The St. Petersburg club remain undefeated after the four matches in Saratov
Round 1 of the Russian Beach Soccer Championships came to an end in Saratov on Sunday as Kristall edged a thrilling final-day match against Spartak Moscow to remain undefeated in the league this season.
The opening stage of the 2021 league was played from 19 to 23 May at the Ice Sports Palace in Saratov, Russia.
Kristall opened their account against CSKA on Wednesday, who they beat 8-6. Krylia Sovetov were the next to fall by four goals to one, then came a 6-0 thumping of Delta and an exciting final-day meeting against Spartak saw Schirinzi’s men struggle but eventually walk away with all three points.
The current European champions sit top of the table on 12 points while Spartak are in second after dropping essential points at the penalty spot in the Moscow derby.
The defending champions, Lokomotiv Moscow are in need of points in the coming rounds if they are to catch up with their rivals and challenge to retain their national title, having won two and lost two in Saratov.
Level with them on six points is Delta, while Lex have five and CSKA and Krylia Sovetov share the space at the bottom of the table, after having won one match each.
Kristall finished in third place in the previous edition of the Russian league, but went on to win both the Euro Winners Cup and the Russian Cup later in the 2020 season, and Angelo Schirinzi’s squad have shown their intent on reclaiming the Russian Beach Soccer Championship.
Lokomotiv Moscow’s Boris Nikonorov is currently leading the scoring charts with seven goals, while his teammate Zemskov is one behind with six.
The next stage of the Russia Beach Soccer Championships will be played from 2 – 6 June in St. Petersburg.
FIXTURES
19/05
Kristall 8-6 CSKA
Spartak 5-2 Krylia Sovetov
Lokomotiv 3-5 Delta
20/05
Krylia Sovetov 5-6 Lex
Spartak 4(3)-(1)4 Lokomotiv
CSKA 3-7 Delta
21/05
Lokomotiv 8-4 CSKA
Kristall 4-1 Krylia Sovetov
Delta 4-5 Lex *AET
22/05
Krylia Sovetov 4-5 CSKA
Spartak 4-3 Lex
Delta 0-6 Kristall
23/05
Lex 2-8 Lokomotiv
Spartak 3-4 Kristall
Delta 2-3 Krylia Sovetov
STANDINGS
1st – Kristall
2nd – Spartak
3rd – Delta
4th – Lokomotiv
5th – Lex
6th – CSKA
7th – Krylia Sovetov
For full details on the Russian Beach Soccer Championship visit bsrussia.com.
