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MY BEACH SOCCER 
First teams secure Group Phase II, as Germany, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Russia earn first points at the European Qualifier in Jesolo
Romania makes a strong statement in opening win
The 4-2 win for Romania over Hungary was very back-and-forth as Romania took an early lead, succumbed to the Hungarian comeback ability, and then took command again for the late push, which propelled them to the victory. Hungary put themselves in a small hole early, which they got out of but they expended too much energy in the rally that they did not have enough for the late game push they needed. Romania now sits atop the group going into their next match against Austria on Monday. Hungary will take on Poland on Monday, in hopes of getting back on track.
The near connection on the opening kick-off was just the beginning of close calls from both sides. Timely defense kept the score level at 0 heading into the final minutes, as there had been plenty of chances of none found the goalie on the wrong side of the ball. Romania did well to strike first and send the Hungarians rolling as Raj of the Tricolorii hit in the first goal of the match. Hungary continually went on the hunt for the equalizer but in the opening frame they were unable to find it and after 1, the game was 1-0 for Romania. The tables turned in the second period as the Magyar scored their first on a goal from Abel. Shortly after that, Simonyi struck a beautiful bicycle kick from an acute angle to tie the proceedings at two. Romania did not want to give up their lead that easily and quickly responded to go up again at 3-2, and that is how the second period would end, with Romania up.
The game had a next goal wins kind of feel as Hungary could have tied the match and controlled all the momentum, while Romania could take a two goal lead and with how they maintained their hold on the defense, and that lead would be more than suffice. The Romanians took advantage first as their star, Maci, scored his first of the match and put his side up by two at 4-2. Hungary stayed with a pressure first mind-set but Romania had all the answers and their goalkeeping was nothing to scoff at, using diving acrobatics to secure the 4-2 win.
Goals: 1-0: Raj, min. 3 (1); 2-0: Boata, min. 11 (2); 2-1: Abel, min. 7 (2); 2-2: Simonyi, min. 4 (2); 3-2: I. Poste, min. 4 (2); 4-2: Maci, min. 8 (3);
England pulls away late to earn spot in Group Phase II
England’s 6-5 win was so up and down that riding a roller coaster would have been more calming. England took an early two goal lead, but like Moldova had done the day before against Italy, they battled back and tied the match at two. Unlike Friday, Moldova played hard enough to take the lead but England did just enough on offense and defense to hold off the Moldovans. Moldova played much better in this match, than against Italy, but in the end, their mistakes were too many to completely overcome. England will next face Italy on Sunday in hopes of claiming the top spot in the group. Moldova will take on Greece on Sunday, looking to earn their first win of the qualifier.
England wanted to strike first and build on their big win yesterday against Greece, so that they could put Moldova on their heels. No goals were scored early but England did complete their first hope of the match and scored first, on a long and low bobbling shot from Mitchell. Moldova put themselves in a very defensive and when they were not in possession of the ball they were content to sit back and block England’s attempts on goal. Corbett doubled the English lead when Lawson struck a great overhead kick across the face of goal that he put in just before the opening period ended, leaving England up 2-0 at the first break. Early in the middle period, their defense first mentality was replaced with an attack and pressure tactic. It helped produced many more shots on goal, however no other goals were scored early on in the period. In the closing minutes of the second period Moldova was rewarded for their efforts with a great picturesque goal that was slotted home after a wonderful cross, to pull Moldova within 2-1. With the comeback trail started, Moldova’s confidence grew and they score another two quick goals to go up 3-2 and they would take that lead into the final period after a flurry of English chances went squandered in the final seconds.
Moldova nearly added to their lead on the opening restart in the final period, but England managed to save it off the line and then the Three Lions pushed their offense but were thwarted multiple times in the opening minutes. The first score of the period was scored by the English as all of their attacking finally paid off and they scored the equalizer on a free kick in a dangerous area, from Corbett, his second of the game, to tie the match at 3 going into the middle of the period. England’s Clarke gave his side the lead again at 4-3, on a penalty kick, but on the following restart, Negara scored his second of the match to tie the game at 4 going into the all-decisive final minutes. Day, who had been quiet all match, showed up at the perfect time to give his team the lead once again, this time at 5-4. Day was not finished with his late game heroics as he netted another, in the same minute, to put his side up by two as the final minutes were ticking away. Moldova added another late goal, this one from Podlesnov, to get back within one goal but it was not enough as England was up 6-5 when the final buzzer sounded.
