Three Lions stun Cyprus with first-half Futsal show

The Three Lions made a real statement of intent for the rest of the competition with a crushing 5-0 victory over the Cypriots and a breath-taking performance in their opening match.

Cyprus and England have faced each other on a regular basis in recent years, with both teams usually evenly matched and the expectation was for another close contest between the two countries.  

But England had different ideas this time, taking the game to Cyprus from the outset, looking in excellent condition and sharper, faster and more precise in their play.

Doug Reed opened the scoring for England with a powerful long distance free-kick after two minutes to send the home crowd into wild raptures and this provided an excellent vocal back-drop for the remainder of the game.

England’s confidence grew and the passion and hunger in the players was evident, so a second goal was inevitable. Ian Parkes spun with his back to goal at a tight angle and smashed the ball on the half-volley into the nearside top corner. 

Cyprus were shell-shocked, as they just could not live with the intensity of England’s play. And the Lions were not finished, with Parkes coming back to grab his second after seizing on a loose pass and slotting past the advancing ‘keeper in clinical fashion. 

Stuart Cook strikes home England's fifth goal

Agon Rexha added a fourth goal two minutes before the end of the first half, after breaking free and sliding the ball effortlessly into the back of the net to round off one of the most complete halves of Futsal the England team had ever played. The crowd were buzzing and the England players looked unplayable.

But Cyprus emerged in the second half having re-gathered themselves during the interval with a much tighter defensive formation. England continued to probe and attack with Stuart Cook, Rexha, Sam Murphy and Parkes all coming close to adding a fifth.  

And after 35 minutes, Cook danced his way through the Cypriot defence to drive hard and low into the bottom corner to make it 5-0 and round off a perfect performance.  

The England players take on Qatar in their second match of the tournament on Friday evening before facing the USA on Sunday afternoon.  

In Thursday’s other match, USA beat Qatar convincingly 5-1. England will hope to continue their good form into the match against Qatar and getting a positive result before setting-up a potentially tournament winning clash against the USA.