2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final
| Event | 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 11 September 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | Stadio del Mare, Ravenna | ||||||
| Referee | Jose Cortez (Ecuador) | ||||||
| Attendance | 5,500 | ||||||
The 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final was the last match of the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup which took place on September 11, 2011 at the Stadio del Mare, in the Italian city of Ravenna. The final took place between Russia, who were taking place in their first ever final and defending champions Brazil, who were playing in their fourteenth final, aiming to win their fourteenth title. The result of the match saw Russia claim the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup crown, winning their first ever title and becoming only the third team other than Brazil to win the World Cup.
Russia began their World Cup campaign in Group C alongside Nigeria, Tahiti and Venezuela, as European Champions after winning the 2011 Euro Beach Soccer League. Having finished third in the European World Cup qualifiers in July 2010, as well as playing in a group with two surprise nations, who not only were not expected to qualify but had never even competed in a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup before, quickly made Russia one of the favourites of the competition.
Russia's first match came against Nigeria, who pundits thought would be the only nation to pose any sort of threat to Russia's predicted dominance in the group. Despite Nigeria's enthusiasm and athleticism, Russia were eventual victors, scoring twice as many goals as their opponents, winning 8-4. Their second match in the group stage came against Tahiti. The Oceanian side defeated regular World Cup participants the Solomon Islands in qualifying to compete in their first ever World Cup, making Russia odds on favourites to win the match, regardless of Tahiti's surprise win against Venezuela in the first round of matches. As expected, Russia controlled the game and steered to a 5-0 victory, ensuring qualification for the quarter finals. In Russia's final match, they met Venezuela who had already been eliminated from the competition. In an exhibition style performance from both sides, Russia claimed all three points, therefore taking their total to a maximum total of nine points, finishing first in the group.
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