Futsalroos seal AFC Futsal Championship last eight berth

Australia closed in a spot at the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup after trouncing Qatar 5-2 to progress to the AFC Futsal Championship quarter-finals for the sixth consecutive time.

Dean Lockhart in action for the Futsalroos against Qatar Source: AFC

Captain Greg Giovenali and Tobias Seeto both scored twice while Daniel Fogarty added the other for the Futsalroos in Tashkent.

Watch Match Highlights here

Australia will now go head-to-head with Japan, 11-1 winners in the day’s earlier game against Malaysia, on Monday for top spot in Group D.

In an action-packed opening to the game against the Qataris, Fogarty gave the Aussies the lead inside two minutes only for Al Braidi to level the scores some 30 seconds later.

However, Australia restored their lead immediately through Giovenali before Seeto scored to increase the margin at the break.

The teams traded goals early in the second half through Giovenali’s second and a Lucas strike before Seeto completed his brace in the dying minutes to round out an emphatic Aussie win.

“I was really pleased with our preparation heading into the match, we knew this was like a final for us and we started with great intensity which was exactly what I wanted,” Australia coach Rob Varela told the-afc.com.

“We wanted to make sure we didn’t get beaten in one-on-one situations and at times we pressed high up the court and we pinched a couple of goals on the counter-attack which also pleased me.”

The top five teams at the AFC Futsal Championship qualify for the September's FIFA Futsal World Cup in Colombia.