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MY BEACH SOCCER 
Both sides battled in Dubai in preparation for Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, to kick off on Tuesday
The UAE National Beach Soccer Team underwent yesterday a tough test, facing current World Champions Russia at Mamzar Beach. A lonely goal by Rashid Ahmed was not enough for Marcelo Mendes’ team in front of the European menace, who ended up clinching the victory 4-1 thanks to the hits by Makarov, Shishin, Krasheninnikov and Shkarin. Although Likhachev’s army restated their authority and showed they have not lost a bit of efficacy two months after touching the sky in Ravenna, both the Arabian coach and players come up with a positive reading of this match. It was a really demanding proof just four days ahead of the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, and they played on a good level in front of such a beach monster as the Russians are.
For the World Cup champions’ coach, the feelings after this fixture were good: “I think that the team made a good match today. The UAE are a hard-fighting team, with good quality, and in a really good physical shape. But we managed to be very disciplined on the sand, so as to get the room to take advantage of the chances we created up front”.
Parallel, the UAE team left the pitch with a good feeling despite the score. The team had proven their competitive spirit by making things really difficult to the recent World Cup holders. Indeed, only three dead ball moves made the difference, and there was little inequality, if any, in the live-play scale.
As Mendes himself assures, “despite the defeat, I feel satisfied after the match today. It was only through strategy, something they command brilliantly, that they won the game. We know that we need to correct some things on a defensive level, but we feel confident after what we have done on the pitch”.
The National coach highlighted the importance of playing this kind of highly competitive and demanding friendly games, which help the team reach the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in full confidence: “The match was really profitable, because it showed where we are regarding the best team in the world. Today, result was not the most important, but seeing our level, and testing what we can do regarding the powerful contenders we are to fight against next week”, he pointed.
