Two big Champions have faced in the opening game of the Euro Beach Soccer League stage in The Hague. Russia and Switzerland have clashed in a great match of this exciting last league stage, in which precisely the three previous champions of this season’s stages are involved, together with Romania. This time, the Swiss took the points, revenging the defeat they suffered in last week’s combat, in which Russia got the third place in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier played in Bibione (Italy)
At the end of a leveled first period, in which both contenders had their chances, it was Russian number six, Shishin, the one to get his team ahead. But the number six in the other side, Leu, would not allow this first 12 minutes to end being Switzerland down in the score, and raised the equalizer with a long distance shot that the Russian goalkeeper could brush with his fingertips, but not enough to prevent the ball in.
With two of the best teams in the world facing each other, the game left no room for any concentration mistake. Any little mistake could mean receiving a goal, but, at the same time, scoring a goal could mean nothing, due to the powder of the opponent. And this is what kept happening all the time. And always in the same way. Russia achieved to step forward again, but immediately Switzerland neutralized the distance.
Things changed a little bit at the beginning of the third quarter, when Schirinzi would take his team one goal up for the first time in the match, thanks to an impeccably executed penalty kick. This gave way to a new game, with the Russian being now the ones looking upstairs. The Swiss knew how to counteract it. There was no other way than to keep attacking. And so they did, with brilliant results. First, Angelo Schirinzi, after a superb ball control, and Rodrigues, afterwards, gave the match real Alpine colour. Shishin could only shorten the distance, but it was too big at that time.
Goals: 1-0: Shishin, min. 1 (1); 1-1: Leu, min 0 (1); 2-1: Makarov, min. 4 (2); 2-2: Leu, min. 2 (2); 3-2: Shakhmelyan, min. 2 (2); 3-3: Kaspar, min. 1 (3); 3-4: Schirinzi, min. 11 (3); 3-5: Schirinzi, min. 4 (3); 3-6: Rodrigues, min. 2 (3); 4-6: Shishin, min. 2 (3).
