There were a few raised eyebrows in the stands when Croatia and Thailand lined up for the national anthems at the Bukhara Universal Sports Complex. There was a very evident size difference between the sides in their first game of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.
That image suggested that we were about to witness a battle of strength against agility. This simplistic assessment, however, was blown out of the water by the presence of one particular member of the Asian side: Muhammad Osamanmusa.
On the same court as 1.96m Antonio Sekulic and three of the tallest seven players at this tournament, the 26-year-old pivot upset the balance. Not just with his talent, but also with his ability to withstand and overcome endless battles with the Croatians on the court, he was instrumental in his side’s vital 2-1 win in the Group B opener.
“Muhammad is not your usual kind of player,” Thailand coach Miguel Rodrigo told FIFA. “It is a blessing for us to have a player who gives us something special, something that we do not generally have in Thailand.”
The Jimbee Cartegena player scored the tournament’s first goal with less than three minutes gone. After invention from Sarawut Phalaphruek the right wing, Osamanmusa controlled the ball and buried into the bottom corner in a flash.
“I am very happy and honoured to have scored this goal, my first at the World Cup,” he said. “I have been training a lot to be ready for this tournament, and the idea is always to be the best I can be to help the team.”
Osamanmusa may also deserve some credit for Thailand’s second goal. His pressure on the Croatia defence on the edge of the box played a big part in Croatia’s Marko Kraja mishitting an attempted pass to Dario Marinovic. It fell to Ronnachai Jungwongsuk, who thrashed it home.
The cushion of that second goal was a relief for Thailand, as they had to withstand an onslaught from the Croatians to maintain their lead.
“That is the spirit of futsal, that is our sport,” said Osamanmusa. “You never know what the result is going to be. But we stayed resilient and focused, got through it and, patiently, got the win.”
Osamanmusa is a natural pivot, thriving in spite of teams increasingly setting up in so-called 4-0 formation. In that sense, coach Miguel Rodrigo considers himself fortunate to have that kind of talent at his disposal. Rodrigo also praised the performance of Suphawut Thueanklang, his second option for the same position.
“The numbers from the last World Cup showed that the percentage of teams who ended games playing in a 4-0 was minimal compared to those playing with pivots”, he said. “I like playing in a 4-0 to then bring on the pivot and find the space.”
Osamanmusa’s old-school characteristics are certainly not a mystery for the elite of the sport, as he has been developing his game in the prestigious Spanish league. After two seasons at Cordoba, in July he signed for the current Spanish champions, Jimbee Cartagena.
“I feel lucky,” he told FIFA pre-tournament. “It gives me the opportunity to learn different styles of play, techniques and tactics from talented coaches and players.”
Miguel Rodrigo could not agree more: “Muhammad’s experience in Spain has transformed the team, and now we are realising that, if we build the team around him, he can do special things out on the court.”
