Flashing prologues to the EBSL in Italy & Russia

The Copa Italia 2012 and the preliminary round for the Russian National Championship crown Viareggio and Crystal St. Petersburg

Two National competitions focused the attention in the Beach Soccer Panorama, last weekend: The Coppa Italia Enel 2012 and the Qualifying stage for the Russia National Beach Soccer Championship. Together with these two, the Swiss National League experienced its second stage, held in Emmen.

The first of these competitions, the Coppa Italia 2012 Beach Soccer, stands as the starting signal of the Italian National Beach Soccer Season. This year, the tournament, involving 8 teams in a two-group + final structure took place in Viareggio, Tuscany, with the hosts claiming the cup after bending Catania in a thrilling final. Banking on a completely Italian-built squad, the bianco-neri bent the Sicialian side, powered with the likes of Portuguese Belchior, Brazilians Rafinha, Juninho and Fred or Argentinean captain Luciano Franceschini.

The solidness of the Viareggian squad, banking on six Azzurri internationals (Gori, Marinai, Palma, Ramacciotti, De Tullio and Marrucci), was too tough to cope with for the talented Catanian squad, who, despite counting on competition’s top scorer Belchior (14 goals) saw Gori manage the winner by late third period in the final held at the Darsena de Viareggio. Now, the National Beach Soccer Competition stops in Italy for two weeks, with Terracina hosting as of this Friday the first stage of the Euro Beach Soccer League.

Crystal jumps onto Russian Championship, together with CSKA Moscow

Some kilometers northwards, in Saint Petersburg, Crystal clinched the cup in the Russian National Beach Soccer Championship Preliminary Round. Brilliantly driven by Brazilian duo Bruno Xavier and Jorginho, the hosts edged CSKA Moscow in the final of this qualifying leg. Despite the defeat in the decision, the Muscovite side had already secured, together with Krystal, their berth in this 2012’s Russian National Championship.

COPPA ITALIA ENEL 2012 – RESULTS

31 May 2012
Viareggio-Canalicchio Catania 11-3
Catania-Clodiense 18-0
Active Network Colosseum-Friuli B.S. 4-0
Terracina-Alma Juve Fano 6-2
Belpassese-Panarea Catanzaro 3-5

1 June 2012
Clodiense – Alma Juventus Fano 0-15
Terracina – Belpassese 9-4
Colosseum – Lamezia Terme 7-4
Catania – Panarea Catanzaro 5-3
Viareggio – Mare di Roma 8-1

2 June 2012
Friuli-Clodiense 9-1
Alma Juve Fano – Canalicchio Catania 5-6
Lamezia Terme – Panarea Catanzaro 0-6
Belpassese – Mare di Roma 8-4
Active Network Colosseum – Catania 4-5
Terracina – Viareggio 5-6

3 June 2012
11°-12° Place: Alma Juventus Fano – Clodiense 9-1
9°-10° Place: Friuli – Canalicchio Catania 2-9
7°-8° Place: Lamezia Terme – Mare di Roma 3-4
5°-6° Place: Panarea Catanzaro – Belpassese 5-2
3°-4° Place: Active Network Colosseum – Terracina 4-3
FINAL: Catania – Viareggio 7-8

RUSSIA BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 – Preliminary Round

WINNER – Crystal (St. Petersburg)
SECOND PLACE – CSKA (Moscow)
Both of them are qualified for the Russian National Beach Soccer League

Results:

Group A:
1. Spartak (Moscow) 7pt.
2. Keystone (St. Petersburg) 5pt.
3. Sputnik (Samara) 3pt.
4. Eleks-Favorit 0pt.

Group B:
1. Crystal (St. Petersburg) 9pt.
2. CSKA (Moscow) 6pt.
3. Podvodnik 2pt.
4. FC CITY (St. Petersburg) 0pt.

Semi Finals
Spartak Moscow – CSKA Moscow 4:5 (2:1, 2:1, 0:2, 0:1)
Crystal (St. Petersburg) – Keystone (St. Petersburg) 8:4 (2:3, 3:0, 3:1)

3/4 place: Keystone (St. Petersburg) – Spartak (Moscow) 1:0 (1:0, 0:0, 0:0)
FINAL: CSKA – Crystal 3:5 (0:0, 1:2, 2:3)