Russia have thrashed El Salvador 7-3 to reach the final of the beach football World Cup for the first time in their history.
Going into the semi-final, Russia arrived as strong contenders for the trophy. After cruising through their group with comfortable victories over Nigeria, Tahiti and Venezuela, the Russians never looked in trouble against quarter-final opponents Mexico, winning 5-3.Meanwhile the Latin Americans had produced the biggest upset of the tournament by knocking out hosts Italy in the quarter-finals.Their fairytale, however, ended early on Saturday as the Russians took full control of the game. A three-goal advantage after the first period (4-1) was just proof of their dominance. The remaining two periods were played in a composed fashion as the Russian preferred not to take risks, while their opponents could hardly threaten seriously.Russia will meet Brazil in Sunday's final.