On Saturday, May 18, the opening match of the men’s beach soccer season, the Russian Super Cup, took place on the territory of the RZD Arena beach soccer stadium in Moscow. The capital’s Lokomotiv lost to St. Petersburg’s Kristall with a score of 5:6 in a fierce battle.
The “Clasico” of beach soccer began twelve years ago and during this time, the teams managed to face each other 49 times, including on the international stage. Almost always, the intrigue lasted until the very last seconds, and this match, which took place in front of full stands, was no exception.
The Reds and Greens quickly took the initiative, but in the fourth minute Mauricinho scored from a corner – 0:1. Six minutes later, Alexey Makarov passed the ball to Filipe, who hit the ball from the center of the field. Maxim Chuzhkov reached the ball, but was helpless – 1:1.
The second half began with Ostap Fedorov fouling Filip, who won a penalty and converted it himself, scoring a brace – 2:1. Immediately after the ball was played, Fedor Zemskov received a yellow card. Egor Remizov went to take a free kick and equalized the score – 2:2. Literally half a minute later, St. Petersburg took the lead: Rodrigo completed the pass from the corner – 2:3. In the fifth minute, Railway goalkeeper Maxim Dolgopolov committed a foul and after video review, the referee awarded a penalty. Substitute Alexander Emelyanov took his place in goal, but this did not help Lokomotiv: Fedorov scored – 2:4 in favor of Kristall. At the end of the second half, the “red-greens” were able to get closer to St. Petersburg: the penalty was converted by Makarov, who had previously become the champion of Russia as part of “Kristall” – 3: 4. However, a few minutes before the break, Dmitry Frolov restored the gap to two goals – 3:5.
The third half was marked by a quick goal from Lokomotiv – Brendo scored with a header – 4:5. In the middle of the last period, Artem Voloshin managed to equalize the score after a pass from Fedor Zemskov (5:5), but in the next attack Fedorov scored a double – 5:6. The time out taken by Ilya Leonov unfortunately did not help.
Lokomotiv will have the opportunity to take revenge very soon – in a week the next Super League will begin, where the main favorites will be the same eternal rivals. The first six rounds will take place in Anapa, in a new stadium built this year on the Black Sea coast (on May 24, Loko will meet another team from LEX from St. Petersburg). Then the main club tournament of the country will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the final rounds will again take place in the capital. The national champion will be determined in Saratov from August 30 to September 1, where the superfinal will take place.
Even earlier, at the Russian Railways Arena you can watch the Lokomotiv youth team, which will play in the First Division from June 11 to 16, and then take part in the U-21 Cup. This year, the tournament among juniors under 21 will be held according to a new system (the first stage will be organized in Moscow, the second in St. Petersburg) and the super final is scheduled for September 6-8.
And in August, for the first time, the Moscow International Cup will be held at the Russian Railways Arena; previously the tournament was held in October at indoor venues. PFC Lokomotiv is the organizer of the sports part of the event. The best clubs in the world rankings from Brazil, Argentina and Senegal will come to Moscow. Recall that in the 2023 season, the “railroad workers” won the decisive match against CSKA – 2: 2 (5: 3 on penalties).
The season will end with the Russian Cup, which will take place in October in Anapa, at the Beach Sports Center on the central beach.
Lev Mazaraki, vice-president of the Lokomotiv beach football club:
– The result of the Super Cup can hardly be considered satisfactory. However, for Lokomotiv, there is only first place, but the goal remains the same: to win all the tournaments in which the team participates. However, I can’t help but highlight the will and character of our guys, who managed to equalize the score in the third period. Let’s hope that we will succeed in the Russian Championship. Let me remind you that since 2010, Lokomotiv regularly participates in the decisive matches of the tournament, and with the same Kristall they fought for the champion title four times, including the last two seasons. Now, for the first time – that is, since 2011 – ten teams will participate in the Super League, a testament to the tournament’s recently increased competition and prestige. The Lokomotiv team is rightly considered one of the strongest in Russia; During the last season, targeted reinforcements were made and, for example, the legendary Alexei Makarov immediately pleased the fans of the Moscow club with his effective actions. We will have many exciting confrontations in various cities and tournaments, where Loko, of course, will be among the main favorites.
More sports news in our telegram channel .
Source : MatchTV
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