Goals: 1-0: Mitchell, min. 8 (1); 2-0: Corbett, min. 0 (1); 2-1: Negara, min. 4 (2); 2-2: Baesu, min. 2 (2); 2-3: Baesu, min. 1 (2); 3-3: Corbett, min. 8 (3); 4-3: Clarke, min. 4 (3); 4-4: Negara, min. 4 (3); 5-4: Day, min. 3 (3); 6-4: Day, min. 3 (3); 6-5: Podlesnov, min. 1 (3).
Germany starts slow to avoid upset loss to Norway
Germany’s 3-2 win over Norway may have looked on paper like there should have been a different result, however Norway controlled proceedings for much of the match, and held the lead for long stretches of time. Germany found their rhythm late in the match and was very happy to escape with a win in their opening match. Germany will face Latvia on Monday, hoping to stay atop the group and secure their advance to the Group Phase II round. Norway will look for their first win against a tough Ukraine side on Monday.
Norway did not show any signs of intimidation from the Division A side as they played evenly through more than half the opening period and even played better heading into the middle of the frame. The Norwegian diligence paid off when Kandal struck home a long-range shot for the first goal of the match. Germany turned on their offensive abilities shortly after Norway’s goal and scored an excellent goal from Olli, to tie the score at 1, which is how the period would end. The Vikings continued to put shots on goal and kept the Germans on the defensive, which paid off again, this time in the opening minutes of middle frame, with a goal from Salveson off of a corner, to make the score 2-1 for Norway. Germany looked to be in control but the goals were not coming and even their very close and dangerous kicks were saved or hitting the posts. The only goal of the period was the one for Norway and the frame ended with the Norwegians up 2-1.
Germany struck first in the final frame, and it was an extremely important goal that brought the two sides level again for the first time since the opening minutes of the second period. Kandal, the goalkeeper for Norway played out of this world in the closing minutes of the middle frame and beginning of the third, to keep his team in proceedings by saving nearly every shot. The kinks in the Norway defense began to show as the goalie could not stop everything that got through. The match ended with Germany still up 3-2.
Goals: 0-1: Kandal, min. 5 (1); 1-1: Ollie, min. 4 (1); 1-2: Salveson, min. 9 (2); 2-2: Ollie, 8 (3); 3-2: Weirauch, min. 5 (3).
Poland earn important opening victory over Austria
Poland´s 7-5 victory over Austria was important on many levels; firstly, it gave them three points in their first match in group play, which will be very important in securing their advancement to the Group Phase II and eventually the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015. Secondly, it was the 150th international cap for Boguslaw Saganowski. The man with extraordinary scoring ability did not disappoint as he slotted home two goals for his Polish team in this monumental appearance. Poland will next face Hungary on Monday, looking to seal their advancement to the next round. Austria played admirably and will need to build on this to defeat Romania on Monday.
Austria and Poland both wanted to impose their will in the early going, in fact both did. First, Poland seemed in control, especially after a Friszkemut goal, but then the Wunderteam responded with two quick goals of their own to take the 2-1 lead. Poland regained their wits and struck again to tie the match at 2, thanks to Ziober’s strike. The Polish legend, Saganowski, put his mark on the game to put his team up 3-2, but Austria did not mind fighting from behind as Trauner scored his second of the match to level the score at 3 heading into the first break. Poland went up for the third time on the day with another spectacular shot from Ziober, which made the score 4-3, advantage Poland. Like they had done all game, Austria clawed back and leveled things at 4 with an amazing full field distribution straight to a bicycle kick. Once again, the Polish side took a lead and this time was from a powerful direct kick from Saganowski, his second on the day, to put the score at 5-4 for the White and Reds going into the last period.
Poland piled up the threats but in the opening minutes of the final period neither side hit the back of the net. The Polish needed a score to feel more comfortable about the pesky Austrian squad, and that insurance goal came in the closing minutes of the match, to make the score 6-4 in favour of Poland. The Polish comfort did not last a minute as Steinbeiss of Austria scored his first goal on a one-timer, to get within 6-5. Friszkemut finally delivered the last dagger in the final minute, scoring his third of the match to seal the 7-5 victory for Poland.
