KUALA LUMPUR (1st Feb 2008) Argentina got their wish of avoiding powerhouse Brazil in the semi-finals of the KL World 5s when they fought tooth and nail for a 3-3 draw against Australia here at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

Australia Greg Giovenali (No.4 in yellow)- Argentina Ignacio Caviglia (No.3 in white/lightblue) - Maximiliano Rescia (No.6)

But defending champions Argentina were made to toil hard for the draw, and the one point which saw them finishing at the top of Group A with 10 points – the same with Australia but on better goal difference. 

"We wanted to play Brazil in the final – not the semi-finals," said Jose Fernando, the head coach of Argentina.

"But the game against Australia was very physical and since the referee allowed them to do it, they were aggressive throughout the match."

There was no denying that Australia proved they are the most improved side in the region in the manner of how they defended Argentina high up the pitch, before scoring the first goal as early as the third minute off a solo effort from Michael Skubala.

Argentina Jose Luis Godoy (No.9 - Australia Greg Giovenali (No.4 in yellow)/ Fernando de Moraes (No.8)/ Keith Robert Simon (No.5)

The Argentineans were hard-pressed after that and launched repeated attacks and finally saw the opening for the equaliser when Ignacio Cavilia blasted in the equaliser in the 12th minute.

But Australia trooped into the dressing room in an upbeat mood when Adrian Vizzari converted a penalty three minutes later for a 2-1 lead by the half-time break.

Argentina started stronger in the second half with a clever one-two between Alamiro Vaporaki and Pablo Basile for the latter to score, levelling the score at 2-2.

It was an even fight after that with both teams pushing hard for the winner and while Australia did finally score their third goal of the evening when Fernando de Moraes slammed home, there was no denying Argentina the one point when keeper Daniel Elias nailed the equaliser with less than a minute remaining on the clock.

Argentina Cristian Borruto (No.9) - Australia Greg Giovenali (No.4 in yellow)

"We played against one of the best teams in the world and held them to a 3-3 draw, so we should be proud of that," said Australia head coach Scott Gilligan after the game.

"Australians are known to be physical and if some people say that we are too aggressive, that is just the way we are. And tomorrow against Brazil, we will play exactly the same way."

FIXTURES and RESULTS (1st Feb, 2008)

10am: Iran vs China	(6-1)
3pm: Malaysia vs England	(6-2)
5pm: Australia vs Argentina	(3-0)
7pm: Brazil vs Holland
9pm: Thailand vs Iran

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CURRENT STANDINGS

Group A
	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
ARGENTINA	4	3	1	0	28	5	10
AUSTRALIA	4	3	1	0	21	5	10
MALAYSIA	4	2	0	2	10	18	6
INDONESIA	4	1	0	3	10	16	3
ENGLAND	4	0	0	4	6	31	0

Group B
	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
BRAZIL	4	4	0	0	14	0	12
IRAN	3	2	0	1	9	6	6
THAILAND	3	1	1	1	8	8	3
HOLLAND	4	1	1	2	7	9	4
CHINA	4	0	0	4	3	18	0

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About the KL World 5's

The KL World 5's takes place between 29th January and 3rd February 2008 at Stadium Negara, Malaysia's first indoor stadium and a national heritage building. The event will be telecasted to over 310 million viewers across Asia on STAR Sports with over 100 hours of coverage, comprising 30 telecast hours, including 20 hours of live programming - translating into extensive media exposure for Malaysia.

The KL World 5's will have a total purse of US$150,000, and feature 10 teams in this prestigious tournament. The event is expected to draw futsal fans from Malaysia and the region with the pedigree of the international teams such as Brazil, Argentina, Holland and England will join the likes of Asian champion Iran, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and hosts Malaysia in action.

ESPN STAR Sports and the Ministry of Youth and Sports have a rich tradition of partnerships stemming from a multi-year strategic alliance signed in October 2005 to raise participation and interest in sport in Malaysia.

For more information, please visit www.klworld5s.com

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About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world's leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia's definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay and free-to-air services.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN Asia, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN Singapore, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports Singapore, STAR Sports Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.  

On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia. ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and mobile. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv interact with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions. Developed for the sports fan that is constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis. STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the latest online game reviews.

For more information, please contact:

Abdul Rahman (Twenty Four Seven Sdn Bhd)
Tel: 012-6637454
abdulrahman@media247.com.my

Elgen Kua (ESPN STAR Sports)
DID: +65 6216 6034
kuae@espnstar.com