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MY BEACH SOCCER 
They beat Brazil to claim the title after a spectacular final
Russia prevails and is crowned champion of the Intercontinental Cup
The reigning world champions claimed the title of the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai 2011 after beating Brazil in a great night of Beach Soccer.
After the final whistle of yesterday’s second semi-final, Beach Soccer fans could only wonder what the outcome of the final between the world’s two strongest squads would be. One thing was certain; it was definitely a promising encounter, and the repeat of this year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final was far from disappointing. Although the first period was goalless until its last seconds, both teams produced some great chances taking risks in order to take the lead. However the stalemate was only broken with five seconds remaining in the first period through Anderson’s strike giving Brazil the advantage in the match.
With half the stadium cheering for the Eastern Europeans and the other half for the Verdeamarela, the match kept growing in intensity. The Russians, on one hand, were demonstrating why they were crowned world champions this summer. The Brazilians, on the other hand were on the pitch to show that they were still to be considered a Beach Soccer giant. The second period maintained the high quality of both teams as well as the tight competition that exists between them with Russia relying on their tactical excellence and Brazil making use of their unmistakable magic. Shishin equalized with 4 minutes remaining in the second half while the South Americans took the lead once again in the last seconds of the same period thanks to a precise Fernando Ddi shot.
It wasn’t until the third period that the goals began flowing when the teams realized that the final whistle was getting close. It was Shaykov who scored the first goal of the period to level the score once again. Captain Leonov, three minutes later, gave Russia the lead while Shishin increased the gap by scoring his team’s fourth with 6 minutes left in regular time. Brazil’s pride did not permit for the match to end this way though and scored two goals in one minute to lead the match into an extra time that was the only possible reward for both teams’ efforts tonight. The first two minutes were a constant stream of attacks from one side to the other but it was Shishin once again, who, with a sublime finish, gave Russia yet another title this year becoming champions of the first ever Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup.
Goals: 1-0: Anderson, min. 0 (1); 1-1: Shishin, min. 4 (2); 2-1: Fernando Ddi, min. 0 (2); 2-2: Shaykov, min. 11 (3); 2-3: Leonov, min. 8 (3); 2-4: Shishin, min. 6 (3); 3-4: Fernando Ddi, min. 5 (3); 4-4: Jorginho, min. 4 (3); 4-5: Shishin, min. 1 (ET)
Switzerland fight to claim third place
Switzerland beat the UAE on penalties after a fantastically played match from both sides winning them third place of the Intercontinental Cup. Both teams put on quite a show in front of a packed stadium that did not stop cheering throughout the whole match.
The match started on a high note with the UAE scoring after less than a minute of play thanks to a powerful shot from Ali Karim. It didn’t take long though for the Swiss to get into the game with Ziegler scoring after some nice collective play just a minute later. The hosts proved to be a very well structured team, as they have done throughout the entire tournament, holding back their opponents during the first period.
With the match being hardly fought between both teams, Stankovic demonstrated his fantastic form by scoring a beautiful backheel halfway through the second period giving Switzerland the advantage for the first time in the match. Borer made it 3 for the Europeans with a hard fought solo play finished with a strong shot which flew into the back of Humaid’s net. This goal allowed them to start taking control of the match giving them confidence to make the gap even bigger with Stankovic’s second for the night.
This control, however, was short-lived thanks to the locals’ refusal to go down without a fight. Ali Karim regained his inspiration and scored two practically identical goals with two brilliantly taken free kicks to make it 4-3. Rami, the Arabs’ captain, then took advantage of his team’s drive and scored the equaliser driving the local crowd crazy. The score was then maintained for the match to go to an extra time in which both teams went constantly for the winning goal. However it had to go to a deciding penalty shoot-out thanks to strong defending from the two sides. The Swiss surprisingly included reserve goalkeeper, Philipp Shwendener, in the penalty shoot-out which proved fruitful since he flew to save the first penalty taken by Ali Karim. Stankovic then stepped up to give Switzerland 3rd place of the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai 2011.
Goals: 1-0: A. Karim, min. 10 (1); 1-1: Ziegler, min. 9 (1); 1-2: Stankovic, min. 6 (2); 1-3: Borer, min. 3 (2); 1-4: Stankovic, min. 10 (3); 2-4: A. Karim, min. 7 (3); 3-4: A. Karim, min. 6 (3); 4-4: Rami, min. 5 (3)
Penalty shootout: A. Karim, Shwendener saves; Stankovic, in
Results today
Saturday, November 26th
19:00 – UAE 4 (0) – (1) 4 Switzerland
20:15 – Brazil 4 – 5 Russia (after ET)
Final Standings
1st Place: Russia
2nd Place: Brazil
3rd Place: Switzerland
Individual Awards
MVP: Stankovic (SUI)
Top Scorer: Stankovic (SUI)
Best Goalkeeper: Mão (BRA)
