Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has praised Japan’s beach soccer team for their historic second-place finish at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ in Russia, which is Asia’s best-ever performance at the global showpiece to date.

Japan defeated Senegal 5-2 to reach their first-ever final on Sunday where they lost bravely to hosts the Russian Football Union (RFU) at the Luzhniki Beach Soccer Arena, eclipsing Asia’s most prolific display in 2017 when the Islamic Republic of Iran finished third in the Bahamas.

Asia’s prominence was further underlined at the showpiece match in Moscow, after AFC referee Suhaimi Mat Hassan of Malaysia was selected to officiate Sunday’s final alongside Oman’s Turki Al Salehi who was appointed as the reserve assistant referee.

The AFC President said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to convey my heartfelt congratulations to Japan for their breathtaking and consistent displays in Russia, culminating in a historic second-place finish.

“I must also commend the Japan Football Association for their dedication to excellence in every aspect of the game and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring to life this remarkable achievement.

“Special praise must also go to our match officials whose appointment in the final reflects the AFC’s commitment to ensure Asia’s teams and officials continue to shine on the world’s biggest stages, as outlined by the AFC’s Vision.

“I have no doubts that Asia’s outstanding accolades in Russia will serve as an inspiration to the rest of the Continent and to the next generation of players and fans.”

With 10 goals in six matches, Japan’s Takuya Akaguma became just the second player from an AFC Member Association to earn a goalscoring prize when he bagged the Bronze Scorer award. The previous Asian star to achieve such a feat was IR Iran’s Mohammad Ahmadzadeh, who, like Akaguma, picked up the same award in 2017.

(Asian Football Confederation)