DUBAI // When thinking of Russia, beaches are probably the last thing that come to mind. The country will, instead, conjure images of freezing, sub-zero climates and Siberian wastelands.
The colourful onion domes that dot their metropolitan landscapes will also find a prominent mention, alongside that famous beverage peculiar to their lands.
Brazil, of course, is the land of the sun and the samba, of pristine beaches and sublime soccer. Yet, the men from the cold lands have become the undisputed tsars of beach soccer, with two World Cup wins and two Intercontinental Cup triumphs over the past three years, and a host of titles in Europe.
They have dethroned the Brazilians as kings of the sport and on Thursday night, the Samba boys were left to fight for consolation spots in the Intercontinental Cup following their 3-1 loss on penalties after they drew 6-6 after extra time.
In a nail-biting finish to Group B, with a place in the semi-finals at stake, the Russians took the lead and refused to wilt as the game finished at 5-5 and the Brazilians took the lead in extra time. Russia equalised with seconds left, then prevailed in the shoot-out to finish second in the group behind Iran.
Russia have enjoyed a meteoric rise in beach soccer over the past few years. Making their first appearance on the global stage in 1996, in what was then called the Beach Soccer World Championships, they failed to make it beyond the group stages.
For the next 10 years, they were absent from the world stage, failing to qualify for the 2005 and 2006 World Cup, which replaced the World Championships after Fifa took the sport under its wing.
Russia did qualify for the 2007 edition, but failed to make it to the knockout stages.
For the next two years, they progressed to the last eight and, gaining in experience and confidence, finally achieved their dream of winning the title in 2011, defeating Brazil 12-8 in the final. Earlier this year in Tahiti, they successfully defended that crown with a 5-1 win over Spain in the final.
“When Russia started playing with us, I remember them saying, ‘One day we are going to be World Cup winners’, and I really smiled because they had zero experience,” said Joan Cusco, vice president of Beach Soccer Worldwide, which manage the sport on behalf of Fifa.
“But there was a lot of commitment from their federation. They prepared a very good plan for the team and started coming up very strong in Europe and then they won the World Cup.
“They take every tournament very seriously and they came here to Dubai one week before the start, but lost to Iran in the opening game. This means Iran is also doing things the proper way and working hard.”
For teams like Iran, Russia have been an inspiration, because their success has not come through chance, but proper planning and determination. They have indoor facilities where they train and play all through the year and a highly competitive league gives their supply of quality players going. And their performance against Brazil last night was testimony to that.
Meanwhile, Iran, who had surprised both Russia and Brazil in their first two games, completed their group engagements with another win in a penalty shoot-out, defeating Italy 3-2 after the two teams had finished 7-7 after three periods.
“Iran is another example of what you can achieve if you are committed,” Cusco said. “They have been really impressive.”
Switzerland defeated hosts UAE 5-3 in the final game of the night to top Group A and they will meet Russia in Friday’s semis. The UAE will take on Iran.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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