When you find yourself a goal down in extra time at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ and need someone to save the day, who do you turn to?

Right now, there may be no better option than the RFU’s Alexey Makarov, who is making a habit of saving his team in their hour of need.

Need someone to score a vital equaliser in the third-place match at Paraguay 2019? Leave it to Makarov. Want someone to lead your team in their first World Cup final in 2011 and weigh in with two goals? That’s a job for Makarov. Or someone to eke out an equaliser in a tight semi-final against hosts Tahiti at the 2013 World Cup? No problem for Makarov.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the 34-year-old Muscovite has already scored two extra-time goals in the current edition. The first earned the RFU a 5-4 victory in a difficult match against USA on Thursday. Makarov then scored twice on Saturday, the second another extra-time goal, saving his team from defeat and taking the game to penalties.

Makarov by no means considers himself a hero, however. "I had no other choice. If I hadn't scored when I did, we'd be going home already. Someone had to do it," he tells FIFA.com with a smile. "You have to harness your inner potential to change the course of matches. Today, I scored an important goal; tomorrow, someone else will."

The first two matches of this edition were far less straightforward for the RFU than was expected of the two-time world champions.

Three points courtesy of an extra-time win over USA and a penalty shootout victory over Paraguay have not yet secured Mikhail Likhachev's team a place in the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, Makarov exudes calmness and optimism – exactly how a team leader should be in such a situation.

"The first match is never easy. First, you feel the pressure of fans' expectations. After all, a home World Cup is a special event. Second, you always need some time to get a feel for the stadium and the sand.

"After the first goal against Paraguay, we should have finished the first period well, scored three or four goals and calmly seen the match out according to our game plan. However, we conceded and eventually went behind, requiring us to put in extra effort and draw on other resources," said Makarov.

The vastly experienced Makarov has scored over 180 times in his 14-year career with the national team, but which does he consider his most important goal? "I think it has to be the one I scored against USA on Thursday, given the way the game was shaping up and how important it was to win our first fixture as hosts."

Makarov turned 34 on Friday, but any celebrations are on hold for now, as he and his team-mates focus solely on a successful World Cup run. Moreover, they are truly enjoying this celebration of beach soccer in Russia. "Our impressions of the tournament are great. The atmosphere is brilliant. You can see how much the fans love it here and how happy they are in the fan zones. The matches will also be hard-fought and very entertaining. For me, the Brazil - Switzerland match was the most memorable so far." The most important matches, however, are still to come, meaning that the RFU will be relying on their leader to score more crucial goals in the days ahead.