League

CAMP NOU
Spectators: 6838 (Terracing: 5001, Seating: 1837, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Marcelo Ruiz made the kick off which started today's match. With a little luck, Azerbaiyan's Miguel Rico got control of the ball when Alonso Bentos tried to sneak it across the goal line. FC BARCELONA's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Danilo Chavez in the 10th minute. The corner ended in Danilo Chavez almost managing to get the ball behind the net, but Azerbaiyan's Miguel Rico did a great save. Paolo Rivera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Marcelo Ruiz, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Wilmer Machado in the 15th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Paolo Rivera saved FC BARCELONA from getting behind. The supporters of FC BARCELONA booed when Azerbaiyan was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 17 match minutes in a wonderful position. Marcelo Ruiz didn't get a good kick on the ball. Marcelo Ruiz received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 20th minute. Paolo Rivera tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Wilmer Machado charged in rather forcefully in the 23rd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Wilmer Machado the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 24 played minutes Azerbaiyan got a freekick which was hit by Wilmer Machado. Paolo Rivera showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Wilmer Machado, who was totally free with the ball in the 26th minute. Odir Alas hit a great freekick 26 minutes into the match. If Marcelo Ruiz had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 27th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. A hard shot by Alfredo Serrano from long distance, 30 minutes into the match, got Miguel Rico's attention. Through a fast twist with his body, he could stop the ball from going in on his right side. After a rather tough play, Azerbaiyan's Max Figueroa got a free kick in the 31st minute. Marcelo Ruiz sent away a hard shot on goal in the 35th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. An unexpectedly hard shot by Marcelo Ruiz in the 39th minute of play forced FC BARCELONA's goalkeeper Paolo Rivera to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a rather tough play, FC BARCELONA's Odir Alas got a free kick in the 41st minute. Miguel Rico showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Shawn Guardado, who was totally free with the ball in the 45th minute. The score stood at 0-0 when the half time whistle went. Both sets of players seemed reasonably pleased with how the match was going.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Shawn Guardado stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. The audience thought a goal was coming when Wilmer Machado got free with Paolo Rivera in the 58th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. FC BARCELONA's Paolo Rivera played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Marcelo Ruiz in the 62nd minute of play. 63 minutes into the game, Manuel Barrera was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. FC BARCELONA's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Azerbaiyan the free kick. After 67 minutes, Odir Alas mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the FC BARCELONA and the Azerbaiyan players grew even worse after the yellow card. A collision led to FC BARCELONA getting a freekick after 67 minutes play. Odir Alas hit a great ball. Marcelo Ruiz sent away a hard shot on goal in the 70th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Wilmer Machado's shot when he came free in front of the goal in the 84thth minute, Paolo Rivera skillfully showed off with a save to what seemed to be an obvious goal. When Shawn Guardado came up free with the goalie in the 90th minute, the FC BARCELONA 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 Shawn Guardado couldn't finish the play. In the 94th minute, Shawn Guardado ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Miguel Rico was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. For all the effort they put into the match, the Azerbaiyan players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for FC BARCELONA.