World League

Arena Corinthians
Spectators: 7574 (Terracing: 5682, Seating: 1741, VIP seats: 151) Nicolae Barbu made the kick off and thus started the match. After 4 played minutes Corinthians got a freekick which was hit by Kiril Biradzhiev. Cristian Fința made in the 7th minute of the game a sloppy throw-in which Robert Antohi however managed to control. 10 minutes into the match, Corinthians's Cristiano Messi sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Marian Văduvescu narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 12th minute Filip Paulescu shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Jaime Almeida saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Marian Văduvescu took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Cristiano Messi, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. FC Steaua Pildesti's Marian Văduvescu proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 14th minute of the match, managed to save FC Steaua Pildesti from getting a goal against them. An unexpectedly hard shot by Cristiano Messi in the 16th minute of play forced FC Steaua Pildesti's goalkeeper Marian Văduvescu to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 17th minute Lucian Stere shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Jaime Almeida saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. FC Steaua Pildesti's defense didn't have a chance, in the 18th minute, when Cristiano Messi scored to the left of an out of position Marian Văduvescu, making the score, 1-0. Corinthians's Jaime Almeida played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Lucian Stere in the 23rd minute of play. In the 24th minute, Nistor Costandache hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lucian Stere in the 28th minute of play forced Corinthians's goalkeeper Jaime Almeida to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 30 minutes into the match, FC Steaua Pildesti's goalkeeper Marian Văduvescu had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Cristiano Messi. FC Steaua Pildesti's defense didn't have a chance, in the 31st minute, when Cristiano Messi scored to the left of an out of position Marian Văduvescu, making the score, 2-0. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lucian Stere in the 41st minute of play forced Corinthians's goalkeeper Jaime Almeida to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 44th minute Lucian Stere shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Jaime Almeida saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 46th minute the ball was on its way in behind FC Steaua Pildesti's goalkeeper Marian Văduvescu, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Af the end of the first half the score was 2-0. The first half had gone as expected for the home team.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Cristiano Messi stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. Cristiano Messi fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 50th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Marian Văduvescu having to interfere. FC Steaua Pildesti's Marian Văduvescu played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Cristiano Messi in the 53rd minute of play. With his leg Jaime Almeida managed to avoid a goal in the 55thth minute, when FC Steaua Pildesti's Nicolae Barbu fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Cristiano Messi in the 57th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Marian Văduvescu prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Cristiano Messi fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 59th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Marian Văduvescu having to interfere. In the 64th minute of the match, Nicolae Barbu got a very nice opportunity to score, but Jaime Almeida was well-placed and pushed the ball away from the goal at the left post. FC Steaua Pildesti's Marian Văduvescu played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Cristiano Messi in the 66th minute of play. Jaime Almeida made an important save on a dangerous shot by Filip Paulescu in the 68th minute. In the 71st minute Cristiano Messi shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Marian Văduvescu saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 71 minutes into the match, Cristiano Messi had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Marian Văduvescu. FC Steaua Pildesti's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Cristiano Messi was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 3-0. Nicolae Barbu could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 74th minute of the match, but Jaime Almeida made a huge save. When Cristiano Messi came up free with the goalie in the 76th minute, the Corinthians 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 Cristiano Messi couldn't finish the play. Ignacy Kinic recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 81st minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Corinthians's José Vítor Ramos was substituted for Cristiano Messi. Corinthians's Rubinho de Lara was substituted for Ignacy Kinic. José Vítor Ramos struck a weak shot in the 85th minute. Marian Văduvescu didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Corinthians. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lucian Stere in the 89th minute of play forced Corinthians's goalkeeper Jaime Almeida to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After some careless play in the Corinthians defense, Nicolae Barbu kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Jaime Almeida. The Corinthians fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Jaime Almeida should have stopped the shot. For all the effort they put into the match, the FC Steaua Pildesti players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for Corinthians.