Tabriz: The AFC U-20 Futsal Championship provides a platform for the budding stars of tomorrow to shine and also gain experience by playing against the best teams in Asia, says Chinese Taipei captain Chen Ching-Hsuan.
The East Asians campaign ended on Saturday after they fell to a 6-3 defeat to Indonesia, having lost their Group D opener to Iraq 5-2 on Friday but Chen said the experience would help his team develop their budding futsal careers.
“There was definitely pressure on myself, as the captain, especially when I don’t have international experience,” Chen admitted. “We wanted to win, and maybe that itself was also added pressure.
“There was always a chance we could win, even if it was a slight chance, but we made some minor errors and mistakes, which were probably the main reasons for our losses.”
Despite the early exit, Chen said he is a different player from just two days ago, having learned firsthand from his group rivals.
“We need to be fearless in the game. The difference that I see from these two matches is that our opponents have the drive to win and were really aggressive,” Chen said.
“We need to change our mindset, and show what we can do on the pitch.”
Chen, who turns 20 next month, said he aims to continue his journey with the senior team.
“One of my goals is to hopefully to play with the senior national team.
“I will take this good experience back to Chinese Taipei and improve from there.”
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com