Report: England Deaf Men 4-1 Australia

England Deaf Men got their World Deaf Football Championship campaign off to an impressive start with a resounding 4-1 win over Australia.

The Para Lions dominated their opening match in Kuala Lumpur from the first minute to the last but found themselves going behind to Australia’s first real chance of the match on 37 minutes.

But England were more clinical in the second half as they grabbed the goals their performance deserved, with Joe Dixon bagging a brace plus Abdou Jobe and Jamie Clarke also finding the net.

Sam Manoochehri’s side were passing the ball around well from the off and had a number of good chances early on.

Jobe had a goal-bound shot blocked on the line following good work from Matt McQueeney and Phil Swift forcing the impressive Max Shanahan into a fine stop with a long-range strike.

Oliver Manoochehri went close twice in quick succession, as he headed Swift’s lovely diagonal ball goalwards and also curled a free-kick on target. But on both occasions, Shanahan saved well.

The Australia goalkeeper was keeping his side in the contest and saved from Manoochehri again from close range after he was put through on goal by captain Clarke.

And Australia were to go ahead on 37 minutes through some more outstanding play, this time by Julian Rodriquez, who controlled the ball on the edge of the box and arrowed a strike powerfully into the top corner from outside the penalty area.

There was still time for Shanahan to make another save, this time to deny Clarke, before the interval as England headed into the break 1-0 down.

But within 60 seconds of the restart, the Para Lions had equalised when another low pass from Clarke was bundled in from close range by Dixon.

Head coach Sam Manoochehri decided to make a change ten minutes later as Cavell Donaldson replaced Oliver Manoochehri, meaning Jobe was moved into a more central position.

And the tactical switch paid off immediately as Jobe closed down the defender to win possession before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball home.

The Para Lions increased their advantage to 3-1 eight minutes later when, following another Swift low drive was saved, the dangerous McQueeney showed great skill on the right before delivering a cross which was headed in by Dixon for his second goal of the match.

There was almost a fourth when another substitute by Sam Manoochehri almost paid off immediately, as replacement Kehmati Anderson laid the ball across to Donaldson, but he fired over the bar from close range.

The fourth did arrive in the final ten minutes though as a slick counter-attack saw Rylan Casey backheel to Anderson and he showed slick feet before pass to captain Clarke, who rifled the ball in from just inside the penalty area.

The dangerous Roriquez did force England’s Alex Smith into a routine stop late on but the game was to finish 4-1 to the Para Lions.

Next up for England Deaf Men is a game with Nigeria on Monday, with kick-off at 9.30am BST and the game again set to be streamed on YouTube via the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association.

England: 1 Alex Smith, 2 Harry Boorman, 3 Dylan Cross, 4 Phil Swift, 5 Matt Oaten, 7 Abdou Jobe, 8 Ellis McLean, 9 Jamie Clarke ©, 10 Oliver Manoochehri, 11 Matt McQueeney, 12 Joe Dixon

Substitutes: 14 Cavell Donaldson for Manoochehri 56, 20 Kehmati Anderson for Jobe 74, 6 Rylan Casey for McQueeney 74, 15 Gino King for Swift 78

Substitutes not used: 13 Sam Edwards, 16 Drew Rowley, 17 Henry Bowe, 18 Cole Neil, 19 Will Palmer

Head coach: Sam Manoochehri

Goals: Joe Dixon 46, 65, Abdou Jobe 57, Jamie Clarke 81