U23 World League

Angel Tulio Zof
Spectators: 7516 (Terracing: 5638, Seating: 1728, VIP seats: 150) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Alejo Veliz took the kick off in the first half of the match. After 3 played minutes Central's Alejo Veliz stole the ball from his opponents and shot the ball towards the upper left corner, but Giovanni Lucas stretched himself as far as he could, and stopped the ball from passing the line. robbing SALIMEN of the goal. In the 4th minute, one of SALIMEN:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for SALIMEN. Giovanni Lucas went to the wrong direction when Bruce Pickford was taking care of the penalty kick which however missed the goal. Luís Fabiano Santana hit a great freekick 7 minutes into the match. 10 minutes into the match, Alejo Veliz had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Giovanni Lucas. SALIMEN's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Alejo Veliz was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-0. Giovanni Lucas made an important save on a dangerous shot by Alejo Veliz in the 13th minute. In the 14th minute Hermengildo Azubeli shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Giovanni Lucas saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. A collision led to SALIMEN getting a freekick after 16 minutes play. Matías de Sena hit a great ball. Matías de Sena sent away a hard shot on goal in the 19th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 21 minutes into the match, Central's Alejo Veliz sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Giovanni Lucas narrowly saved just below the crossbar. After 22 played minutes SALIMEN got a freekick which was hit by Nilson Marques. After 24 played minutes SALIMEN got a freekick which was hit by Jeremias Valadares. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Matías de Sena during the 27th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. The supporters of Central booed when SALIMEN was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 27 match minutes in a wonderful position. Matías de Sena didn't get a good kick on the ball. 35 minutes into the match, Central's goal looked a bit too open when Nilson Marques came free, but Leopoldo Orixe reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Central's Alejo Veliz got a good chance for a goal in the 42nd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. After 45 minutes of play, Central's Alejo Veliz made it 2-0 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Giovanni Lucas was left in no man's land by his defense there! No-one was surprised that the home team were leading 2-0 at half-time.

The wind increased when Matías de Sena made the kick off in the second half. Alejo Veliz's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Giovanni Lucas read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 58th minute of play. In a very dangerous position, a player in SALIMEN fell when an opponent tried to get the ball from him in the 63rd minute. Penalty! SALIMEN:s Giovanni Lucas showed great skill when he stopped Bruce Pickford:s penalty. After some careless play in the SALIMEN defense, Bruce Pickford kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Giovanni Lucas. The SALIMEN fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Giovanni Lucas should have stopped the shot. After 67 played minutes Central got a freekick which was hit by Julio Ekaitz. Giovanni Lucas took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Hermengildo Azubeli, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Giovanni Lucas made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Alejo Veliz in the 74th minute of play. Hermengildo Azubeli hit a great freekick 75 minutes into the match. After 75 played minutes SALIMEN got a freekick which was hit by Matías de Sena. Giovanni Lucas took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Hermengildo Azubeli, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 82nd match minute, Central was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Benito Ur to maneuver through the defense. The supporters of SALIMEN booed when Central was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 93 match minutes in a wonderful position. Nicolas Millrick didn't get a good kick on the ball. Bruce Pickford got a throw-in 95 minutes in the game and the ball was received by Nicolas Millrick. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when the referee blew the final whistle. Central had won after a very even match.