The Russian national beach soccer team has beaten Spain in the Euro League Superfinal in Spain's Torredembarra. The final match, which was held on Sunday, August 17, ended with a 4:3 victory for Russia. For long periods during the match the Russian team trailed its rival, yet with just two minutes remaining before the final whistle and the score tied at 3:3, forward Anatoly Peremitin scored the winning goal.
"I didn't have a shadow of a doubt that we’d win in the final. A feeling inside like that is never false," Russian captain Ilya Leonov told the R-Sport news agency.
"No doubt, this Superfinal was a tough one for us. The Spanish team is one of the strongest in the world. It's no coincidence that we played them in the world championship final too," Leonov added.
"We had a strong defensive side, without which beach soccer would not exist. It is not a show but a real sport and, as in any team sport, a team should be based on defense," Russian goalkeeper Andrei Bukhlitsky told R-Sport after the tournament.
"The sand in Torredembarra is golden for us. We do not give up and have yet again proven that we are the strongest team and that we keep on to the very end!"
This is Russia's fourth and second consecutive triumph in the Euro Beach Soccer League. Russia previously won the title in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Based on material published by R-Sport (1st link, 2nd link)
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