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MY BEACH SOCCER 
Three teams win places in the next round as three others crash out on third day in Pattaya
There were consecutive wins for Palestine, UAE and Lebanon, who all have quarter-final places confirmed, as hosts Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic and China are knocked out.
An impressive Palestine team made it six points out of six to confirm their place in the quarter-finals, while Lebanon and UAE became the second and third teams to qualify by winning their Group B ties.
Failing to pick up points in their opening two games, Kyrgyz Republic and Ramiro Amarelle’s China PR take early exits from the competition.
Kyrgyz Republic 2-11 Lebanon (Group B)
Still smarting from their heavy defeat against the UAE on Thursday, Kyrgyz Republic are now out of quarter-final contention following an 11-goal beating at the hands of their Group B opponents, Lebanon, who made it two wins out of two and have a place in the next round confirmed.
Three goals in just three minutes saw Lebanon claim an early lead in the opening period of the first game on matchday three. Kyrgyz Republic did manage to get on the scoreboard themselves before the first whistle sounded, when Duisheev Kairat netted with a minute to go.
The second period was a much tighter affair, with Lebanon just restoring their three-goal lead, but with the score at 4-1 entering the final period, Kyrgyz Republic weren’t out of sight yet.
Before long, the goal-scoring prowess of Alex Braga’s Lebanese forwards saw them surge beyond hope of a comeback in last 12 minutes, netting seven in the space of eight minutes. Haitham Fattal, Hassan Kadi and Hussein Abdullah all scored twice, while Mohamad Merhi completed a hat-trick.
Following this result, Kyrgyz Republic crash out of the competition, while Lebanon’s hopes of FIFA World Cup contention are still very much alive.
Palestine 3-2 Afghanistan (Group A)
In one of the day’s tighter matches, a last minute goal from M.Alneirab took Palestine to the top of Group A and into the next round, with victory over Afghanistan.
After forcing extra time against Malaysia to take two points, Afghanistan found themselves in another closely-fought Group A battle. It was the Afghans who hit the back of the net first though, through Sami Mohammadi and they held on to this lead through the first period.
An equalizer came eventually, just past the midway point of the match when a fine finish from Fadi Alarawi saw the sides enter the final period on a goal apiece.
Mohammadi struck again to complete a brace and restore a slender lead. However, a late surge of activity from the Palestinians saw them come from behind to take the match by three goals to two, and claiming top spot in Group A, as well as a place in the next round.
Chine PR 2-6 UAE (Group B)
UAE scored six to take another three points and confirm their place in the tournament’s quarter-finals, sinking Amarelle’s China PR in the process. The Chinese claimed the first and last goal in the game, but this wasn’t enough to hold off the might of the Emirati.
China PR were in front after three minutes, but two quick-fire goals from Ali Karim and Abbas meant that the first 12 minutes ended with the score at 1-2.
This lead was extended to 1-3 in the second period, but the Chinese still had time for a comeback in the final period. However, goals from Walid and Beshr extended the advantage even further and a last-minute consolation from Liu Yisi wasn’t enough to claw China back into the match.
Hopes of a FIFA World Cup shattered, China will face Kyrgyz Republic on Monday to fight for Group B’s third place finish.
UAE secure a spot in the next round and will take on Lebanon to battle for the top spot in the final day of group games.
Malaysia 5-4 Thailand (Group A)
A rollercoaster of a match saw hosts Thailand mount a valiant comeback but lose out to strong Malaysian side, and exit the tournament.
An early brace from Ridhwan, as well as a clinical finish from Hasrol, gifted the Malaysians a 3-0 within the opening 12 minutes. When each side netted once more in the second period, the lead remained intact and it looked as if the match was all but wrapped up.
A fifth goal for Malaysia, when Hasrol completed a brace of his own, took the score to 5-1, but far from going down without fight, the Thai players burst into action and, just as their Malaysian opponents had done in the first period, netted three goals in quick succession
But the hosts agonizingly ran out of time, as the final whistle blew with the score closed to just 5-4, knocking a plucky Thai team out of the tournament, while Malaysia will have to fight for their place in the next round on Monday.
Stay up-to-date on the results, fixtures and standings of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship on the BSWW website.
RESULTS:
Thursday 7th March:
Lebanon 5-3 China (Group B)
Afghanistan 3-2 Malaysia *AET (Group A)
UAE 6-1 Kyrgyz Republic (Group B)
Thailand 2-5 Palestine (Group A)
Friday 8th March:
Bahrain 5-2 Qatar (Group C)
Iraq 2-5 IR Iran (Group D)
Japan 8-1 Kuwait (Group C)
Saturday 9th March:
Kyrgyz Republic 2-11 Lebanon (Group B)
Palestine 3-2 Afghanistan (Group A)
Chine PR 2-6 UAE (Group B)
Malaysia 5-4 Thailand (Group A)
FIXTURES
Sunday 10th March:
Kuwait v Bahrain (Group C)
Oman v Iraq (Group D)
Qatar v Japan (Group C)
Monday 11th March:
UAE v Lebanon (Group B)
China PR v Kyrgyz Republic (Group B)
Malaysia v Palestine (Group A)
Thailand v Afghanistan (Group A)
Tuesday 12th March:
Japan v Bahrain (Group C)
Iran v Oman (Group D)
Qatar v Kuwait (Group C)
