Hosts and Catania take nine points in opening stage of 2019 Italian beach soccer league
After kicking off the season with perfect campaigns in the first stage of the 2019 Aon Serie A, Domusbet Catania and Viareggio are in pole position in the Italian beach soccer league, which this year celebrates its 16th edition.
The event was also a special one for the Azzurri number six Simone Marinai, who hit his hundredth goal for his hometown club of Viareggio.
With the arrival of summer, beach soccer has returned to Italy, and the first stage of the Aon Serie A, the official Figc-Lega Nazionale Amateur Championship, ended this year in Viareggio.
The 20 teams have come together to do battle over the past three days (14 –16 June) on the sand of the Matteo Valenti Beach Stadium.
The location is now symbolic of the Beach Soccer LND, and the Tuscan stage has returned to Viareggio for the 14th time.
“The appointment in Viareggio has confirmed the excellent level of our championship” commented Roberto Desini, the coordinator of the Beach Soccer Department. “We have witnessed quality and balanced matches, there has been no shortage of twists. It is the confirmation that the reform works. The two Poules ensure spectacle with games with uncertain outcomes. I thank the local promoters for their commitment to the best success of this stage that brought so many people to the arena.”
The stage also welcomed a very recognisable spectator, the Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who is a Beach Soccer fan, accompanied by Andrea Ferrari, a member of the Viareggio BS technical staff.
In the Poule Scudetto, hosts Viareggio picked up nine points out of nine, in the process winning their derby against Pisa. Domusbet Catania, fresh from competing with Europe’s best in the Euro Winners Cup in Nazaré, also enjoyed a perfect campaign.
The protagonists of the stage were the two Azzurri strikers, Zurlo, who scored 12 for Catania, and Gori, who scored 9 for Viareggio.
Despite their loss to the hosts, two wins for Pisa saw them beat Terracina for the first time in three years. Napoli and Happy Car Samb also took six points.
In the Poule Promotion, Vastese and Sicily saw off each of their promotion hopeful rivals to finish the stage on nine points each.
Poule Scudetto – Ranking:
9 points – Domusbet Catania, Viareggio
6 points – Pisa, Naples, Happy Car Samb
3 points – Terracina, Palazzolo *
0 points – Canalicchio Ct, Ecosistem Cz, GLS Due Mari
Poule Promotion – Ranking:
9 points – Vastese, Sicily
6 points – Cagliari, Romagna, No Name Neptune
4 points – Genoa
0 points – Atletico Licata, Virtus Entella, Città di Milano *
-3 points – Bari *
* penalty of 3 points for not participating in the Italian Cup
RESULTS
June 14
Poule Scudetto
Domusbet Catania 9-2 -Palazzolo
Canalicchio Ct 2-10 -Napoli
Terracina 5-6 Pisa
Viareggio 15-1 GLS Due Mari
Happy Car Samb 10-4 Ecosistem Cz
Poule Promotion
Bari 6-8 Vastese
Genoa 2-5 No Name Neptune
Cagliari 8-5 Atletico Licata
Sicily 6-4 Città di Milano
Virtus Entella 5-6 Romagna
June 15
Poule Scudetto
Palazzolo 4-3 Happy Car Samb
GLS Due Mari 2-4 Terracina
Napoli 2-9 DomusBet Catania
Ecosistem Cz 3-10 Viareggio
Pisa 11-2 Canalicchio Ct
Poule Promotion
Genoa 5-3 Atletico Licata
Cagliari 5-2 Bari
Sicily 5-4 Virtus Entella
Città di Milano 4-5 Vastese
No Name Nettuno 7-2 Romagna
June 16
Poule Scudetto
GLS Due Mari 3-10 Palazzolo
Canalicchio Ct 3-20 Catania
Pisa 3-5 Viareggio
Napoli 11-3 Ecosistem Cz
Terracina 2-4 Happy Car Samb
Poule Promotion
Vastese 4-3 Cagliari
Atletico Licata 2-5 Sicily
Romagna 8-3 Bari
Città di Milano 5-4 No Name Neptune
Virtus Entella 5(1)-(2)5 Genoa *PSO
For more information on the Aon Serie A head the to beachsoccer.lnd.it
