2013 Asian Beach Soccer Cup kicks off in China

Jinan (China), July 12 (IANS)

The 2013 Asian Beach Soccer Cup kicked off in Haiyang, host city of the third Asian Beach Games in eastern China’s Shandong Province.

China, Australia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are competing in the four-day event, reports Xinhua.

Australia crushed Vietnam 7-2 in the opener Thursday.

Australian forward Silva, who scored twice, said: “We started a bit slow, then we picked up a little bit, the passing got sharper, but it’s just the first game, we have a long trip.”

In the other group, hosts China will take on Thailand Friday. Wan Chao, captain of the Chinese beach soccer team said: “Thailand has improved a lot in recent years, featuring small-size, speedy and flexibility. However, we expect a good start with a victory.”