Tahiti qualified for the last-eight as unbeaten leaders in Group D, including a win over current champions Russia, while Iran finished second to Brazil in Group C. The two sides had never played each other in an official competition.
There was very little separating both sides, as Tahiti’s passing game was countered by Iran’s incessant defensive efforts. Two similar periods saw Tahiti manage to score first, only for Iran to respond with crucial goals of their own.
The third period saw both teams play with more freedom and create space, although the sequence of goals remained the same. Tahiti scored twice but in each occasion Iran equalised one minute later. Finally, Heimanu Taiarui put the Oceania side ahead 5-4 with under five minutes left, which was enough to see Tahiti through.
“I spoke to the boys before the start of the third period and I asked them to take things a bit more calmly,” captain Naea Bennett says.
“We were so desperate to win that we got ourselves a bit worked up. Our next objective is to make the final.”
Having finished fourth when they hosted the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ two years ago, Tahiti cemented their status as one of the top teams in the world as they reached another semi-final.
Story courtesy of FIFA. For more on the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 visit FIFA.com

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