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Tahiti and Brazil were victories against their respective final-four opponents Iran and Italy.
Tahiti and Brazil will contest Sunday’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final after winning their respective semi-finals.
Tahiti reach final after marathon shoot-out
Tahiti advanced to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 final after winning 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
The match got off to a very tentative start with both teams weighing each other’s tactics up. Peyman Hosseini saved Li Raimana Li Fung Kuee’s penalty in the first minute.
Tearii Labaste hit the crossbar with a free-kick from distance, but other than that, not many chances were created. The opening goal finally came midway through the second period when Ali Nazem jabbed home a shot from close range after a failed clearance by Heiarii Tavanae.
Tahiti eventually showed their experience and patience when Patrick Tepa scored with four and a half minutes left in the match.
Captain Naea Bennett found Tepa with a calm cross and the midfielder timed his run before putting the chance away with confidence to send the match to extra time.
Neither side could find the decisive winner in the additional period, so the game went to penalties. It took 12 attempts to decide the winner in the shoot-out, but eventually it was Raimoana Bennett who was the day’s hero.
His goal sent the Tahitians to their second consecutive final.
Brazil return to final after six-year wait
Brazil reached their first final since 2011 after an 8-4 victory over Italy in the semi-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.
Mauricinho scored a hat-trick as the Brazilians also crucially kept tournament top scorer Gabriele Gori largely quiet all game.
Gori did score the tournament’s 250th goal and his tournament-leading 15th strike from the penalty spot, but his lone effort was the lowest single-match haul for the Italian at the tournament.
Brazil goalkeeper Mao, who was making his tournament-record 45th appearance, scored a goal of his own to wrap up a dominant second period which saw the Brazilians score five unanswered strikes.
However, the Italians made things interesting in the third period when Gori and captain Francesco Corosiniti both scored to pull within three goals of A Seleçaõ.
Bokinha then scored Brazil’s eighth to ultimately put the match out of reach for the Italians and to send Brazil to the final against Tahiti. Italy will meet Iran in the play-off for third place.
Saturday results
15:00 – Iran (2) 1-1 (3) Tahiti
16:30 – Italy 4-8 Brazil
Sunday fixtures
15:00 – Iran v Italy (Third-place play-off)
16:30 – Tahiti v Brazil (Final)
