Portugal take second win as Stankovic and Ott shine for the Swiss

Hat-tricks for the Switzerland stars helped them down France while Portugal retake pole position in the league

A second win for Portugal saw them reclaim first position in the Euro Beach Soccer League standings, after being momentarily knocked off it by a prolific Swiss performance.

Dejan Stankovic and Noel Ott were in unstoppable form in their first match of the European championships against France, each netting three to go level with Leo Martins in the top scorer chart. 

Angelo Schirinzi’s men took an early lead and showed no mercy to Les Bleus as they tallied no less than 10 goals, while a stubborn German side, who took the lead originally, were eventually overcome by sheer Portuguese power.

Portugal comeback against Germany to reclaim topspot

The Portuguese National Team overcame a spirited German side to add a new win to their record, thus confirming their position at the top of the standings at this Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal they are hosting in Nazaré.

Despite Von having the best chance for Portugal, hitting the post with a freekick attempt, it was Germany who managed to hit first. After being brought down inside the box by Rui Coimbra, Mutu, one of the greenest members in the German ranks, beat Andrade from 9-meters to put Die Mannschaft a goal up. Portugal kept trying to equalize, but the German keeper Ebener denied one attempt after another until finally, Be Martins sent an absolutely unstoppable rocket in off the crossbar to balance things out for the hosts.

However Portugal shifted gear in the second period, taking command of the game and pulling ahead of the Germans. Just three seconds into the second period, Bruno Torres put Portugal ahead, with Belchior doubling the advantage with a lobbed header. André Lourenço added to the Portuguese advantage to make it 4-1, thanks in part to a lucky deflected which wrong-footed the young German keeper. 

It was much more comfortable situation for the defending champions, but credit should go to Germany who didn’t let them overrun them and kept the score unchanged for the remainder of the game. With the 3-goal gap, the Equipa das Quinas enjoyed a their second win in this Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal, managing the possession until the final whistle finally blew and confirmed them as group leaders once more.

One more win for Narciso’s side, who seem well determined to conquer the continent for the seventh time in their history.

Goals: 0-1: Mutu, min. 2 (1); 1-1: Be Martins, min. 0 (1); 2-1: Bruno Torres, min. 11 (2); 3-1: Belchior, min. 5 (2); 4-1: André Lourenço, min. 2 (2);

Hat-tricks for Ott and Stankovic as Switzerland big win over France 

Switzerland burst into this Euro Beach Soccer League edition with a big win over France. Hat-tricks from their two brightest stars, Noel Ott and Dejan Stankovic, lead the way to a solid Swiss’s performance, and ended French chance of lifting the 2020 EBSL Superfinal trophy.   

Not even two minutes into the game, Swiss bomber Dejan Stankovic swept his side ahead, with Eliott sending a box-to-box missile past his opposite number to double the distance between the sides. Séb Huck immediately replied impressively from the kick-off for Les Bleus, but that minor hiccup was not enough to counteract the Swiss momentum. Before the first break, Wuest and Ott added to the Alpine advantage to make it 4-1.

The second period was a bit more balanced, and although Noel Ott widened the gap for Shcirinzi’s side, Belhome pulled one back, getting France to within three goals of their rivals. The French managed to contend their opponents attempts for the remainder of the period, and event ventured up the pitch a bit more, trying to cut the deficit further, but the score would not budge for them.  

The French resistance went no further, though, as the Swiss geared up in the last frame to seal a big win with a 4-0 run, including a goal by the newest player in the Alpine squad, Kevin Wandji, that left the final score at an impressive 10-2.

Goals: 1-0: Stankovic, min. 10 (1); 2-0: Eliott, min. 7 (1); 2-1: Huck, min. 7 (1); 3-1: Wuest, min. 1 (1); 4-1: Ott, min. 0 (1); 5-1: Ott, min. 8 (2); 5-2: Belhomme, min. 8 (2); 6-2: Ott, min. 11 (2); 7-2: Stankovic, min. 10 (2); 8-2: Hodel, min. 7 (3); 9-2: Wandji, min. 5 (3); 10-2: Stankovic, min. 1 (2)

Head to beachsoccer.com for more information on the 2020 Euro Beach Soccer League.