Brazil and Italy among winners at FIFA Futsal World Cup

Italy beat Paraguay 4-2 in Group C action at the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, while Brazil defeated Ukraine 3-1 in a Group D match.

In other Group D action, Vietnam pulled off a 4-2 win over Guatemala, while Australia edged Mozambique 3-2.

Brazil, the defending FIFA Futsal champion, had to fight off a tough Ukrainian team in a match that featured 120 shots.

Up next for the defending champions is Australia, which barely survived Mozambique's furious comeback at the Coliseo Bicentenario in Bucaramanga.

Italy managed to rally and beat Paraguay with three points in the second half against the South American squad's stout defense at the Coliseo el Pueblo in the southwestern city of Cali.

Minh Tri Nguyen had a hat trick for Vietnam, scoring the Southeast Asian nation's first-ever goal in a FIFA tournament.

Vietnam dominated the match almost from start to finish, preventing Guatemala from implementing its game plan.

Paraguay's next opponent will be Vietnam, while Italy will take on Guatemala.

The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 started on Saturday and runs until Oct. 1.

The cities of Medellin, Cali and Bucaramanga will host 24 matches during the tournament.

Medellin, the capital of Antioquia province, is the seat of Group B, which includes Russia, Egypt, Thailand and Cuba, and Group F, consisting of Spain, Iran, Morocco and Azerbaijan.

In addition, the city will host the matchups between Portugal and Uzbekistan in Group A and Kazakhstan's contest with the Solomon Islands in Group E.

Source: EFE