Goals: 0-1: Friszkemut, min. 8 (1); 1-1: Abraham, min. 8 (1); 2-1: Trauner, min. 7 (1); 2-2: Ziober, min. 5 (1); 2-3: Saganowski, min. 2 (1); 3-3: Trauner, min. 2 (1); 3-4: Ziober, min. 8 (2); 4-4: Peterstorfer, min. 2 (2); 4-5: Saganowski, min. 0 (2); 4-6: Friszkemut, min. 4 (3); 5-6: Steinbeiss, min. 4 (3); 5-7: Friszkemut, min. 0 (3).
Ukraine grabs 3 points after escaping a tough Latvia side
The 4-1 win for Ukraine was much closer than the three goal difference indicates as Latvia refused to go away and were great on team defense and goalkeeping as they limited the Ukrainian team that looked to be much better on paper than the Latvians but as is the case with most beach soccer matches, anything can happen. The Ukrainian win keeps them on pace with Germany for the top of the group. The Blue and Yellows will next face Norway on Monday. Latvia will take on Germany on Monday in hopes of getting their offense rolling and securing their first points and win of the qualifier.
Ukraine did not want a letdown against a competitive Latvia side, so they put a strong emphasis on early offense and it did not take long to pay off as they scored first and in the opening minutes to send Latvia reeling . The Izlase did not flinch and created shots of their own that very nearly became a handful of goals, but they did connect in the final minutes of the period to tie the score at 1 apiece, which is how the opening frame would end. Ukraine began the second period even more aggressive than n the first but much like then, the shots were not falling. Latvia was unable to mount a very formidable attack of their own as Ukraine remained in complete control heading into the final period, although the score was still tied at 1-all.
Latvia was still looking for their signature goal or a sniff of the net but they were unable to get dangerously close. Ukraine was unlucky in love with their offense prowess going unrequited, although they did net their first goal of the period, and first of the match since the opening frame, when Borsuk A. scored to put the Blue and Yellows up 2-1. Latvia slowly began to open up their offense, and started putting some pressure on their opponents’ defense. The added attacks did not equate to the equalizing goal. The up tempo offense from Latvia led to some leaks in the defense and Ukraine scored a great goal from Zborovskyi to pad their slim one goal lead. Pachev made sure the game was out of reach for Latvia and scored his teams’ fourth goal and that was enough as the whistle sounded with Ukraine up 4-1.
Goals: 0-1: Korniichuk, min. 10 (1); 1-1: Kepa, min. 2 (1); 1-2: Borsuk A, min. 8 (3); 1-3: Zborovskyi, min. 3 (3); 1-4: Pachev, min. 2 (3).
Russia wills itself to victory over Turkey
The 3-1 victory for Russia over Turkey was a spectacular match that could have gone both ways, and nearly did. The two squads played to the top of their ability on both sides of the ball, but the Russian poise and experience was too much for the Turkish team to overcome. Russia went up early but could not hold the lead for long, before taking the lead for good in the final frame. The win for Russia has them on pace to still win the group, as they are now tied for Belarus for the top of the group and will face them on Sunday to decide the winner of Group B. Turkey played two of the closest matches you can play without winning and are now eliminated from the qualifier.
If the Russians thought that they could cruise the competition since they are two-time defending World Cup and European champions, they were rudely awaken by the early defense that the Turkish squad presented them in the opening minutes. That is not to say that Russia did not have their chances but Turkey was flying around the ball and were not giving them much breathing room. Turkey could not quiet the Russian attack forever and in the final minutes of the frame, the World Champions scored the matches first goal to go up 1-0 into the first break. The inspired play by the keeper of the Crescent- Stars, Mutlu, continued into the middle frame and helped lead to his Turkish compatriots’ first goal, which tied the match at 1 on a bobbling shot from Baris that got past Bukhlitskiy. The period only saw the one goal from Turkey but it was played a mile a minute, and the period ended with both sides tied at 1.
Russia saw their first period lead disappear in the second period but it took less than 10 seconds into the third to score on a screaming half-volley from Romanov to restore their one goal advantage. Turkey did not seem fazed as they continued to play sound defense and assert themselves offensively, there were no goals in the opening minutes of the period to validate their high quality play. Russia could not be denied for much longer and they showed why they are world champions, scoring again, just past the midway point in the period, to take the biggest lead of the game at 3-1, on a penalty kick. The Comeback Kings switched goalkeepers after a book but Mehmet played extremely well and kept his team close, as they continued to fight for and get good opportunities to get back into the match. The Russians kept their composure and secured the 3-1 victory for their first points in the competition.
