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Tahiti, Brazil and Portugal completed the quarter-final line-up with victories on Tuesday.
Day six of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017 on Sunday saw victories for Tahiti, Paraguay, Brazil and Portugal.
Tahiti outlast Poland
Tahiti beat Poland 8-4 to finish their Group D campaign in second place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.
The Tahitians jumped in front early and were 4-0 up after the first interval, with Angelo Tchen’s rocket into the top corner the pick of the bunch.
Tiki Toa captain Naea Bennett then scored a brace in the second period to give the 2015 runners-up an even bigger cushion.
However, Poland then mounted a respectable fightback. Tomasz Lenart scored his first Beach Soccer World Cup goal late in the second period and Konrad Kubiak netted a penalty in the third to give the European champions some hope. A Tahiti own goal and a Jakob Jesionowski strike brought the game to 6-4.
However, a late free-kick from Heiarii Tavanae and a goal from Raimana Li Fung Kuee meant the Pacific islanders were too strong on the day and finished group stage play on six points.
Paraguay beat Panama, make history
Paraguay eased past Panama 5-2 in Group C to advance to the Beach Soccer World Cup quarter-finals for the first time ever.
The South Americans got off to a quick start with a pair of well-placed headers before Panama could find their rhythm. Carlos Carballo continued his good form with a magnificent team goal to score his fourth of the competition.
Pedro Moran, the top scorer at the last Beach Soccer World Cup, rounded out the goals for Gustavo Zloccowick’s side with a composed finish. Paraguay are the first South American team to qualify for the knockout stages at Bahamas 2017 and will face Tahiti in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Rodrigo scores five as Brazil top Group D
Brazil made it three wins from three to finish top of Group D at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup after a convincing 9-3 victory over Japan.
Having never lost a group match at a Beach Soccer World Cup, the South American champions maintained that record with another impressive scoring display that brought Japan’s campaign at Bahamas 2017 to an end.
It was Rodrigo that led Brazil to Tuesday’s win with five goals, while his team-mate Mauricinho contributed with a brace, as Japan were unable to match Brazil’s attacking prowess.
With the result, Brazil cruise into Thursday’s quarter-finals with a 100 per cent record and looking well placed to win the title for a fifth time.
Holders Portugal narrowly outlast unlucky UAE
Reigning champions Portugal are still alive at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 but it took a nail-biting 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates to keep their title defence alive.
The European heavyweights were pushed to the limit by a disciplined and experienced UAE side chasing maiden qualification to the knockout stage.
A lone strike from Belchior just past the halfway point looked set to be the difference, only for UAE’s Ali Karim to sensationally equalise in the final minute.
However, Portugal scored what proved to be the match-winner almost immediately after the restart through Bruno Novo.
The result eliminated the unlucky UAE and lifted Portugal into second in Group C setting up a potentially epic quarter-final match-up against old rivals Brazil on Thursday.
Tuesday results
15:30 – Tahiti 8-4 Poland
17:00 – Paraguay 5-2 Panama
18:30 – Brazil 9-3 Japan
20:00 – UAE 1-2 Portugal (AET)
Thursday fixtures (quarter-finals)
15:30 – Paraguay v Tahiti
17:00 – Brazil v Portugal
18:30 – Switzerland v Iran
20:00 – Senegal v Italy
