KUALA LUMPUR (3rd Feb 2008) Finally there was some consolation for Iran in the KL World 5’s when they won the Plate championship at the Stadium Negara today.

The Iranian team celebrates after winning the Plate final.

Victory over Holland came in the dying moments of the match with a last-gasp goal, earning the Iranians a well-deserved 2-1 win and a winner’s cheque of US$15,000.

It was Majid Latifi, who was the toast of the Iran team when he slotted home the winner with 26 seconds remaining on the clock to break the hearts of the Dutch

Otherwise, it was touch and go with both sides refusing to give an inch. And the fact that the first period remained scoreless was a true reflection of how tight it was on the court.

It wasn’t until the 30th min when Majid’s corner kick deflected past the arms of Dutch goalkeeper Peter Rozenbeek to give Iran the lead.

FA of MALAYSIA Vice-President Affendi Hamah (holding the mock cheque) - Harvey Davis, Senior Director Event Management ESPN - Iran captain Vahid Shamsaee at the prize giving ceremony.

But Holland, ranked No 12 in the world, fought back and when the Iranians were penalized with the sending off of their goalkeeper Asghar Ghahremani in the 34th min for handling the ball outside the D, Antoine Merlinho stepped forward to hit the free kick home.

Extra time loomed large until Majid came up with the winner, which left the Dutch camp stunned and the Iranians leaping with joy.

“This is a victory well earned and believe me, it was futsal at its best. Both teams displayed such high quality. Our only regret was not being in the final to play Brazil because we thought we were good enough to do so,” said team manager Abas Torabian.

Iran Mohamad Keshavari (No.4 in red) - Mohamad Hashemzadeh (No.5) - Holland Dick Hulshorst (No.5) - Samir Makhoukhi (No.6)

“But we have enjoyed the tournament very much despite the ups and downs and for us. There is the Asian Championship in Bangkok this May where we need to defend our title.”

FIXTURES and RESULTS (3rd Feb, 2008)

Bowl Final: England vs China	(3-5)
Plate Final: Holland vs Iran	(1-2)
Final: Argentina vs Brazil (7.00pm)

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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