U23 World League

Claudio D. Borghi
Spectators: 7393 (Terracing: 5601, Seating: 1717, VIP seats: 75) Gavino Roldan started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. Forrest Hopkins charged in rather forcefully in the 4th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Forrest Hopkins the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 4 played minutes Santos FC got a freekick which was hit by Forrest Hopkins. In the 6th minute, Rusty Little made a precise shot to the right of Pedro Bela. Argentinos Juniors's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-1. Pedro Bela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Desmond Rowell in the 11th minute of play. 14 minutes into the game, Santos FC's Rusty Little nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Pedro Bela made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-2. Pedro Bela showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Rusty Little, who was totally free with the ball in the 18th minute. Pedro Bela took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tyron Sheffield, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 20thth minute of the game Rusty Little who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Argentinos Juniors's Pedro Bela was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Pedro Bela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Rusty Little in the 22nd minute of play. Pedro Bela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Desmond Rowell in the 24th minute of play. In the 24th match minute, Argentinos Juniors was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Emilio Tano to maneuver through the defense. Argentinos Juniors's Pedro Bela played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Rusty Little in the 29th minute of play. The supporters of Santos FC booed when Argentinos Juniors was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 31 match minutes in a wonderful position. Hector Oro didn't get a good kick on the ball. Pedro Bela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Woody Napier in the 33rd minute of play. Pedro Bela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Desmond Rowell in the 35th minute of play. Pedro Bela took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tyron Sheffield, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 38 minutes of play, Santos FC's Victor Hess made it 0-3 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Pedro Bela was left in no man's land by his defense there! After a defensive mix-up in Santos FC's zone, Anastasio Furman stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Ahmed Long came out of the goal and Anastasio Furman tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. After some careless play in the Argentinos Juniors defense, Victor Hess kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Pedro Bela. The Argentinos Juniors fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Pedro Bela should have stopped the shot. The supporters of Santos FC booed when Argentinos Juniors was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 47 match minutes in a wonderful position. Hector Oro didn't get a good kick on the ball. The Argentinos Juniors players were disheartened as they walked off the pitch after the first half. Santos FC were winning 0-4.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Victor Hess made a kick off. In the 53rd match minute, Santos FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Woody Napier to maneuver through the defense. In the 54th minute of the match Segundo Lucado shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Ahmed Long showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. When Segundo Lucado fell near the penalty area in the 56th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Argentinos Juniors's protests and gave Segundo Lucado a yellow card for diving instead. After 56 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Argentinos Juniors! A collision led to Argentinos Juniors getting a freekick after 66 minutes play. Segundo Lucado hit a great ball. Santos FC's Tyron Sheffield got a good chance for a goal in the 67th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. With a little luck, Argentinos Juniors's Pedro Bela got control of the ball when Victor Hess tried to sneak it across the goal line. With a little luck, Argentinos Juniors's Pedro Bela got control of the ball when Victor Hess tried to sneak it across the goal line. Pedro Bela showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Woody Napier in the 83rd minute of the match. Ahmed Long took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Gavino Roldan, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Desmond Rowell received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 91st minute. Pedro Bela tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 94 minutes into the game, Jamar Maxwell was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Santos FC's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Argentinos Juniors the free kick. Gavino Roldan struck a weak shot in the 95th minute. Ahmed Long didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Argentinos Juniors. Ahmed Long made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Gavino Roldan in the 97th minute of play. When the match had gone on for 99 minutes, Gavino Roldan put it in 2-8 from a short distance just to the right of Ahmed Long. When the match was over Santos FC could go home with a victory in their luggage, having controlled the game far better than Argentinos Juniors throughout the match.