Switzerland and Russia win openers

Switzerland and Russia secured contrasting wins on the opening day of the Fifa Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup that got under way at The Walk JBR yesterday. Switzerland overcame a spirited fight from South American champions Mexico before winning 4-3, while new world champions Russia toyed with African champions Nigeria before winning 8-1 in the second match on the opening day. The eight-team competition that pits the continental champions with the World Cup winners and hosts UAE is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC). The opening match got off to a very defensive note, with neither side willing to take risks. Finally it required a penalty from Stephan Meier to open the scoring. Dejan Stankovic — the top scorer in the 2009 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup held at the Umm Suqeim Beach — doubled the score for Switzerland in the very first minute of the second period. Mexico pulled one back through Victor Hugo Lopez immediately, only to see Samuel Lutz tap in a clever corner taken by Meier to make it 3-1 in favour of the Swiss by the end of the second period. Meier scored his second early in the final period to make it 4-1, but the hard-working Jose Omar Cervantes Hernandez scored two quick goals in the last two minutes to bring the encounter alive, only for Mexico to run out of time. Hat-trick goals By contrast, the second match was dominated by Russia, with Egor Eremeev securing the first hat-trick of the tournament in the 8-1 demolition of Nigeria. Skipper Egor Shaykov opened the floodgates in the first minute and Yuri Gorchinskiy quickly doubled the score. Nigeria got one back when Victor Tale cashed in on a defensive lapse, but Eremeev scored his first from a free-kick to make it 3-1 at the end of the first period. Russia added two more goals in the second through Alexey Makarov and Eremeev. The world champions added three more to round off the victory. In the third match, former World Champions Brazil survived a scare from Oman before winning 5-2. Down by an early goal from Hani Al Dhabat, Brazil rallied in the remaining two periods to score five goals and pick up full points from the Group B encounter. RESULTS -    Switzerland bt Mexico 4-3 -    Russia bt Nigeria 8-1 -    Brazil 5 Oman 2