Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Nassau: Japan, the competition's ninth most successful nation of all time, put on one of the most impressive performances so far in the Bahamas with a 9-4 win over European champions Poland in Group D.
Takasuke Goto, who was the Asian Beach Soccer Championship's second-highest scorer with 11 goals, got Japan's Bahamas 2017 campaign off to a thrilling start with two early overhead kick goals in what would prove to be a sign of things to come..
Japan never took their foot off the pedal, as they then stormed to a 7-2 lead after the first two periods.
With the 9-4 win, the result matches Japan's previous greatest margin of victory - 7-2 versus El Salvador in 2009 - in their Beach Soccer World Cup history.
Japan: GOTO 3'09", 4'08", 17'40", 21'10", 26'22", OBA 15'15" pen, IINO, 21'46", YAMAUCHI 22'36", 29'13"
Poland: JESIONOWSKI 17'35", SAGANOWSKI 18'09", 25'32", ZIOBER 35'15"
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Sources: FIFA/Getty Images