The semifinals and final games of the 11th Japan Beach Soccer Championship were played on 16 October. Blessed with good weather yet under the scorching heat, four teams put up heated battles to ‘reach for the summit’.

The game moved in the second period. In the 18th minute, Sol Mar Praia scored a much-awaited opener from ARAKAKI Takashi. Two minutes later, SAITOU Takumi added another and extended their lead to 2-0. Yet, Dorsole tied the game as OBA Takaaki and MIYAMOTO Hikaru netted goals within a four-minute span. Praia, receiving support from their home fans, retrieved their advantage with a goal from Saitou in the 29th minute, but Dorsole quickly equalised it. But the real drama came in the closing minute of the match, where Praia's Saitou scored superbly from an overhead shot to give them a match-deciding goal. Sol Mar Praia edged the reigning champion Dorsole 4-3 and advanced to the final.

On Pitch B, Fusion (Hokushinetsu/Niigata) and Tokyo Lequios BS (Kanto2/Tokyo), the runner-ups of the previous tourney, squared off against each other. Fusion got on the scoreboard first in the 9th minute, but Tokyo Lequios scored two goals and took a lead in the second period. The two teams played deadlock afterwards, but Fusion’s Heimanu TAIARUI scored a game-tying goal in the final period.

Like in the first semi-final match, the teams played a close contest until the final minutes, but GOTO Takasuke netted a game-winning goal right before the whistle and Fusion defeated Tokyo Lequios 3-2, clinching their first championship game berth.

In the championship game, Sol Mar Praia, who have advanced to the stage taking close games, faced Fusion, who have scored 32 goals in six games. Fusion took a lead from an own goal and added another with a score by Taiarui in the 7th minute.

In the second period, Sol Mar Praia’s TERUKINA Shingo, a national team goalkeeper, tried to score with his own shot, but his fellow national team player MOREIRA Ozu defended brilliantly in front of the goal and did not allow them to cut their lead.

In the final period, Goto gave Fusion a three-goal lead with his overhead shot. But the hosts Sol Mar Praia didn’t back off. In the 27th minute, UEHARA Tomoya scored their first goal and boosted their supporters at the field. Then, in the 35th minute, Arakaki headed a shot into the net to cut the Fusion’s lead to one point. And in the final minute, Saitou netted an equaliser to send the game into overtime.

However, Sol Mar Praia could not capitalise on their momentum in extra time and the match went into penalty shootout. At the end, Fusion came on top of the close contest (2-1 in penalty shootout) and captured their first championship.

Players' Comments

TABATA Teruki (Tokyo Lequios BS)
We tried to play with concentration and focused on our own game. Although we ended up on the losing side, each player of our team gave everything he had. We came up short because we weren’t good enough, and you can’t win unless you score goals. I believe that was the primary reason we lost. It was tough on us that we gave up a goal with just 20 seconds left in the game and lost the match. But this is beach football and it made all the difference in the game. We will think this over and challenge the championship again.

UEHARA Tomoya (Sol Mar Praia)
We played through the tournmanet with a one-game-at-a-time mentality. In the final, we played patiently so that we would not concede goals in the first period. Even after we gave up two goals, we competed with composure until the end. If we scored goals in the second period, it could have been a different game. When you have better possession of the ball and force the opponents to move around for the ball, then you can conserve stamina, while taking the vitality out of your opponents. However, this is just an ideal and does not always happen in actual games. As such is the case, we need to be realistic and work hard as a team, in addition to capitalising on our scoring opportunities.

MOREIRA Ozu (Fusion)
(About the final) We knew it was going to be a difficult game for us, but it helped us that we took an early lead from an own goal just five seconds into the game. We wound up sending the game into penalty shootout as we made frivolous mistakes in the very end of the match, but it feels great that we came on top of it in the end. We practiced penalty kicks repeatedly every day, so both our goalkeeper and kickers had confidence. I’ve practiced with (Sol Mar Praia goalkeeper) Terukina Shingo a lot in the national team. I think he knew where I was going to kick, but I aimed superbly and found the net. I also thanked Bernardo BOTHELHO for converting his penalty shot.

GOTO Takasuke (Fusion)
Two games we played today were tough. But, I believe our daily practices were even tougher, so we were able to enjoy the championship game. As a team, we were set off-guarded and gave up goals to the opponents, but this did not affect our determination to win the championship. We kept our concentration and did not give up until the end. I feel great that we ended up on the winning side. We have another championship in November. Thus, we want to stay in form without injuries for the tournament.

JFA-TV (Japanese Version Only)

Semifinal　Sol Mar Praia vs Dorsole Kitakyushu

Semifinal　Fusion vs Tokyo Lequios BS

Final　Sol Mar Praia vs Fusion

11th Japan Beach Soccer Championship

2016-10-14(Fri.)-16(Sun.)
Okinawa Prefecture/Ginowan Tropical Beach

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