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Last day of group action in the Pattaya sees Kuwait take third as Japan and Oman also triumph
Brilliant Kuwait stun Qatar in their last group game as Japan and Oman win to top groups.
Which teams were into the quarter-finals of the AFC Beach Soccer Championshop and which were out, was already decided, and the last day of group fixtures was purely to decide finishing positions and next round opponents.
Japan 6-2 Bahrain (Group C)
Japan pocketed a comfortable victory over already-qualified Bahrain to claim the top spot on the last day of group fixtures.
Both teams had already done enough to make it through to the quarter-finals of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship, but the top spot in Group C was still up for grabs.
Ozu lost his defender to fire in the opener after just two minutes, but Bahrain showed why they had kept pace with the Japanese thus far, when Ebrahim Al Mahjoob headed in an equaliser minutes later.
The game was tantalisingly close until the 16th minute of play when Japan suddenly flicked an attacking switch and pounded in four in the space of just three minutes. A bewildered Bahrain side managed to pull one back before the start of the final period, but with the score at 5-2, they had a task to get back into this game against such heavy-weight opposition.
In the third period Yamauchi sealed the points by netting his sixth of the campaign, meaning that he and teammate Ozu lead the scoring charts with six goals apiece.
After a rest day on Wednesday (13th March), Japan will face Iran in their quarter-final bout, while Bahrain have earned a match-up against Oman.
Iran 3-4 Oman (Group D)
A final day shock result saw Asian and Intercontinental Champions, Iran, fall to an inspired performance from Oman.
Both teams had already qualified for the next round, but a win would deliver a perfect campaign, a Group D first-place finish and arguably an easier quarter-final match-up.
Iran took the lead after four minutes when Mohammad Masoumizadeh pounded a shot home, only for the goal to be cancelled out by Mushel Al Araimi’s long-range equalizer. Jalal Al Sinani then found the net just before the first whistle to snatch a slim 1-2 lead for Oman.
The world’s second best team struggled to get back into the match, striking the woodwork on several occasions, and when Showan pulled off an amazing penalty save between the Omani posts, it seemed that Iran would never get back into this match.
But after missing the penalty Masoumizadeh made amends by striking an overhead kick which bounced, fortunately for Iran, out of the reach of Showan.
Oman did well to stamp out a comeback, and immediately went on the offense again to score twice, and even a last-minute Ahmadzadeh goal to make it 3-4 wasn’t enough to save Marco Octavio’s men from defeat.
After their victory, Talib Hilal’s Omanis will take on Bahrain in the quarter-finals, while Iran are set to battle Ruy Ramos’ Japan.
Qatar 1-8 Kuwait (Group C)
A final victory for Kuwait means that they leave Thailand with three points and a third-place finish as Qatar end their campaign in fourth.
An ultimately one-side and high-scoring match, started in quite a contrasting fashion, with little to separate the knocked-out Group C rivals. Kuwait captain Al Yaqoub’s goal was all that stood between the sides at the first whistle.
It was the second period when the leaders started to find their attacking rhythm and steadily the scoring increased. Kuwait’s third goal was truly something to behold, as Mohamed Hajeyah pulled off one of the overhead volleys of the tournament.
At the second break Kuwait were 0-5 ahead, but a goal early in the final 12 minutes gave Qatar a glimmer of hope when Fawaz Daoud drove a low shot home. But this did little to disrupt the Kuwaiti momentum, and they netted three more as both Abdulrahman Al Yaqoub and Abdullatif Alhamad completed hat-tricks.
Ahmed Abdelrazek’s men go home with three well-deserved points.
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)
Sunday 10th March:
Kuwait 2-5 Bahrain (Group C)
Oman 6-3 Iraq (Group D)
Qatar 1-7 Japan (Group C)
Monday 11th March:
UAE 3-2 Lebanon (Group B)
China PR 9-3 Kyrgyz Republic (Group B)
Malaysia 4-5 Palestine (Group A)
Thailand 2-0 Afghanistan (Group A)
FIXTURES
Tuesday 12th March:
Japan 6-2 Bahrain (Group C)
Iran 3-4 Oman (Group D)
Qatar 1-8 Kuwait (Group C)
Wednesday 13th March:
REST DAY
Thursday 14th March:
Oman v Bahrain (Quarter-final)
Japan v IR Iran (Quarter-final)
UAE v Malaysia (Quarter-final)
Palestine v Lebanon (Quarter-final)
Friday 15th March:
Semi-final
Semi-final
Saturday 16th March:
REST DAY
Sunday 17th March:
Third-place play-off
FiNAL
