Iran ace eyes Beach Soccer World Cup Semi-Final spot

FIFA – ESPINHO, Iran’s Mohammad Ahmadzadeh believes beating Tahiti and claiming a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup semi-finals would go some way towards realising his side’s true potential.

The Iranians – Asian champions in 2013 – go into Thursday’s game against Tahiti, who somewhat surprisingly topped Group D ahead of reigning champions Russia, knowing that a win would see them surpass their previous best World Cup outing which was a quarter-final appearance two years ago.

With the lure of a semi-final berth stronger than ever, and having helped his side beat Spain and Mexico on their way to finishing second in Group D, Ahmadzadeh is adamant that Iran are confident of making the last four, and in the process, showcasing their combined talents and sizeable potential to a global audience.

“Our target is to finish fourth at worst,” Ahmadzadeh, who has 15 World Cup goals to his name from 16 appearances, told FIFA’s official website.

“We are working very hard to achieve it. We are hopeful of reaching the semi-finals and showing our potential.”

Japan, Asia’s other quarter-finals representative will face Italy, will face Italy on the same day.