Friendly League

Lucas E. Abalos
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Cecilio Tristan got the match started through his kick off. If Cecilio Tristan had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 9th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Hugo Orlando Gatti took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Gugu de Mendonça, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Ariel Venerando showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Vânderson Barbosa in the 21st minute of the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Gugu de Mendonça in the 25th minute of play forced Abuba Akotonon FC's goalkeeper Hugo Orlando Gatti to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a defensive mix-up in Road To Glory's zone, Cecilio Tristan stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Ariel Venerando came out of the goal and Cecilio Tristan tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The supporters of Abuba Akotonon FC booed when Road To Glory was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 35 match minutes in a wonderful position. Egon Markusson didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 39th minute Gugu de Mendonça shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Hugo Orlando Gatti saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 40th minute, Egon Markusson hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Gugu de Mendonça in the 43rd minute of play forced Abuba Akotonon FC's goalkeeper Hugo Orlando Gatti to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

Gugu de Mendonça charged in rather forcefully in the 52nd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Gugu de Mendonça the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 52 played minutes Road To Glory got a freekick which was hit by Gugu de Mendonça. An unexpectedly hard shot by Cecilio Tristan in the 54th minute of play forced Road To Glory's goalkeeper Ariel Venerando to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 59th minute Cecilio Tristan shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Ariel Venerando saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. When Gugu de Mendonça came up free with the goalie in the 61st minute, the Road To Glory fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Gugu de Mendonça couldn't finish the play. Ariel Venerando showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Vânderson Barbosa in the 63rd minute of the match. Ariel Venerando took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Emiliano Enol, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 74th minute the ball was on its way in behind Abuba Akotonon FC's goalkeeper Hugo Orlando Gatti, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 75 minutes had been played when some careless play by Abuba Akotonon FC's defense caused the ball to cross the line for a corner. Gugu de Mendonça was slow to take the kick. During this time Road To Glory's players had a chance to rest. The corner ended in Gugu de Mendonça almost managing to get the ball behind the net, but Abuba Akotonon FC's Hugo Orlando Gatti did a great save. 78 minutes into the match, Abuba Akotonon FC's goal looked a bit too open when Gugu de Mendonça came free, but Hugo Orlando Gatti reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After some careless play in the Abuba Akotonon FC defense, Gugu de Mendonça kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Hugo Orlando Gatti. The Abuba Akotonon FC fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Hugo Orlando Gatti should have stopped the shot. Road To Glory's Ariel Venerando played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Vânderson Barbosa in the 90th minute of play. After a rather tough play, Road To Glory's Rogelio Abeita got a free kick in the 91st minute. Road To Glory were delighted with the way they had won the match. They had held their defensive line well and made the most of their chances, to claim a victory over Abuba Akotonon FC's much stronger midfield.