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MY BEACH SOCCER 
Marcelo Mendes’ side picked up home victories against Tahiti at the weekend.
Japan warmed up for the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam with two confidence-boosting wins over FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup runners-up Tahiti this weekend.
Marcelo Mendes’ men are one of 12 teams that will compete for the title in Danang later this month and, following a third-place finish at the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament in Ordos, continued to build momentum with back-to-back wins against tough opposition.
Saturday’s friendly, held in Akashi City, saw Akaguma, Ozu and Nakahara help Japan into an early 3-1 lead while the former’s second of the match sent Japan into the final frame 5-2 to the good.
Ultimately, Tahiti failed to add to their goals from Labaste and Amau in a low-key finale as Japan showed their defensive strength to see out the win.
Sunday’s friendly, also held on Okura Beach, began with a goalless first period as Tahiti began to get to grips with their hosts.
Eventually, nine minutes into the second frame, Akaguma pounced on a rebound to finish before Tabata doubled the lead a minute later.
The last 12 minutes saw Tahiti get on the board through Taiarui but Tabata’s second along with further goals from Oba and Ozu sealed another victory for Japan, leaving Mendes delighted ahead of their trip to Vietnam.
“It was a huge result for us to beat the World Cup runners-up, Tahiti,” explained the former UAE boss.
“We played two very good games and really deserved the results in front of our supporters – it gave us confidence going into the Asian Beach Games, which is our next challenge.”
