Argentina beat Brazil in World Futsal final

Kuala Lumpur:

Argentina beat Brazil 3-2 in the final of the Kuala Lumpur World Futsal Championship yesterday after a golden goal by Carlos Gonzales in extra time. The match was forced into extra time after the South American rivals were tied 2-2 at the end of regulation time. The victory was sweet for the Argentines, who had never beaten three-time world champion Brazil in their previous futsal meetings. Brazil took the lead in the 6th minute when Pablo De Ribeiro slammed the ball home from a set-piece with Sergio Luiz Lucas. Argentina equalised four minutes later when Diego Raul Cabral's shot from outside the semicircle sailed into the right-hand corner of the Brazilian goal. Argentina went ahead in the 17th minute on a score by Carlos Florentino, but Brazil levelled the score in the 22nd minute through Dovenir Domingues. The score remained 2-2 until the end of regulation play. But just one minute after extra-time play started, Gonzales exploited an error by Brazilian goalie Lavoisier Freire to score the winner. Argentina earned US$50,000 for the win while Brazil took home US$25,000. Iran and Uruguay, the losing semifinalists, each received US$10,000. Futsal, or indoor soccer, is played by five players per side with two 20-minute periods. Twelve teams took part in the championship, which kicked off at the Kuala Lumpur Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex on June 3. (AP)