Marcelo Mendes’ side claimed their first Asian Beach Games title with victory against Oman.
Japan were crowned winners of the Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam on Sunday after a thrilling extra-time success against 2008 champions Oman.
The two nations came through semi-finals against Lebanon and Afghanistan respectively to reach the final and, in front of a bumper crowd, treated locals to an exhilarating match-up that saw Japan surrender a two-goal lead to set up extra time.
Oba Takaaki and Ozu Moreira got Japan up and running early on although Khalid Khamis Mohammed Al-Oraimi halved the deficit before the end of the first period.
Oman were level going into the final frame but neither side could find a normal-time winner.
However, Ozu and Takaaki settled the contest with late goals, ensuring Oman’s third was solely a consolation, as Japan made amends for their loss to Iran in last year’s final and celebrated their first success at the competition.
Earlier, Lebanon – whose previous best-place finish at the event was fourth in 2012 – went one better by edging Afghanistan in the third-place play-off.
Boasting a 4-3 lead going into the final frame, Lebanon cut loose in the last 12 minutes to register five more goals and ensure a dominant 9-5 win.
Full results and standings available at www.beachsoccer.com
