Portugal's victory was their second World Cup triumph in beach soccer history, and one earned on home sands.
'If you told me three years ago that Portugal would be Beach Soccer World Champions in 2015, I'd have said you're taking the mickey.'
That was the first reaction of coach Mario Narciso yesterday, who had just seen the host nation beat Tahiti 5-3 to lift the trophy for the second time in the history of the sport.
For Portugal it was the perfect end to a thrilling tournament, made all the sweeter owing to the shock failure to qualify for the previous World Cup, in 2013. It also explained Narciso's incredulity at the way the team had rebuilt its confidence to such an extent that the jubilant crowd were able to celebrate winning the biggest prize of all, long after the final rays of a golden sunset reflected off the sea onto the magnificent Praia de Baia in the northern seaside resort of Espinho.
Tired of so many near misses in the conventional form of the game, the Portuguese public had followed this competition closely and soon social media was awash with messages of how Portugal's grass football team should follow the example of their compatriots on sand.
But if these two weeks of outstanding entertainment had taught us anything, it is that Beach Soccer, although an offshoot of the world's most popular sport, deserves to be taken seriously as a separate game in its own right. After all, it is played by professionals exhibiting the utmost levels of technique, finesse and physical excellence.
A crash course in the rules of the game reveals that each team consists of five players with unlimited substitutions, the action taking place on a sand pitch approximately one-third the size of a conventional football field with each match split into three 12-minute periods. Players are barefoot, there is no offside and all free kicks are direct, with walls prohibited.
Despite not being written in the rules, it appears mandatory to score at least three or four barely believable goals per match that would be considered goals of the century if transposed to the grass pitches. Spectacular overhead kicks, goalkeepers blasting thunderous efforts the length of the pitch past their opposite numbers and outrageous volleys bulging the opposition net are all part of the fare.
Hardly surprising, therefore, that FIFA saw the commercial opportunity of such a TV friendly version of the world game and brought the sport under its wing in 2005.
The sport had been born on the golden beaches of Brazil (of course), where the first ten World Cups were held on an annual basis starting in 1995.
The participation of flamboyant players from the other code in its early days such as Eric Cantona, Romario and Zico helped to expand television coverage worldwide. From 2006 on, countries had to qualify for the World Cup. From 2008 it began to be hosted in different venues around the world and in 2011, it was made a bi-annual event. Beach Soccer has conquered the world quickly, now played in 75 countries within the six FIFA Confederation zones.
Tahitian pair Heimanu Taiarui and Jonathan Torohia took the individual honours despite losing in the final.
Brazil are historically the dominant force in the game (13 triumphs in 18 World Cups), but one of the fascinations for spectators is seeing countries one would never expect to feature as beach soccer heavyweights excel at the game. Take land-locked Switzerland or tiny Tahiti, two countries obtaining an immediate return on their investment in, and commitment to, a sport still in its nascent phase.
Tahiti hosted the tournament last time round, finishing fourth, and in Portugal they showed it was no fluke, narrowly losing a hard-fought final 5-3. That it was so close was largely thanks to their brilliant goalkeeper Jonathan Torohia and the ever dangerous Heimanu Taiarui, voted goalkeeper and player of the tournament respectively.
They would have been worthy winners of the World Cup and the smiling Tahitians certainly left their mark both on the tournament and among the crowds in the best possible way. 'Of course the vast majority of the fans were behind Portugal, even though the people of Espinho have really taken Tahiti to their hearts,' said coach Tehina Rota.
Also worthy of special mention is Switzerland's Noel Ott, considered the best young player in the world and nicknamed 'the Messi of the sands.' Ott did not disappoint and was joint top scorer in the competition alongside Paraguay's Pedro Moran and Portugal's Madjer.
When it comes to individuals, nobody deserves Portugal's victory more than Angolan-born Madjer, who is truly a case apart in the history of the sport. Born Joao Victor Saraiva, he took his nickname from his sporting idol Rabah Madjer, author of the audacious back-heel winner in FC Porto's European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich in 1987.
Coming into the tournament with an incredible record of 79 goals in the six previous World Cups he'd taken part in (more than double the number of his most direct rivals, Brazilians Bruno and Andre) the Portugal captain has now emulated his hero by etching his name into Portuguese football folklore.
At 38, Madjer again showcased he incredible talents with the ball on a beach, and it was apt he got things off to an explosive start in the final by finding the Tahiti net just three seconds into the game. In the quarterfinals he scored what Portugal's major football website Maisfutebol had self-effacingly called the best goal ever scored in beach football against Switzerland. (Fast forward to 1:14 for that stunning strike.)
Madjer is a timeless figure in the world of beach soccer, winning two World Cups after appearing in six tournaments.
It was Madjer's second World Cup winners' medal alongside the 40-year-old Alan; the pair were the only surviving players who had helped win Portugal's first Beach Soccer World Cup way back in 2001. Both scored in that final against France, and both did so again against Tahiti, Alan making sure of the victory with a delightful lob in the closing seconds of the game.
That sumptuous goal brought a suitable level of finesse to a memorable event, and will have been especially appreciated by the thousands of fans who had queued up for hours early on Sunday morning to make sure they had tickets for the 3,500-capacity stadium.
'This was our goal. We did it!' said Portugal's Coimbra in the post-match interview. 'After so much effort, dedication and hard work over years, training in the rain, under the sun, in the cold, it feels so good to win here, in front of our own fans -- it's marvellous.'
Wearing an ear-to-ear smile, Madjer backed up his teammate. 'We are like a family. This is a well-deserved title.'
Portugal's triumph elicited messages of congratulations from the country's government and president, no less, while the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), perhaps still stung from ferocious criticism in the wake of Portugal's meek performance in last summer's Brazil World Cup on grass, was keen to milk the success on sand for all it was worth. FPF head Fernando Gomes did not tire of pointing out that it was Portugal's first senior FIFA football trophy won in 101 years of the history of the federation.
Pointing out that the tournament was held under the aegis of the disgraced world governing body for football was perhaps not the best policy given that several all-too-familiar problems were the only blemishes on an otherwise highly successful event. Owners of local bars and cafes near the venue had complained at being forced to forsake selling traditional beers and even having to cover up advertising for competitors of official sponsors' products once the infamous FIFA bubble rolled into town.
But, in spite of FIFA, the message from a memorable two weeks was loud and clear. This is a beautiful game that inexorably has a huge future.