It was a positive day for Maltese beach soccer in Nazaré, Portugal, as both Ħamrun SC and Sliema Beach Soccer secured important victories in their respective classification matches at the ongoing European competitions.
Sliema Beach Soccer made history by becoming the first Maltese team to register a victory in the Euro Winners Cup, edging Finland’s BSC Hobby 6-5 in a thrilling encounter.
Sliema made an excellent start, establishing a two-goal lead in the opening period. Makutunovičius broke the deadlock after seven minutes before Matthew Schembri doubled the advantage shortly afterwards.
The Maltese side extended its lead to 3-0 early in the second period when Makutunovičius scored his second goal of the match. However, BSC Hobby fought back strongly, with Langhoff finding the net twice in quick succession to cut the deficit to a single goal.
The final period produced an exciting finish. Makutunovičius restored Sliema’s two-goal cushion by making it 4-2, but Langhoff responded almost immediately before completing his hat-trick to level the score at 4-4.
With the match finely balanced, Schembri put Sliema back in front, and Makutunovičius completed a superb individual performance by scoring his fourth goal of the game to make it 6-4. Although Langhoff converted a late penalty to reduce the deficit to 6-5, Sliema held their nerve to claim a historic victory.
Meanwhile, in the Euro Winners Challenge classification match for places five to eight, Ħamrun SC recorded a dramatic 6-5 win over French side Mouilleron Sport Football BS.
William was the standout performer for the Maltese team, scoring four goals, while Almeida and Edinho added one goal apiece. Mouilleron’s goals came through Billet, who struck four times, and Gaboriau.
Ħamrun SC will conclude their campaign today when they face Keffalinia AO BS in their final classification match, scheduled for 11:30am, as they aim to finish the tournament on a high note.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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