HANOI (25 March 2015) – It was a tough day at the beach for ASEAN teams when they failed to build on the positive start to taste defeat on the second matchday of the 2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship in Doha.
Vietnam fell to a 3-2 loss to Japan as did Thailand concede the same score line to Lebanon. Laos were humiliated 8-3 by Oman.
JAPAN 3-2 VIETNAM
Ozu Moreira and Takasuke Goto, who accounted for Japan’s goals in Monday’s 5-3 victory over Kuwait, were on target in the second and fourth minute respectively as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup ever-presents threatened to run riot against a Vietnamese side that were narrowly defeated on penalties by China in their Group B opener.
Japan struck for a third time in the first period but Takuya Akaguma’s 11th minute goal would be the last time that the Vietnamese defence would be breached as the South East Asian made the two-time continental champions work hard for the three points that took them top of the table.
After a goalless second period Le Ngoc Phuoc gave Vietnam hope when he pulled one back in the 27th minute before a Tran Vinh Phong strike three minutes later ensured a nervous finish for Japan.
THAILAND 2-3 LEBANON
Lebanon picked up their first points of the 2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship as the Cedars bounced back from a narrow defeat to Iran in the Group D opener with a 3-2 overtime win over Thailand.
The game got off to a flying start with three goals inside the first two minutes with Haitham Fattal scoring twice for Lebanon either side of Komkrit Nanan’s leveler for the Thais.
Komkrit came to Thailand’s rescue for the second time in the match when he equalized in the 18th minute with the goal that would ultimately force overtime with neither side able to make the most of the chances they created during the remainder of regulation time.
And just as they were at the start of the match, Lebanon were quickest out of the blocks in overtime, with skipper Mohamad Halawi scoring the decisive goal one minute into additional time to give the men from the Middle East the victory.
Lebanon’s two points ensured that Iran will take their place in the last eight, while a regulation time defeat for Asia’s highest-ranked side, who sit 7th in the global beach soccer standings, will see Thailand usurp Lebanon for the other quarter-final ticket from Group D.
LAOS 3-8 OMAN
Yahya Mabyoua Al Araimi (2nd and 15th minute) and Ghaith Abdullah Sebeit (23rd and 3rd minute) grabbed a brace each for Oman to be followed by other goals from Mandhar Hilal Hamed Al Araimi (33rd), Hani Al Dhabat Faraj Bait Al Noobi (20th) and Abdullah Masoud Salim (18th).
Laos captain Tona Bounmalay conceded an own goal in the 23rd minute.
The goals for Laos were scored off a double from Nanthaly Savatdy (29th and 30th) and Chiew Nonmany (16th).
UZBEKISTAN 6-5 UAE
KUWAIT 3-4 CHINA
BAHRAIN 6-1 QATAR
