Lokomotiv, Belarus and Kristall also took victories on Day 1 in St. Petersburg
Both former champions claimed three points on the first day of the InterCup 2021, while Belarus and Lokomotiv, the current Russian national champions, also won.
Krylia Sovetov were welcomed to the InterCup with an opening match against the Russian national team, and the game was closely matched for the majority of the tie. Krylia took the lead twice through their Belarusian internationals Savich and Samsonov
However, Likhachev’s men could not be kept at bay forever, as Boris Nikonorov got Russians off the mark from a Krash corner and although the Samara club held their own, they fell behind as Russia racked up seven goals to claim their first points.
A lower scoring tie saw Lokomotiv squeeze past Delta by a single goal, which, dramatically, came seconds before the final whistle, courtesy of Artem Voloshin, in a nervy opening match for the Moscow club.
A repeated scoreline from the day’s opening match saw the Belarus national team defeat first-timers LEX, out-gunning them seven to four.
However, Nico Alvarado’s squad let a huge 7-0 lead slip, as LEX found their rhythm too late to complete what would have been an incredible comeback.
In the last match of the day, the two-time champions Kristall faced a defiant CSKA Moscow. The ten goals were split competitively, but a hat-trick by the Belarussian talisman Ihor Bryshtel saw Kristall take the win, 6-4, and a first step towards claiming their InterCup title back from Russia.
Remember that you can watch the matches live at beachsoccer.com/live!
FIXTURES
21.04.2021
16:00 – Krylia Sovetov 4-7 Russia
17:15 – Lokomotiv 2-1 Delta
18:30 – LEX 4-7 Belarus
19:45 – CSKA 4-6 Kristall
22.04.2021
16:00 – Russia v CSKA
17:15 – Belarus v Lokomotiv
18:30 – Kristall v Krylia Sovetov
19:45 – Delta LEX
23.04.2021
16:00 – Belarus v Delta
17:15 – CSKA v Krylia Sovetov
18:30 – Lokomotiv v LEX
19:45 – Russia v Kristall
24.04.2021
12:00 – Playoff
13:15 – Playoff
14:30 – Semi-final
16:00 – Semi-final
25.04.2021
10:00 – 7th-place playoff
11:15 – 5th-place playoff
12:30 – 3rd-place playoff
14:00 – Final
