The 2019 Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) was the 22nd edition of the Euro Beach Soccer League, the annual, premier competition in European beach soccer contested between men's national teams. It was organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), in a league and play-off format.
 Composite image of the banner style logos used during the 2019 EBSL. At each regular season stage, the main EBSL banner is joined solely by the subtitle corresponding to that stage. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Portugal Italy |
| Dates | 5 July – 8 September |
| Teams | 28 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Portugal (6th title) |
| Runners-up |  Russia |
| Third place |  Spain |
| Fourth place |  Italy |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 71 |
| Goals scored | 566 (7.97 per match) |
This season, the competing teams continued to take part in two divisions: the top tier (Division A) and the bottom tier (Division B). 12 teams continued to contest Division A; all twelve teams returned from last season's top tier as none were relegated. Division B accommodated a record 16 nations: 14 nations who did not gain promotion from last season, Finland who made their debut, and the Netherlands who returned after an absence from competing in recent years.
Due to the saturated 2019 international beach soccer calendar for European teams, this season was shortened considerably compared to the usual program.[1][2] A total of just two stages of fixtures were scheduled during the regular season. Each team from Division A played in just one stage (compared to the usual two) whilst each team in Division B also played in one. At each stage the participating nations earned points for the overall league tables.
At the end of the regular season, according to the league tables, the eight best teams in Division A advanced to the post-season event, the Superfinal, to compete to become the winners of this year's EBSL. Meanwhile, the top seven teams in Division B (the four group winners and three best runners-up) and the team ranked bottom of Division A played in a different post-season event, the Promotion Final, to try to earn a spot in Division A next year.
Azerbaijan, the defending Division A team in the Promotion Final, beat Kazakhstan in the final to win the event, therefore retaining their Division A status for next season;[3] for the second year running, no Division B nation earned promotion. Italy were the defending champions but were knocked out of title-winning contention in the group stage of the Superfinal, ultimately finishing fourth in the post-season event. The concluding match of the Superfinal was contested between Russia and Portugal, who were both looking to claim a record sixth European title.[4] Portugal, on home sand, came from 2–0 down to win the match and claim their sixth EBSL crown.[5]
Calendar and locations edit
The calendar below was revealed on 18 March 2019.[6]
Similarly to the 2008 and 2015 editions, this season's regular season schedule was truncated, down to just two stages, in order to accommodate the additional events taking up space in the international calendar,[1][2] including Division A teams competing in just one stage each, compared to the usual two stages.[7]
| Phase | Dates | Country | City | Stage | Divisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season |
5–7 July | Portugal |
Nazaré | Stage 1 | A | B |
| 16–18 August | Italy |
Catania | Stage 2 | A | B | |
| Post-season/ Finals |
5–8 September | Portugal |
Figueira da Foz | Superfinal | A | |
| Promotion Final | B | |||||
Teams edit
The following 28 teams entered this season, divided into divisions A and B as shown (12 in Division A, 16 in Division B).[6]
The numbers in parentheses show the European ranking of each team prior to the start of the season, out of 36 nations.[8]
Division A edit
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Division B edit
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- 1. Teams making their debut
Stage 1 (Nazaré, 5–7 July) edit
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Matches are listed as local time in Nazaré, WEST (UTC+1)
All matches took place at the Estádio do Viveiro on Praia de Nazaré (Nazaré Beach),[9] in tandem with the hosting of the 2019 Women's Euro Beach Soccer Cup. The area has a capacity of 2,200.[10]
During this round, Georgia won their first ever matches in the EBSL,[11] ultimately leading to a first stage title (in either division), meanwhile Spain reached a milestone of winning their 25th stage title. Goalkeeper Valentin Jaeggy made his 300th appearance for Switzerland on day 3, marked with a commemorative jersey presented on-field by fellow players.[12]
Division A edit
Group 1 edit
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Group 2 edit
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Division B edit
| Key: | Group winners |
Georgia & Bulgaria; Norway & Denmark are ranked based on their head-to-head results. |
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Awards edit
The following were presented after the conclusion of the final day's matches. Individual awards apply to Division A only.[12]
| Stage Winners trophy | Top scorer(s) | Best player | Best goalkeeper | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain (Division A) |
 Georgia(Division B) |
 Dejan Stankovic |
8 goals | Jordan Santos |
Dona
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Stage 2 (Catania, 16–18 August) edit
Matches are listed as local time in Catania, CEST (UTC+2)
All matches took place at the Arena Beach Stadium on the "Spiaggia libera numero 1" (Free beach number 1) section of Playa di Catania (Catania Beach),[13] with a capacity of approximately 2,000.[14]
Finland made their EBSL debut during this stage.[1]
Division A edit
| Key: | Group winners / | (H) | Hosts |
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Division B edit
Group 1 edit
Serbia withdrew on 16 August due to administrative issues; their opponents received 3–0 walkover wins.[15] |
Group 2 edit
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Group 3 edit
| Key: | Group winners |
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Awards edit
The following were presented after the conclusion of the final day's matches. Individual awards apply to Division A only.[16]
| Stage Winners trophy | Top scorer(s) | Best player | Best goalkeeper | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy (Division A) |
 Greece(Division B) |
 Sven Körner |
6 goals | Paolo Palmacci |
 Valery Makarevich
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League tables edit
At end of regular season
Ranking & tie-breaking criteria: Division A – 1. Points earned 2. Highest group placement 3. Goal difference 4. Goals scored / Division B – 1. Highest group placement 2. Points earned 3. Goal difference 4. Goals scored 5. Least yellow cards
Division A edit
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Division B edit
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Promotion Final (Figueira da Foz, 5–8 September) edit
Matches are listed as local time in Figueira da Foz, WEST (UTC+1).
