An international beach soccer tournament has concluded in Vitebsk

For three days, fierce passions ran high at the cozy stadium in the Vytba River floodplain. The most worthy team was chosen from among the teams of Belarus, Iran, Turkey, and Estonia. The fact that the "Friendship Cup" was held under the auspices of the International Beach Soccer Federation for the first time added to the motivation.

The festive mood of the spectators (and the stands were packed to capacity at every game, although the TV channel "Belarus 5" broadcast live) was enhanced by the fact that the event was accompanied by music, and during the breaks, attendees were entertained by dancers from the support group "Time-Out". In addition, the commentator, the doyen of this field in Belarus, Vladimir Novitsky, helped the fans understand what was happening.

The tournament was held in a round-robin system, meaning all teams competed against each other. By the last game day, the hosts and the Iranians had two wins each, while Estonia and Turkey had dashes in the "points" column. In a hard-fought match for 3rd place, luck smiled upon the team from the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Naturally, the fans' heightened attention was focused on the decisive match, where the Iranians faced the Belarusians. The guests have been coached for several years by the legendary Marco Octavio. Under the guidance of this specialist, the Brazilian national team became world champions 6 times (!).

The final match, stunning in its intensity and content, was a sight to behold. It was unclear until the very last seconds how it would end. The initiative to increase the score came from the Asian footballers. But for every goal they scored, our athletes responded with their own. The second goal was particularly impressive, when the captain of the Belarusians, Igor Brishtel, juggled the ball down the flank and then powerfully shot into the far top corner. Unfortunately, at the very end, the guests managed to score the decisive goal. The Cup for 1st place, medals, and diplomas were presented to them by the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Terentyev, and the Chairman of the Association "Belarusian Football Federation" Sergey Rumas.

It should be noted that Iran has won the Grand Prix for the third time in a row, confirming its status as one of the strongest teams in the world. It is gratifying that the best player of the tournament was recognized as Ivan Konstantinov, the Vitebsk representative in our national team.

Those individuals and organizations thanks to whom the current "Friendship Cup" took place were also honored. In particular, the head of the region, Nikolai Shersnyov, was awarded a commemorative diploma and a ball with the autographs of the Belarusian team's footballers.

Overall, the organization of the representative tournament was at a high level, which was noted by the chief manager of the International Beach Soccer Federation, Ricardo Garcia. He thanked the hosts for their hospitality and the sporting celebration they provided, and also expressed hope to return again in the near future.

Ales Byньkov, "Vitebskiye Vesti"