Belarus, Iran and Portugal continue their winning form in Seychelles

Group A
Belarus win 6-3 against Japan.
Belarus opened the second round of matches in Group A with an impressive 6-3 victory over Japan in Victoria. The tightly contested first period saw only one goal by Novikau to give Belarus a slender 1-0 lead going into the second period.

Japan’s Suzuki equalised four minutes into the second period, but Belarus quickly regained control. Novikau completed his brace and Hapon added another to put Belarus firmly ahead with a 4-1 lead entering the final stretch.

In the third period, Japan’s Oba pulled one back early, only to see Bokach respond immediately to restore Belarus’ three-goal cushion. Ozu gave Japan a glimmer of hope with a well-taken strike midway through the period, but Drozd’s late goal sealed a dominant 6-3 win for Belarus.

Guatemala win 4-3 against Seychelles.
In a thrilling clash of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup debutants, Guatemala narrowly defeated hosts Seychelles 4-3 in front of a capacity crowd in Victoria. Seychelles started brightly with first period goals from Labrosse, De Ketelaere, and Amade, energising the home fans. However, Guatemala’s Gonzalez produced a stunning hat-trick in the same period to level the score at 3-3 by the break.

The second period was goalless but fiercely contested, with both sides showcasing disciplined defence and end-to-end play.

Gonzalez struck again just seconds into the third period, netting his fourth goal of the match to give Guatemala the lead for the first time. Despite the spirited efforts of hosts to equalise, the Guatemalans held firm to claim their first-ever FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup win in a memorable Group A encounter.

Group B
IR Iran win 5-1 against Paraguay.
IR Iran delivered a commanding performance in their second Group B outing, defeating Paraguay 5-1. The Iranians set the tone early with two first-period goals from Movahed and Seyed Mirjalili, leaving Paraguay trailing and struggling to settle into the game.

Paraguay’s only breakthrough came late in the second period through Medina, but it was sandwiched between further Iranian goals. Nazem extended Iran’s lead during the second period, and the final period saw clinical finishes from Shir and Masoumi to seal the emphatic win.

Portugal win 8-4 against Mauritania.
Portugal displayed their class with an 8-4 victory over tournament debutants Mauritania in Group B’s second encounter of the day. Although Portugal were clear favourites against the 34th-ranked nation, Mauritania showed resilience early on. Pedro Mano’s long-range strike and Tim’s finish gave Portugal a 2-0 lead. Ahmedou pulled one goal back late for Mauritania to keep the scores at 2-1 in the first period.

The second period saw Portugal shift gears, delivering a dominant performance. Jordan, Leo Martins, Pintado, Bernardo, and a brace from Lourenço overwhelmed Mauritania’s defence, stretching the score to 8-2. Salem added a second goal for Mauritania during this period, offering a brief spark.

Mauritania fought hard in the final period, with Salem completing his brace and Cheikh Belkheir adding a late goal. However, Portugal’s commanding second period performance had already sealed the result.

Results
Group A
Japan 3-6 Belarus
Seychelles 3-4 Guatemala

Group B
Paraguay 1-5 IR Iran
Mauritania 4-8 Portugal

Fixtures – 04/05/2025
Group C
Tahiti vs Senegal
Spain vs Chile

Group D
Oman vs El Salvador
Brazil vs Italy

Photos: fifa.com