After their defeat on Wednesday, the Swiss National Team pay Tahiti back by winning the two remaining weekend friendlies
The Swiss Beach Soccer National Team recovered from the mid-week defeat in Papeete and bagged two wins in the two remaining friendly games against Tahiti. This way, the current Euro Beach Soccer League champions could fly back from the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 venue with a better taste in their mouths, acknowledging, at the same time, that the Tiki Toa have grown strong enough to become a team to be really cautious of.
If first round fell on the hosts side, with a tight 4-3, the Alpine counteracted with an all-round second game, in which they lead the way over the Tahitians all game long, despite Taiarui’s opener in the second minute of the game and Taura’s 2-0 little afterwards. A 7-0 run from Schirinzi’s side changed things drastically in the game, and that was to be for good, as the Polynesian would never be able to counteract that huge stroke. Zaveroni and Taiarui, again, would cut the distance, but two new hits for the Swiss would raised the score to 9-4 (Schirinzi and Spacca). Taiarui’s third hit and Bennet’s strike achieved nothing beyond shortening the gap, but time left was not enough to go for the equalizer.
Last game was far more leveled. After the Swiss got 0-2 ahead, thanks to Meier and Schirinzi, the hosts finally found the way to their opponent’s net, with the goals by Bennet and Taiarui getting for Tahiti the deserved reward after such a combative performance. Taiaru repeated to turn the score around in the beginning of the third period, but his effort was immediately neutralized by Borer. Both teams struggled to prevail in this last of the friendly games, putting each end under siege in multiple occasions, but it was the European League Champions the one to seize the victory in the last minute of the game, thanks to Spacca.
Despite the loss, the leveled fight fielded by the team had Tahiti National Coach Teva Zaveroni really satisfied with the performance brought on by the players: “These three games against such a powerful team as Switzerland have been really important for our team to grow. Obviously, we have had our ups and downs, but I feel now we are more than ready to face our upcoming international challenges”. Significantly enough, the next stop for the Tiki Toa is the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai 2012, to happen late this month in the UAE. There, the Polynesian may face again Switzerland, who is now fully aware of the potential the Tahitian have, as coach Angelo Schirinzi explains: “The Tiki Toa have progressed amusingly, and I want to congratulate them for so. They have really talented players and I feel they can face any team in the world right now. They have some issues to work on, of course, but they are a really difficult side to play against”.
