18 Jul 2015

Hosts into final, end Russia's defence

Intense battle sends the hosts through to their second FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final

Portugal booked their place in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final with a 4-2 win, ending Russia's bid to win three straight titles.

The result sees the hosts back at in the climax of the tournament after a ten-year absence, setting up a meeting with final first-timers Tahiti.

The reigning champions had gone in front through Alexey Makarov, following tight opening exchanges that would define much of the game. However, Portugal hit back twice before the break through Jordan's long distance free-kick and Be Martins' effort to see them take hold of the lead.

Tahiti 2013 top-scorer Dmitri Shishin levelled things shortly after the restart but received a red card for his celebration, and fans were left biting their nails for much of the remaining game as both sides remained locked at 2-2.

Russia's second red card in the final few minutes proved pivotal. Yury Krasheninnikov's second yellow card saw Bruno Novo dispatch the resulting free-kick, before Martins sealed the win as the clock ticked down.

source: fifa.com