The penultimate match day of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™ group stage served up exciting action and goals galore, as three more teams took their places in the quarter-final line-up.
The highlight of the day was arguably the qualification of RFU, who, needing a win to remain in the competition, delivered in style with a 7-1 rout of Japan. That result earned the hosts top spot in Group A, ahead of the Japanese on goal difference.
Prior to that, Paraguay had comfortably beaten USA 9-4, a triumph that temporarily propelled them up into second place. However, the outcome of the Japan-RFU game meant that the South Americans ultimately bowed out of the tournament.
In Group B, Tahiti waited until the very last second of their clash with Mozambique to celebrate their qualification for the last eight after a closely contested 8-7 victory. The African side left the pitch and the tournament to warm applause from a knowledgeable crowd, who appreciated the effort they had put in during the competition.
In the same section, Spain subsequently held their nerve, despite going 2-0 down early on, to book a spot in the knockout stage courtesy of a 5-3 win over the United Arab Emirates, who were yet again unable to advance past the group phase.
Courtesy of FIFA
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