U23 World League

Estadi Plantadis
Spectators: 7482 (Terracing: 5613, Seating: 1720, VIP seats: 149) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Boris Puljiz got the match started through his kick off. Igor Cristofor's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Kevin Verdu read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 2nd minute of play. In the 6th minute of the match Veselin Pavelić sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Kevin Verdu skillfully saved the ball. El Pasteral F.C's Kevin Verdu played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Igor Cristofor in the 7th minute of play. After 8 minutes of play, NK BRONZIN's Boris Puljiz made it 0-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Kevin Verdu was left in no man's land by his defense there! Boris Puljiz fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 11th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Kevin Verdu having to interfere. In the 12th minute, Sotero Serena hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Kevin Verdu made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Boris Puljiz in the 15th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Boris Puljiz in the 17th minute of play forced El Pasteral F.C's goalkeeper Kevin Verdu to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Kevin Verdu made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Boris Puljiz in the 19th minute of play. In the 21stth minute of the game Boris Puljiz who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but El Pasteral F.C's Kevin Verdu was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Kevin Verdu took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Ljudevit Gligo, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 25 minutes into the game, Ratko Petrinović was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. NK BRONZIN's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave El Pasteral F.C the free kick. The supporters of El Pasteral F.C booed when NK BRONZIN was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 26 match minutes in a wonderful position. Ratko Petrinović didn't get a good kick on the ball. Boris Puljiz kicked well hit freekick during the 27th minute of the match. Natko Hohnjec took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Cristofer Infante, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After some careless play in the El Pasteral F.C defense, Boris Puljiz kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Kevin Verdu. The El Pasteral F.C fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Kevin Verdu should have stopped the shot. In the 40th minute, Boris Puljiz ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Kevin Verdu was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-4. In the 45th minute Vjeran Cikareli shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Kevin Verdu saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Baldovino Cuadrado to make the kick off. Kevin Verdu stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Boris Puljiz's shot from short distance in the 52nd minute. Natko Hohnjec took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jose-Luis Vives, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Igor Cristofor took the ball and in the 55 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Kevin Verdu. Kevin Verdu dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 0-6. Vjeran Cikareli fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 66th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Kevin Verdu having to interfere. Ljudevit Gligo came free with the goalkeeper in the 69th minute of the match, and shot straight on target. The shot was a little too simple and Kevin Verdu could save by the left post. In the 72nd minute, Igor Cristofor left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The NK BRONZIN fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-7. In the 75th minute, Ratko Petrinović hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Jose-Luis Vives's late challenge caught a NK BRONZIN's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Jose-Luis Vives helped the player get up and apologised. In the 79th match minute, El Pasteral F.C was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Jose-Luis Vives to maneuver through the defense. With a little luck, El Pasteral F.C's Kevin Verdu got control of the ball when Ljudevit Gligo tried to sneak it across the goal line. Kevin Verdu came out of the goal in the 87th minute to try and stop a shot by NK BRONZIN's Ljudevit Gligo. But to his dismay, Ljudevit Gligo quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 0-8. Kevin Verdu made an important save on a dangerous shot by Igor Cristofor in the 90th minute. 90 minutes into the game, Igor Cristofor recieved a splendid long ball, split the defenders, and gently placed the ball to the left of Kevin Verdu. Igor Cristofor showed that you don't have to tear a hole in the net to score, 0-9. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. NK BRONZIN had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.