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Bronze medal will fly to Vietnam or UAE after the thrilling semifinals today at the Asian Beach Games Phuket 2014
Japan storm past Vietnam to fight for gold for first time
Japan will play their first ever Asian Beach Games final, after running past Vietnam in the first semifinals of these 2014 Games taking place in Phuket. Despite being one of the giants in the continent, being crowned Asian Beach Soccer kings on several occasions, the Nippon had never managed to get thus far in an Olympic meeting. Today, they broke this barrier, inflicting Vietnam a considerable punishment, cutting the wings of a team that has amazed the beach soccer world with their outcome in this event.
The Tuyen managed to cope with the Japanese pace for two periods, replying with the equalizer every time the samurai stepped ahead on the score. But the biggest experience of the Japanese was clearly noticed during the third period, when they geared up and finished the game with a blasting 0-4 run. Now, in the battle for gold, Japan will face again one of their biggest rivals in the continent, Iran, willing to avenge the defeat in the last FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Asian Qualifier, where the Persian snatched the Nippon the crown. Vietnam, in turn, will try to make the most of their chance to seize the bronze medal, which would be a very laudable way to finish the excellent tournament they are leading.
Goals: 0-1: Ozu, min. 5 (1); 1-1: Tran, min. 0 (1); 1-2: Akaguma, min. 4 (2); 2-2: Bui, min. 0 (2); 2-3: Toma, min. 0 (2); ; 2-4: Oba, min. 9 (3); 2-5; Ozu, min. 9 (3); 2-6: Goto, min. 5 (3); 2-7: Goto, min. 2 (3);
Iran earns right to defend gold from the 9 meters
Iran will be in their second consecutive Asian Beach Games final, fighting to defend their gold medal, after proving better aimed than their opponents UAE from the penalty kick spot. The Princes of Persia, then, will have their third consecutive medal hanging from their necks, after clinching bronze in 2010, and gold in 2012. The Emirati, in turn, will need to fight the spirited Vietnamese side if they want to bag the last medal at stake.
The fight between these two Asian superpowers became a thrilling and entertaining spectacle. Iran seemed to step into the game more focus and efficient than their opponents, and Ahmadzadeh and Naderi had the score 2-0 up for the defending champions. The UAE fought back in the second period, and the stroke exchange led to the final 4-4, which sent the game onto extra time. After an additional leg with no goals, the two teams faced the sudden death of penalties, where the Iranians showed their accuracy to seal their ticket to the final.
Goals: 1-0: Ahmadzadeh, min. 10 (1); 2-0: Naderi, min. 2 (1); 2-1: Walid, min. 11 (2); 3-1: Naderi, min. 2 (2); 3-2: Humaid, min. 0 (2); 4-2: Boulokbashi, min. 0 (2); 4-3: Walid, min. 8 (3); 4-4: Ali Karim, min. 4 (3)
Penalty kick shootout: Naderi, in; Haji, in; Ahmadzadeh, in; Alhammadi, out; Boulokbashi, in
Penalty kicks send Oman to fight for 5th
The penalty kick shootout compensated Oman’s big upset yesterday, and had Hilal’s men beating China and earning the right to fight for the fifth place in this Asian Beach Games Phuket 2014. The Chinese, in turn, sadly farewell this possibility after having brought on an amazing comeback, with three goals in the final two minutes that had the game tied at 4.
After being comfortably in the lead for most of the game, Oman saw things tremble due to a terrific reaction by China. Being 4-1 up with just two minutes remaining, it was very difficult to foresee such a comeback, but the mighty Chinese side accomplished it, even including some awesome goals. Sadly for Ongaro’s lads, the inspiration seemed over during the penalty kick shootout, and Oman stayed perfect to secure their access to the match for the fifth place.
Goals: 1-0: Jalal, min. 4 (2); 2-0: Jalal, min. 3 (2); 3-0: Jalal, min. 1 (2); 3-1: Cai, min. 11 (3); 4-1: Al Sauti, min. 8 (3); 4-2: Chen, min. 1 (3); 4-3: Liu, min. 0 (3); 4-4: Liu, min. 36 (3)
Penalty kick shootout: Han, in; Al Araimi, in; Liu, in; Yaqoub, in; Qiu, in; Yahya, in.
Uzbekistan upset hosts and earn berth in match for 5th place
Uzbekistan will fight for their best qualification ever in an international beach soccer event, following their win over hosts Thailand in the Asian Beach Games Phuket 2014. It was impossible to know what team was the one securing their berth in the match for the 5th place, as the action was tightly balance at all times. After the strike exchange of the first two periods, the final 0-3 run for the Uzbeks made the difference in the fixture. The Elephants found themselves unable to counteract the Uzbek momentum, and the final whistle sent the White Wolves to the match for the 5th place, where they will be given the chance to keep making history.
Goals: 1-0: Komkrit, min. 9 (1); 1-1: Abdurazzakov, min. 8 (1); 1-2: Fahriddinov, min. 8 (1); 2-2: Tapinna, min. 8 (1); 3-2: Tapinna, min. 7 (2); 3-3: Sharipov, min. 4 (2); 3-4: Sharipov, min. 0 (2); 3-5: Sharapov, min. 3 (3)
ASIAN BEACH GAMES PHUKET 2014
Results today:
Thursday, 20th of November
11:00 – Oman 4(3)-4(2) China – Play-off for 5th place
12:15 – Thailand 3-5 Uzbekistan – Play-off for 5th place
13:30 – Vietnam 2-7 Japan – Semifinal 1
14:45 – Iran 4(3)-4(1) UAE – Semifinal 2
Matches for tomorrow
Friday, 21st of November
11:00 – China vs Thailand – Match for the 7th place
12:15 – Oman vs Uzbekistan – Match for 5th place
13:30 – Vietnam vs UAE – Match for the 3rd place
14:45 – Japan vs Iran – FINAL
