A stone's throw away from the world championship: the Russian team defeated Moldova in the qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Cup beach football

Record defeat and zero game

They expected only victories from Russia in a meeting with the 59th team of the world ranking - the Moldavian team - within the 1/8 finals of the qualifying tournament of the 2019 Beach World Cup championship. For the Moldovans, the very fact of entering this stage was a great achievement. In the group stage, they missed 13 goals from Portugal and 6 from France, but in the decisive match for the third place in the quartet in extra time they beat Norway - 2: 1.

However, the wards of Mikhail Likhachev immediately demonstrated to the opponent that he should not expect a miracle in this match. Just 40 seconds was enough for Artur Fernoy and Alexei Makarov to score a goal. The entire team noted the ball of the last one, swinging an imaginary cradle, since the player had a son the day before.

After that, the Russian national team had quite a few moments in order to increase the advantage in the long run, but goalkeeper Moldovans Alexey Kapsamun acted above all praise. Twice the owners hit the crossbar. But at the very end of the half, Dmitry Shishin still sent the ball into the goal.

In the second third of the game, the Russians couldn’t distinguish themselves for a long time, although they owned an overwhelming advantage and did not allow their opponents anything. There was a noticeable difference in the class of teams. The guests could not even trite to make the first transfer. Only Kapsamun continued to fight for the whole team. However, just before the break, he had to pull the ball out of his goal twice - Boris Nikonorov and Fyodor Zemskov excelled.

In the third half, the Moldavian team finally exhausted itself and missed three more times, setting the final score 8: 0. And Zemskovu managed to get a hat-trick. Again, Nikonorov was struck by another's goal - he already has six goals in the qualifying round.

Not less pleasant moment was the absence of goals conceded. Russia became the first team to achieve this in this tournament. The goalkeepers of the national team, Maxim Chuzhkov and Pavel Bazhenov, issued a “dry bread” document.

Then the eight strongest teams will continue to fight in the second group stage, and there will be no weaker opponents here. Russia fell into one quartet with Azerbaijan, Spain and Switzerland. In another play Poland, Belarus, Italy and Portugal.

The teams that took the first two places in the group will receive direct tickets to the World Championships in Paraguay. And the remaining third teams in the internal struggle will determine the owner of the last, fifth, permits.

Demarche of Ukraine and three victories in the group

At the same time, the Russian national team approached the current qualifying stage with particular motivation after the failure at the European Games. In Minsk, the domestic team took only sixth place, which for the current champions was akin to failure.

But on the home qualifying tournament of the World Cup the Russians, as expected, did not leave the slightest chance of Hungary, Germany and Estonia at the stage of the first group stage. A total of 18 balls flew into the opponents' goal.

But the Ukrainian team decided not to go to Moscow. This decision was made by the local football federation. In response, the Director General of the International Beach Football Organization, Gabino Renales, said that sanctions could be imposed on Ukraine.

“It is not good when the team is removed at the last moment. I was notified about this, but I have no right to disclose the reasons for their refusal. The Disciplinary Committee, of course, will consider this situation and determine whether any sanctions can be imposed on Ukraine, ”Renalesa quoted the Championship as saying.

Finally, two years later, Russia can accept not only the World Cup qualifying tournament, but the very championship of the planet. The tournament can also be held in Moscow. Back in June, the RFU Secretary General Alexander Alaev said that the preparation of the application dossier is underway.

“Can the finals of the World Beach Soccer Championship take place at Luzhniki?” The idea is good, but it’s too early to think about it. So far, all our thoughts on how to get the right to hold a tournament. And after that we will consider such an option, if it is technically possible. If the world championship will be held in Moscow, we will think up a lot of interesting things, ”Alaev noted.

In response, Renales emphasized that Russia is a favorite in the struggle for any major international sports tournament and called the World Big Football Championship, which the country hosted in 2018, the best in history.