All matches took place at a purpose built stadium constructed between 12 August and 3 September at the Beach Sports Complex on Praia de Buarcos (Buarcos Beach), with a capacity of 2,500.[18]
The top seven teams from Division B and the team bottom of Division A, as per the end of regular season league tables, played in the Promotion Final; the winner earned a place in Division A in the 2020 season.[19]
Qualified teams edit
The teams in bold qualified as Division B regular season group winners; those in italics qualified as the three best group runners-up.
The team in green attempted to retain their position in Division A, having finished bottom of the regular season table.
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- 1. First appearance in Promotion Final
- 2. Bulgaria withdrew due to administrative issues on 2 September; they were replaced by the next best team in the Division B table, Estonia.[20]
- 3. First appearance as defending Division A team in Promotion Final
Group stage edit
| Key: Advance to – | Final / | 3rd place match / | 5th place match / | 7th place match |
Group 1 edit
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Group 2 edit
Kazakhstan, Greece & Hungary are ranked based on their head-to-head results.[21] (GD: Kaz +3; Gre +1; Hun –4) |
Play-off stage edit
Seventh place play-off edit
Estonia  | 7–1 | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
Ivaniadze  1' (o.g.)Lepik 8', 31'Kigaste 12'Makharadze 26' (o.g.)Munskind 26'Stüf 27' |
Report(ru) | 33' Kokoladze |
Fifth place play-off edit
Czech Republic  | 2–4 |  Hungary |
|---|---|---|
| Stejskal 5' Valeš 23' |
Report(ru) | 10' Wirth 16' Szasz 34' Rutai 36' Bartha |
Third place play-off edit
Romania  | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Florea 3' Benciu 10' |
Report(ru) | 3' Papastathopoulos 18' Kafantaris |
| Penalties | ||
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2–0 |
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Promotion play-off final edit
Azerbaijan  | 2–1 |  Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|
| Manafov 6' R. Aliyev 17' |
Report(ru) | 34' Bogdanov |
Final standings edit
Azerbaijan won the event to successfully retain their Division A status for the 2020 EBSL season; this was the first time since the Promotion Final was introduced in 2009 that the defending Division A team successfully won the event in consecutive seasons (following Germany's successful defence of their top tier membership in 2018).
Consequently, no Division B team earned promotion to the top division and no Division A team was relegated this year.
| Pos | Team | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azerbaijan |
Retained spot in 2020 EBSL Division A |
| 2 | Kazakhstan |
Remain in Division B |
| 3 | Romania
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| 4 | Greece
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| 5 | Hungary
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| 6 | Czech Republic
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| 7 | Estonia
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| 8 | Georgia
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Superfinal (Figueira da Foz, 5–8 September) edit
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Matches are listed as local time in Figueira da Foz, WEST (UTC+1).
All matches took place at a purpose built stadium constructed between 12 August and 3 September at the Beach Sports Complex on Praia de Buarcos (Buarcos Beach), with a capacity of 2,500.[18]
The winners of the Superfinal are crowned 2019 EBSL champions. No teams made their debut in the Superfinal, however Turkey made their first appearance in 17 years.
Qualified teams edit
The top eight teams from Division A, as per the end of regular season league table, qualified for the Superfinal.[19]
Group stage edit
| Key: Advance to – | Final / | 3rd place match / | 5th place match / | 7th place match / | (H) Hosts |
Group 1 edit
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Group 2 edit
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Play-off stage edit
Seventh place play-off edit
| Switzerland | 7–9 |  Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| Hodel 13', 35' (p) Ott 17', 23'Steinemann 18', 32' (p)Mounoud 22' |
Report(ru) | 7' Pachev 8', 33', 35' Zborovskyi 10' Voitok 15' Makeiev 18', 28' Voitenko 35' Medvid |
Fifth place play-off edit
| Belarus | 5–4 |  Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Ryabko 2' Hapon 5', 7'Bokach 22'Savich 36' |
Report(ru) | 7', 9', 35' Keskin 31' Bağcı |
Third place play-off edit
| Spain | 4–1 | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian 8' Antonio 23', 34'Chiky 36' |
Report(ru) | 19' (o.g.) Ardil |
Superfinal match edit
| Russia | 2–4 | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
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Report(ru) |
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Awards edit
Winners trophy edit
| 2019 Euro Beach Soccer League champions |
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 Portugal Sixth title |
Individual awards edit
Awarded for feats achieved in the Superfinal only[22]
| Top scorer(s) | |
|---|---|
| Emmanuele Zurlo Cem Keskin
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| 8 goals | |
| Best player | |
| Jordan Santos
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| Best goalkeeper | |
| Maxim Chuzhkov
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Final standings edit
Finalists Russia and Portugal faced each other for a record fourth time in an EBSL title-decider (no fixture has been played more in the Sueprfinal match), with Russia having won all three previous meetings (2009, 2013, 2017); both teams were aiming to win a record sixth EBSL title, surpassing the current five title record shared with Spain who first reached the milestone in 2006.
