The 2009 FIFA World Cup Beach Soccer Qualifiers currently played in Durban's beachfront has witnessed the best ever games played since the new sporting code was introduced in the continent, says the Durban-based leading beach socer admininistrator.
The games that were played on Saturday to produce two teams that will participate in the final on Sunday, whereby both finalists qaulify for a return flight ticket paid by FIFA, to the 2009 World Cup Beach Soccer finals to be staged in Dubai between 16-22 November 2009 far surpassed all the preliminary games played so far.
The first game had seen Morrocco playing Mozambique from the midday kick off, and the spirit exhibited by both teams was clear proof that the journey to the Dubai finals would be made by players of sterner stuff.
However, at the end of the first semi's the final score saw Morrocco humilliating Mozambique with a wide margin of 9-3 defeat.
The second game saw Cote D'Ivoire playing against Egypt to produce a team for the finals on Sunday.
The tempo displayed during this game was out of this world as a total of sixteen goals were scored.
Cote D'Ivoire emerged victorious during the penalty shoot out by winning with a narrow 4-3.
The final semi final game pitted two African powerhouses that had both represented the continent in last year's FIFA World Cup Beach soccer finals held at Marseille, France in 2008.
The first half had seen Senegal leading Nigeria by 3-0 score until going to interval at 4-1 score.
To the uninitiated, beach soccer is played at three halfs of fifteen minutes to make the full game finish at forty-five minutes.
During the second half neither teammanaged to score, and fireworks were left for the last fifteen minutes.
Nigeria had managed to equalised to make the score 4-4 within the first five minutes played in the last half.
And true to the game's billing as a 'Do or Die' for the Dubai return airfare ticket, both teams exhibited the best beach soccer seen in Africa since the FIFA World Cup Beach soccer Qualifiers were introduced in Africa.
The Nigerian Super Eagles managed to score seven goals to defeat the Terrenga Lions with a narrow 7-6 scoreline, and qualifed to play Cote D'Ivoire in the finals on Sunday.
Both teams (Cote D'Ivoire and Nigeria) have booked themselves return flight tickets in the 2009 FIFA World Cup Beach Soccer finals as they have qualifed to represent the continent in the showpiece to be staged in Dubai later this year.
eThekwini Municipality Special Projects Officer Lunga Lamola told this writer that the game played between Nigeria vs Senegal and 'its fireworks was the best beach socccer game played since Durban started hosting the beach soccer games four years ago'.
The Special Projects Unit are the municipality structure entrusted with the task of overseeing the formation of the first-ever professional beach soccer league in South Africa.
Ends
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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