TEHRAN - Iranian futsal expert, Mahmoud Khorakchi, believes that Vahid Shamsaei has done a great job in Iran's national team by bringing a new generation to the team.

“Shamsaei's work has been commendable,” said Khorakchi in his interview with Tehran Times.

Iran lost to Japan 3-2 in the final match of the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian cup in Kuwait on Saturday. Shamsaei's side earned emphatic wins in their run to the final game. However, against Japan, they were far from their best as the opponents came from one goal down to win 3-2 in Kuwait City's Saad Al Abdullah Hall.

“We took part in the campaign with a young squad, and Shamsaei took a risk by gathering these young players just ahead of the Asian Cup. He didn't know what would happen in the tournament but was determined to bring a new generation to the Iranian futsal and did it in the best way possible,” added Khorakchi, the Iranian professional futsal coach and former footballer.

When asked about the defeat of Japan, Khorakchi said: “Iran were unlucky, and the opponents’ goalkeeper was on his best day. Japan had two opportunities and scored three goals! It was just due to some individual mistakes by our players,” he added.

“To become the runners up in the AFC Asian Cup with these young players, 10 of whom were playing for the first time in the international competitions, is a great result and will not be a dark spot in Shamsai's career,” he said.

Referring to Iran's high-scoring wins in Kuwait, Khorakchi said: “It's not fair to say that Iran's opponents were weak and the wins with many goals were unimportant. Instead, in my opinion, it was due to the strength of the Iran national team. If we were not unlucky in the final game, we could have won another big win.”