| Pos | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal |
EBSL Champions (6th title) |
| 2 | Russia |
Runners-up |
| 3 | Spain |
Third place |
| 4 | Italy |
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| 5 | Belarus
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| 6 | Turkey
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| 7 | Ukraine
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| 8 | Switzerland
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Season statistics (Division A) edit
Top scorers editThe following tables list the top 12 scorers in Division A, including goals scored in both the regular and post season events.
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Most assists editThe following tables list the top 10 assistants in Division A including assists provided in both the regular and post season events.
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| 1. | There are no awards presented for these season-encompassing scoring feats, the tables are for statistical purposes only. Scoring awards were bestowed per stage, with the primary award that which was presented in the Superfinal. |
| 2. | Regarding the recording of assists: The source of these assists stats does not explain what system was used to determine the awarding of an assist. The total no. of assists recorded is 233 but 298 goals were scored. The discrepancy of the source not recording an assist for every goal scored may be due to a system in use such as FIFAs assists system – (regardless of who made the final pass to the scorer, no assist is awarded when the scorer ultimately lays the goal on for him/herself via a dribble, solo run etc., scores after intercepting an opponent's pass etc.). However, since the system in use is not explained, note that assists may simply of gone undocumented. |
Discipline edit
The following table lists the players and teams who received the most penalties for disciplinary infringements in both the regular and post season events.
| Category | Player(s) | # | Team(s) | # | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Most yellow cards
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Yasin Bagci
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4 | Turkey
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14 | |
Second yellow cards 
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Ivan Kanstantsinau Jakub Jesionowski Pietro Palazzolo Aleh Hapon
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1 | Belarus
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2 | |
Straight red cards
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Roman Pachev Mehmet Aslamaci Anthony Fayos Sandro Spaccarotella Vitalii Sydorenko Volkan Yesilirmak Noël Ott
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1 | Ukraine Switzerland Turkey
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2 |
References edit
- ^ a b c "Euro Beach Soccer League 2019 is defined!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b "The EBSL touches down in Nazaré". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Azerbaijan win Promotion Final to stay in Division A!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ "Португальский песок России не помог. У нашей сборной - серебро Евролиги-2019". Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian). 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ "Portugal champions of Europe once more!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Стали известны соперники сборной России на первом этапе Евролиги-2019". Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Лихачёв: планирую максимально ротировать состав сборной России на Евролигу". Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "OVERALL WORLD RANKING - EUROPE". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Euro Beach Soccer League arranca na Nazaré" (in Portuguese). cm-nazare.pt. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Сборная Грузии по пляжному футболу одержала первую победу в истории" (in Russian). Beach Soccer Russia. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ ""Тратим на Кубок европейских чемпионов € 200 тыс., но деньги остаются в Назаре"" (in Russian). Beach Soccer Russia. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Portugal, Spain and Georgia top first EBSL regular stage groups of 2019". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "Pronti a tifare gli AZZURRI del Beach Soccer?". Catania Beach Soccer. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Arena Beach Stadium". Catania Beach Soccer. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Serbia will not participate at the EBSL Catania 2019". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Italy lift the trophy in Catania". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ "2019 Euroleague; Division B; Stage 2; Cards". Beach Soccer Russia. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ a b "A Super Final do Europeu de Futebol de Praia 2019 está prestes a chegar à Praia de Buarcos". Figueira Beach Sports City (in Portuguese). 12 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Стали известны соперники сборной России по группе в Суперфинале Евролиги-2019". Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian). 25 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Estonia replace Bulgaria in the Promotion Final". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Определились финалисты Промофинала Евролиги". Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian). 7 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "Стали известны обладатели индивидуальных наград по итогам Суперфинала Евролиги-2019". Beach Soccer Russia. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
External links edit
- Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), official website
- Stage 1, Nazaré Archived 2019-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
- Stage 2, Catania Archived 2019-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Superfinal and Promotion Final, Figueira da Foz Archived 2019-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Beach Soccer Russia, official website (in Russian)