Braga, Kristall, Sporting, Catania, Alanya and GWP Cservy finish on nine points as first teams exit Euro Winners Cup
It’s the end of the road for nine teams as they fail to pick up enough points to make it to the knockout stages of the continental showdown in Nazaré.
The majority of Tuesday’s victories were won by a single goal as slimmest of margins saw teams qualify for the next round. They now await the results of the draw that takes place tonight in Nazaré, to see who they will meet in the head-to-heads.
SC Braga, BSC Kristall, Sporting, Catania, Alanyas Belediye and GWP Cservy didn’t drop a single point in the group stages, while BSC Vybor and Casa Benfica de Loures also go undefeated in the to cruise into the knockout round as group winners.
In the Euro Winners Challenge, only first-timers Sesimbra and the two Moscow sides, Lokomotiv and CSKA, remain unbeaten. The final day of group games the will be played tomorrow.
Click here for all of today’s matches and highlights.
EURO WINNERS CUP
Group A
BS Egmond suffered a final defeat to FC Baggio, as the Finnish side took the game by five goals to three. It was enough to see the Dutch crash out of the competition, despite having won a game from the penalty spot earlier in the tournament.
The local side were the last to play, and they put up a tough fight against GWP Bodon-Cservy BSC, with Pablo scoring a hat-trick. But the Hungarian reprehensive in the Euro Winners Cup sealed a perfect group performance, seeing off each opponent in normal time.
They now await the results of the draw to see who their next target will be…
Group B
SC Braga continued their winning streak in front of a packed stadium, but only managed to score two against BSC Spartak Moscow, as Brazil star Bruno Xavier and Leo Martins found the net in the second period.
It was enough though and as a result they finish top of Group B, while the Moscovites finish in second. The battle for the final spot in the knockout round was fought between Linden City (Latvia) and Chargers Baselland (Switzerland).
The Swiss were extremely close to being taken to extra time by the Latvians side, as a tight 6-5 scoreline secured qualification for the Chargers.
Group C
Sporting CP faced a real test against an FC Delta side who, fresh from a solid display in the Russian league, took the game right to the wire. Even with the support of the home crowd spurring them on they suffered a lot and just managed to close the game out by five goals to four.
A final win in the bag, Sporting ended the group in first place, with Delta behind them in second.
The second game had more at stake, as the loser of the match between MFC Spartak and SK Augur Enemat would exit the Eur Winners Cup. What started as a tight match soon got away from the Czechs as MFC Spartak scored nine to claim qualification to the next round.
Group D
BSC Kristall’s final day in the groups didn’t get off to the best start, as the Russian champions fell behind to a Dinamo Batumi goal. They equalised before the first whistle but it wasn’t until the second period that they took the lead.
With just three minutes on the clock they managed to find the goals that they had threaten throughout the match, and Dinamo were knocked out of the running for the Euro Winners Cup by a 5-1 victory.
In a crucial game for them, Belarus side Grodnooblsport achieved a late comeback against CD Nacional to grab themselves a last-minute spot in the knockout round, winning the match 4-5.
Group E
Copenhagen BSC ran SK Bosnia Online EU Teplice close in what turned out to be their last game in Nazaré, as the Czechs just clinched victory by four goals to three.
As a result, this year’s Euro Winners dream ends here for Danes, with SK Bosnia join the already-qualified Artur Music and Catania in the next round.
The Italian and Ukrainian sides met to settle the small matter of first place before turning their attention to tomorrow’s head-to-heads.
Catania just stole the match with a sixth goal after a gripping tie featuring some of the biggest names in beach soccer, including Gabriele Gori, who scored goal number nine of the tournament and currently leads the race for top scorer.
Group F
FC Euroformat-Bodon had missed out on penalties yesterday, but a win against KP Lodz today would see them move into pole position in Group F.
The match was close but the Ukrainians took an early lead, extended by an unlucky KP Lodz own goal. In the end, they managed to hold off the challengers to take a 4-3 win
There was heartbreak for Eastleigh Spitfires whose last hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages were crushed by Grande Motte Pyramide BS, who put six past the English to finish the group stage in third place.
Group G
Casa Benfica Loures stormed into the lead against Atlas AO in their final game in Group G, and were leading 7-4 with one period to go.
But the Greek side fought back to make it 8-8 and earn extra time. It was the Portuguese that found that extra goal to close the game out with a minute on the clock and maintain their, so far, unbeaten record.
The other match in the group was even tighter, when Boca Gdansk and CD Bala Azul went all the way to the penalty spot to decide between the teams, and it was the Polish who held their metal to clinch second place.
The three top finishers will play in the knockout stages while the 2019 Euro Winners story ends here for Atlas AO.
Group H
Levante took an early lead against Alanya Belediyespor thanks to a brace from Edu Suarez and a Guisado strike. But the game was tight from the kick-off and two from Stankovic and one from Cem Keskin made it level.
The Turkish side edged their Spanish counterparts by four goals to three, when a late strike from Yasin made all the difference.
At the other end of the group, Cartel Waterloo had a scare as Rostocker Robben surged back into the match having fallen behind. But the Belgians held on to the lead and secured their place in the next round. After failing to pick up points, the Germans are out of the tournament.
Group I
Yesil Ercis Belediye Spor Kulubu fell behind very early on against BSC Vybor, allowing the Ukrainians to build up a 1-5 lead. They found their form in the end, but that damage had already been done.
With the win in the bag, the Turkish side went level on points with the participants of the group’s second game, in which CS Djoker mounted an incredible comeback against Spanish side, CF La Nucía, picking up their first three points.
All of the Group I members make it through to the head-to-heads, as it was the only group to see each team pick up three points.
EURO WINNERS CHALLENGE GROUPS
Group J
The winning streak of Alfarim was cut short by a persistent CF Chelas squad, who beat the competition debutants by eight goals to six, meaning that the two Portuguese teams both sit on three points going into the final day of the Group J matches.
BSC Lokomotiv, however, did manage to preserve the run and handed a seven-goal thumping to Costa de Caparica to sit in a comfortable first place going into the final day of the Euro Winners Challenge groups.
Chelas face another Portuguese rival tomorrow when they take on Costa de Caparica, while Alfarim will confront their toughest challenge of the competition so far, when the go up against the best player in the world and the rest BSC Lokomotiv Moscow.
Group K
Alongside countrymen, Alfarim, GD Sesimbra are another debutant team who have impressed so far in the time in Nazaré, picking up back-to-back wins, clinching the latest against AD Buarcos today.
It was close though, and their five goals were just enough to put them on equal points with CSKA Moscow, who beat Greeks, AO Kefallinia, by an emphatic 12 goals to three.
In the final day of Euro Winners Challenge group matches, someone’s winning run will end when Sesimbra meet CSKA, and AD Buarcos will battle Kefallinia for third place.
Remember that all games on pitches 1, 2 and 3 will be streamed live at beachsoocer.com/live!
Stay up-to-date on all of the action from the Euro Winners Challenge, Women’s Euro Winners Cup and Euro Winners Cup on the Beach Soccer Worldwide website!
https://beachsoccer.com/events/women-s-euro-winners-cup-nazare-2019
https://beachsoccer.com/events/euro-winners-cup-nazare-2019
https://beachsoccer.com/events/euro-winners-challenge-2019
