League

Estadio Nagano
Spectators: 10849 (Terracing: 8138, Seating: 2495, VIP seats: 216) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Jari Alenius started the match with the kick off. Ralf Albäck took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jari Alenius, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Vellito Alguerdo took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Marcelo Cavenaghi, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The throw-in from Diego Ayala in the 7th minute of the game was unfortunally taken care of by NAGANO F.C's Karl-Åke Hong. Jari Alenius took the ball and in the 9 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Ralf Albäck. Ralf Albäck dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-0. Jari Alenius struck a weak shot in the 13th minute. Ralf Albäck didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for NAGANO F.C. After a rather tough play, Taltum FC's Gabi Batistuta got a free kick in the 18th minute. The audience was convinced that Gabi Batistuta's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Vellito Alguerdo was relentless in the 20th minute of the game. 31 minutes into the game, Marcelo Cavenaghi cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 2-1. Vellito Alguerdo was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Jari Alenius in the 34th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Ralf Albäck saved Taltum FC from getting behind. Jari Aleniuss short, quick shot in the 36thth minute got Ralf Albäck to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. A collision led to NAGANO F.C getting a freekick after 38 minutes play. Karl-Åke Hong hit a great ball. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Gabi Batistuta in the 40th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Vellito Alguerdo saved NAGANO F.C from getting behind. The away team players looked dejected as the walked off the pitch at half time. They had fought hard, but were still losing 2-1.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Gabi Batistuta to make the kick off. In the 53rd minute, Taltum FC's Urko Vinuesa seemed to kick out at an opponent. The referee saw this and, surprisingly, showed Urko Vinuesa the red card, dismissing him from the pitch. The coaching staff of Taltum FC protested bitterly, but the referee would have none of it, and Urko Vinuesa had no choice but to slowly walk off the pitch. After 53 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Taltum FC! In the 55th minute there was a penalty for NAGANO F.C. Jari Alenius stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Ralf Albäck. 3-1. Taltum FC's Espinosa Marco was substituted for Alvaro Cotobal. Marcelo Cavenaghi fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 60th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Vellito Alguerdo having to interfere. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Jari Alenius in the 62nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Ralf Albäck prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Taltum FC's Ralf Albäck played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Jari Alenius in the 67th minute of play. 72 minutes into the game, Jari Alenius cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 4-1. Ralf Albäck was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. NAGANO F.C's Pawel Mietus was substituted for Jari Alenius. After some careless play in the Taltum FC defense, Pawel Mietus kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Ralf Albäck. The Taltum FC fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Ralf Albäck should have stopped the shot. In the 78th minute, Pertti Koskenkorva hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Flavio Cifuentes succeeded in the game's 80th minute to shoot an unreachable shot under the crossbar and scored - 5-2. When the match had gone on for 85 minutes, Flavio Cifuentes took a quick shot and it went in 5-3 without a chance for Vellito Alguerdo to make any attempt to save it. Vellito Alguerdo came out of the goal in the 87th minute to try and stop a shot by Taltum FC's Flavio Cifuentes. But to his dismay, Flavio Cifuentes quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 5-4. NAGANO F.C's Vellito Alguerdo played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Flavio Cifuentes in the 92nd minute of play. Karl-Åke Hong kicked well hit freekick during the 97th minute of the match. For all the effort they put into the match, the Taltum FC players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for NAGANO F.C.