Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Oman will take on continental heavyweights Japan in the final of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship after the duo emerged victorious from the respective semi-finals, with Oman edging Lebanon 5-4 in overtime and the Japanese getting the better of defending champions Iran with an equally tight 5-4 victory.
Oman and Japan will represent Asia at the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Portugal with the continent’s third and final ticket to July’s global showcase going to whoever wins Saturday’s third-place playoff between Iran and Lebanon, who met earlier in the tournament with the Iranians edging the Group D opener 3-2 .
Oman became the first Asian side to book their ticket to the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup but the free-scoring side from the Gulf Sultanate was made to work hard for their place in Saturday’s final, with Yahya Mabyoua Al Araimi.
Neither side could break the deadlock in a tense opening period before Al Araimi put Oman 1-0 in the 16th minute to keep up his record of scoring in each of Oman’s matches at the tournament before Khalid Al Oraimi regained the lead two minute later after Haitham Fattal had pulled one back the Lebanese.
Lebanon skipper Ahmed Grada made it 2-2 in the 27th minute and two minutes after Mandhar Hilal Hamed Al Araimi had put Oman’s noses in front in the 32nd minute there followed a frenetic period of three goals in the space of a minute,
Grada grabbed his second while team-mate Mohamad Merhi scored at both ends of the pitch to send the semi-final into overtime which was settled when Yahya Al Araimi scored his seventh of the campaign.
Oman were joined in the final by Japan after the East Asians edged Iran in a thrilling semi-final that reunited the two protagonists from the 2013 final, which was also a thrilling contest at the Katara Beach in the Qatar capital that ended with a penalty shootout win for Iran after the two times were locked at 6-6 at the end of overtime.
Japan had to overcome an early setback to reach their seventh consecutive continental final after Hassan Abdollahi (8th) and Mohammad Ahmedzadeh (12th) put the defending champions 2-0 up going into the second period.
But Japan turned the tie on its head in the second stanza thanks three goals in a blistering three minute spell from Oda Hirofumi (15th), Shusei Yamauchi (16th) and Takasuke Goto (17th), who went onto extend Japan’s lead in the 20th minute with his second of the night and eighth of the campaign, which saw him join Vietnam’s Bui Tran Tuan Anh as the tournament’s leading scorer.
Abdollahi struck his second of the night just seconds after Goto grabbed his second to make it 4-3 to Japan which became 5-3 thanks to a 32nd minute strike from Japan skipper Ozu Moreira and while Mostafa Kiani set up a tense climax to the thrilling semi-final with Iran’s fourth in the 35th minute Japan were able to hold out for the remaining 60 seconds to send them into Saturday’s showdown with Oman.
Meanwhile, China will take on the UAE on before Saturday’s in the fifth-place playoff following victories over Uzbekistan (4-3) and Bahrain (2-1) respectively.
Photo: beachsoccer.com