Futsal is basically soccer except it is played in a venue more similar to a basketball court than a soccer field. Each team has four players plus a keeper in play and they can sub players in and out at anytime. They also use a smaller, heavier ball which keeps the ball on the ground for most of the game. There are two-20 minute periods and time is stopped whenever the ball is out of play.
We went to the first elimination game of the tournament: Colombia vs. Paraguay. The game was extremely fast-paced. I was told that futsal tends to be higher scoring than regular soccer games but that certainly wasn't true last night. Colombia spent the first 20 minute half on the defensive but managed to keep the score 0-0 at halftime. The second half was just...plain...ridiculous. Each team had an incredible amount of chances but couldn't capitalize on any of them! The game went into overtime, was decided by penalty kicks, and Paraguay ended up winning by one goal. It was a fun way to spend a Tuesday night!
