Estonia's beach soccer team loses to Turkey, drops to Division B
Estonia's national beach soccer team lost 3:5 to Turkey in a Euro League relegation playoff in Italy and will play in Division B next season.
On Friday, September 11, Estonia's national beach soccer team closed out the Euro League relegation tournament in Italy with a 3:5 loss to Turkey. It was the decisive final match of the event, with the winner guaranteed a spot in Division A, and both teams played under visible pressure from the opening whistle.
Turkey handled that pressure better, building a two-goal lead early in the match. Estonia's first goal came in the 10th minute from Erko Liivanurm, and Kristian Marmor equalized with an over-the-shoulder strike in the final minute of the first period. Turkey nonetheless scored again in the last second before the break, taking a 3:2 lead into the interval.
Only one goal was scored in the second period, extending Turkey's lead to 4:2. In the third period, Estonia narrowed the gap in the 27th minute when goalkeeper Rauno Rahnik joined the attack and scored to make it 3:4. Turkey restored its two-goal cushion just a minute later and held on for the rest of the match.
Across the relegation tournament, Estonia opened with a 5:2 win over Belgium, then lost 5:7 to the Czech Republic before falling to Turkey in the final round. The Czech Republic, with nine points, and Turkey, with six, secured places in Division A for next season, while Estonia (three points) and Belgium (no points) were relegated to Division B.
