Estonia was one kick from beach soccer elite
The Estonian national beach soccer team lost by one penalty in a final for promotion to the A division of the European beach soccer championships, taking place in Pärnu over the weekend.
Estonia began the tournament well on Thursday, beating Norway 3-1 on penalties after a 5-5 draw. Estonia then beat England 5-3 and Hungary 7-6 to top group 1 in the B division, and earn a final place against Romania, winner of group 2.
The match against Romania, taking place in a special-built temporary venue in Pärnu, ended 6-6, with Romania winning 2-3 on penalties.
In division A, which featured four of the top five best teams in the world, Ukraine topped group 1 ahead of Spain while Portugal won group 2 ahead of Russia. Portugal beat Ukraine 5-4 in the final to be crowned the champions of Europe.
Editor: J.M. Laats