Goals: 1-0: Peremitin, min. 1 (1); 1-1: Baris, min. 9 (2); 2-1: Romanov, min. 11 (3); 3-1: Krash, min. 5 (3).
Italy wins emotional thriller in penalties over Greece
The 3(3)-3(2) penalties win for Italy was heart wrenching for Greece and amazing for Italy. If your stomach was not in knots going into the final seconds of every period, and the final penalties, or if your heart was not beating ten times its normal speed then you were not watching the same match. Italy took control of the match early but Greece continued to fight and took the lead and then allowed Italy to get back into the match but shored up their defense to send the game into overtime and eventually into penalties. In the penalties there was only one save and it was by Italy, and then they slotted home the clinching penalty to secure the one point and two wins through two matches. Italy will face England on Sunday to determine the winner and runner-up in Group A. Greece will face Moldova in a match that will put one of the teams in 3rd place and the other in 4th place in the group.
Italy began the match at a breakneck speed and saw some quality shots on goal come and go but the score remained tied at 0. Greece, as they are known for, played solid defense to limit the Italian chances and then relied on their goalkeeping to save the chances that got through. This tactic worked until the halfway mark of the opening frame when Gori slotted home a header to give the Azzurri the 1-0 lead. As the period progressed, the Hellenic offense established themselves and found more and more shots on target but could not finish them. The first Greek goal happened to be finished by the Italians on an own goal, which tied the match at 1, early in the middle frame. Greece built on their first and used a goal from their keeper, Thomas, to quiet the home crowd and put the score at 2-1, for the Greeks. The turnaround from early in the match continued as Greece scored again on a brilliant bicycle from the tightest of angles to push their lead to two goals, at 3-1, and that is where the score sat going into the final break.
Italy went on the attack in the final period and was relentless in their pursuit for the next two goals but in the first few minutes, they could not obtain the goals they needed, although were constantly knocking on the door. Greece tried to take the wind out of the Italians’ sails and nearly succeeded when Thomas saved a direct kick that was placed just outside the penalty area, but seconds later they were given another chance from a similar spot and this time they connected to draw within one goal, at 3-2. The energy and stadium were raucous and deafening when Ramacciotti scored the goal that brought the hosts level at 3-3, all the while Greece was finding their chances and creating a group stage match that was worthy of a final. The final play of regulation came down to a dangerous free kick that was saved by Greece and the match went into overtime. Del Mestre of Italy was called upon the instant the ball was kicked off and he answered the challenge, making sure Greece didn’t take the early lead in the extra period. Greece was content to play the final minutes with a defensive mindset as the game went to penalties.
Goals: 0-1: Gori, min. 6 (1); 1-1: Corosiniti (O.G.), min. 11 (2); 2-1: Thomas, min. 5 (2); 3-1: Gkritzalis, min. 3 (2); 3-2: Frainetti, min. 8 (3); 3-3: Ramacciotti, min. 6 (3).
Penalties: Paris: goal; Gori: goal; Triantafyllidis: goal; Frainetti: goal; Papastathopoulos: saved; Ramacciotti: goal.
FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP 2015 – EUROPE QUALIFIER JESOLO-ITALY
Results today:
Saturday 06.09.14
09:00 – Romania 4-2 Hungary (Group F)
10:15 – England 6-5 Moldova (Group A)
12:45 – Germany 3-2 Norway (Group E)
14:00 – Austria vs. Poland (Group F)
15:15 – Latvia vs. Ukraine (Group E)
16:30 – Russia vs. Turkey (Group B)
17:45 – Italy vs. Greece (Group A)
Matches for tomorrow:
Sunday 07.09.14
09:00 – Czech Republic vs. Bulgaria (Group C)
10:15 – Greece vs. Moldova (Group A)
12:45 – Switzerland vs. Estonia (Group D)
14:00 – France vs. Slovakia (Group D)
15:15 – Spain vs. Azerbaijan (Group C)
16:30 – Russia vs. Belarus (Group B)
17:45 – Italy vs. England (Group A)
