Iran, world beach soccer champion for third time in row

Tehran, Nov 10, IRNA - Iran won 2019 Dubai Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup on Saturday, defeating Spain in the finals. Abbas Hashempour’s team defeated Spain 6-3 to become the world champion for the third time in a row. The Iranian side beat the UAE 4-3 in penalty shootout on Friday at Jumeirah’s Kite Beach after they finished 1-1 in regulation period and the three minutes of extra time. Iran goalkeeper Hamid Behzadpour scored for Iran with 3.15 minutes left in first period and the UAE skipper Waleed Mohammad’s left-footed drive found the far corner of the Iranian goal with 5.19 minutes remaining. For the Iranians, this will be a fourth appearance in the final here — from which they have been crowned champions twice (2013 and 2018), and runners-up in 2016. Spain also defeated Russia 4-2 in the other semi-final. The 2019 Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup is the eighth edition of the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, an annual international beach soccer tournament contested by men's national teams. The competition is being held in Dubai, the UAE between 5 and 9 November. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish