AFC President praises IR Iran’s third place finish

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has hailed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s beach soccer team for the remarkable achievement of finishing third at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the Bahamas. IR Iran defeated the world’s fourth-ranked team, Italy, 5-3 in the play-off for third place to become Asia's highest-ever finishers in the tournament. The success marks the first time in more than a decade that an Asian team has reached the final four of the global beach soccer championship, with Japan previously achieving a fourth-place finish in 2005. The AFC President said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I congratulate Islamic Republic of Iran for their magnificent performances in the Bahamas, which have culminated in a historic third-place finish. “As champions of this year’s AFC Beach Soccer Championship, much was expected of IR Iran, but they have lived up to those expectations every step of the way and truly done Asia proud. “This achievement reflects our commitment to provide our Member Associations with continuous support to succeed at the highest international level, as outlined in the AFC’s Vision and Mission.” Mohammad Ahmadzadeh was the outstanding individual performer in IR Iran’s run, contributing a stunning nine goals in six matches and winning FIFA’s Golden Ball award as the tournament’s star player. The individual accolades did not end there for IR Iran, with shot-stopper Peyman Hosseini crowned the best goalkeeper at the tournament, earning the FIFA Golden Glove.