Dubai: Nothing less than a third title at the annual Samsung Beach Soccer Inter-Continental Cup at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) this weekend will satisfy Russian goalkeeper Andrey Bukhlitskiy.
The 32-year-old says he converted from regular football to beach soccer in 2007 due to the excitement involved. Since then, he has won best goalkeeper awards at several continental and international competitions — his latest being voted players’ player and Adidas Golden Glove winner at the 2013 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti.
In September, Bukhlitskiy also helped Russia win the Uefa qualifiers for next year’s World Cup in Portugal. The qualifying competition was held in Italy.
However, that competition is still a long way off and Bukhlitskiy has for now got his eyes trained on a third Dubai crown after Russia booked their place in the semi-finals along with Brazil from Group A. Russia won the titles in 2011 and 2012, but were denied by Iran in the finals last year.
“We will not be making the same mistakes again. We are here to win this tournament and that will only prove that Russia is the best in the world of beach soccer,” Bukhlitskiy said.
“For me personally, and also for the team, it is very important to win every tournament we participate in. That is the mentality of our team. So, when we come to Dubai, we come looking for our third title here, and nothing less.”
Bukhlitskiy attributed a major part of his and his team’s success to coach Mikhail Likhachev.
“He [Likhachev] is young and he never stops learning. And, when he learns something, he passes it on to the rest of the team so that all of us grow together as a unit,” Bukhlitskiy said.
Russia will compete in the semi-finals on Friday.
