half, during which the Aussies turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Tobia Seeto struck first on 27 minutes, firing home from an acute angle, and when a shot from the same player rebounded back off the bar moments later, Aaron Cimitile was on hand to gobble up the rebound. The Futsalroos now had the bit between their teeth and secured a memorable win when captain Greg Giovaneli scored with a rocket of a shot from outside the box with four minutes remaining. That goal guaranteed Australia a win that takes them level with Argentina and Italy, who play in the section’s later match. The quotes “I was worried by the number of chances we were missing, but when you have as much ball posession as we did today, as many shots as we did, you know you'll score eventually. This is a young team, and we have won a Futsal World Cup match for the first time since 1992. That's something," Steven Knight, Australia coach. “I am convinced we should have the confidence and personality to believe we can play this game, and those are things you cannot blame our lack of experience for. Nevertheless, we are new here at this tournament and we knew that this kind of outcome could happen," Ramon Raya, Mexico coach. From FIFA