There was a first World Cup win for Bahamas while Switzerland and Iran were involved in penalty drama.
Day four of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017 on Sunday saw victories for Italy, Switzerland, Iran and Bahamas.
Italy breeze past Mexico into quarters
Italy made it three wins from three, as they eased past Mexico 8-1 to finish top of Group B at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.
Gabriele Gori scored a hat-trick and Paolo Palmacci scored a brace in the Azzurri’s dominant victory. Gori’s strikes now see him move well clear at the top of the tournament’s scoring list with a staggering 11 goals. At the last Beach Soccer World Cup in Portugal in 2015, the tournament’s top scorer was Paraguay’s Pedro Moran, who finished with eight.
The result is Italy’s biggest margin of victory in their history at the Beach Soccer World Cup. The Italians will now face either Senegal or Switzerland on 4 May in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland sink Senegal on penalties
Switzerland beat Senegal 3-2 on penalties after a thrilling 6-6 draw after extra time to finish top of Group A at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.
Dejan Stankovic scored a hat-trick, as Switzerland clawed their way back into the match after Senegal had the lead for a large portion of it. Al Seyni Ndiaye’s sending off was one of the most significant moments of the match.
The Senegalese captain and goalkeeper was shown a red card after denying a clear goalscoring opportunity for Stankovic, which means he will miss his side’s quarter-final against Italy. Senegal thought they had done enough when Papa Ndour scored with a minute left in extra time, but the experienced Sandro Spaccarotella had other ideas.
With less than 20 seconds on the clock, he scored the equaliser to send the match to penalties. Manuel Bruder saved Mamour Diagne’s spot-kick and Stankovic then scored the winning penalty to give Switzerland the victory and top spot in the group.
Iran win penalty shoot-out to make last eight
Iran defeated Nigeria 2-1 on penalties after a thrilling 4-4 draw after extra time to claim the runners-up spot in Group B and reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.
In what was an intriguing back-and-forth battle between two sides looking to make the last eight, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Mohammad Mokhtari each scored a pair of goals for the Asian champions.
To their credit, Nigeria gave an excellent account of themselves, with Victor Tale, Emmanuel Ohwoferia, Godspower Igudia, and Bartholomew Ibenegbu getting on the scoresheet.
After regulation and extra time could not settle matters, it was Iran that held their nerve in the penalty shoot-out to finish second in the group and set up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland on 4 May.
Bahamas bow out on a high
Bahamas enjoyed a rousing conclusion to their 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup campaign at home, securing a 4-1 win over fellow debutants Ecuador on Monday.
Both teams entered the contest playing for pride only, and after a tense opening the home side skipped clear with Jean Francois and Lesly St Fleur netting just after the midway point.
Segundo Moreira pulled one back for the South Americans to briefly put the match on edge, before Francois scored again at the start of the third period, while Kyle Williams added insurance barely 30 seconds later to the delight of a raucous Nassau crowd.
The result sees Bahamas finish third in Group A, behind Switzerland and second-placed Senegal.
Monday results
15:30 – Italy 8-1 Mexico
17:00 – Switzerland (3) 6-6 (1) Senegal
18:30 – Nigeria (1) 4-4 (2) Iran
20:00 – Bahamas 4-1 Ecuador
Tuesday fixtures
15:30 – Tahiti v Poland
17:00 – Paraguay v Panama
18:30 – Brazil v Japan
20:00 – UAE v Portugal
