STORE 
MY BEACH SOCCER 
Four friendly matches were played in Espinho stadium including locals, Madjer, Belchior, other Portuguese stars and women’s selections
Victor Baia and Friends score in last minute to defeat Madjer’s side
The two sides did not lack any skill or intensity as they began the match with a number of great touches and passes but the goalies were not initially tested. The first goal came on the head of the Victor Baia side, giving team Baia the 1-0 lead going into the heart of the frame. Madjer took it upon himself to turn things around, but not as you would expect, instead of scoring, the beach soccer legend tried to turn distributor but the change of style did not lead to any goals for Madjer’s side and the frame ended with the Victor Baia Friends up 2-0 thanks to a late goal. Madjer Friends quickly rebounded and tied the score at 2-all early in the second 12 minutes of the match. The two sides handed each other one more goal in the frame and the middle period ended tied at 3-all.
Nothing was decided when the last period came around and the two teams were trying to hide their competitive nature, but it still came out as neither side wanted to lose or give an inch. The biggest names, Belchior, Torres, and Madjer, were mainly satisfied with setting things up for their teammates but in the last period they began taking more chances and looking for the deciding goal but going into the heart of the frame, it had not come for either side. That did not last long with the sides again exchanging goals, as if to say, anything you can do, I can do better, and the match went into the final minutes tied at 4. Nearly the last shot and opportunity proved to be the deciding goal as a header, like the first goal of the match, put Victor Baia and Friends up for good at 6-5.
Madjer and Friends had a stacked line-up with Madjer, Luis Borges, Belchior, Coimbra, Raminhos, Cabrerizo, Gaidao, Melissa Antunes, Ana Azevedo, and Naea. The winning side had just as many stars, including: Victor Baia, Neide, Cardinal, Ukra, Hugo Sousa, Rui Dias, Bilro, Torres, Francisco Mendez, and Josue.
Swiss Women silence Portuguese crowd in big win
As far as Women’s beach soccer goes, there is not a better rivalry between two of the best teams the sport has to offer and Espinho was able to witness this epic clash between Portugal and Switzerland. The sides exchanged possession and shots but it was the Portuguese side who struck first, in the closing minutes of the first period, to take a 1-0 lead into the first break. The middle frame had just as much action but even more goals as the frame ended with the Swiss Ladies up 2-1. Switzerland stayed in command of the match and scored their third goal of the day, to go up 3-1, but a hat-trick for Plüss moved the score to 4-1 for Switzerland, which was followed shortly after by the fifth Swiss goal, leaving the score at 5-1 when the last whistle sounded. The win for the Swiss added fuel to the fire that is the women´s rivalry between the Portuguese and the Swiss. The matches’ leading scorer Daniela Plüss went on to say, “It felt great to play so well as a team especially against a team we have played and even at our home in Switzerland. I had a feeling that we would have an even better game today.” The result shows that the hard-work, mentally and physically, paid off.
1-0: Marques, min. 3 (1); 1-1: Plüss, min. 6 (2); 1-2: Plüss, min. 5 (2); 1-3: Genovesi, min. 9 (3); 1-4: Plüss, min. 2 (3); 1-5: Maurer, min. 1 (3).
In addition to the two friendlies, there were two earlier exciting games. The first two matches on this day of action at the Espinho Stadium at the Praia da Baía were the kind of games that inspire fans. The first match had two fiery sides refuse to quit until Fiaes SC earned their victory in penalties, after three periods and extra frame ended tied at 6-6. The second match from the local teams was U-20 and was just as exciting and energetic as the first, even going into overtime, but it was CD Estarreja who clawed their way to a 1-0 victory.
