U18 World League

Temple of Solomon
Spectators: 7746 (Terracing: 5811, Seating: 1781, VIP seats: 154) Peter Degiorgio started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. A collision led to UFC Puturoasa getting a freekick after 3 minutes play. Mihai Briceag hit a great ball. Nick Grech showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ruslan Blanari in the 6th minute of the match. Sergiu Ramos hit a great freekick 19 minutes into the match. Lawrence Gonzi received a nice pass, split the defenders, and ran untouched towards the goal. Anton Grimalschi came out and tried to block the shot, but Lawrence Gonzi slotted it home off the left post making it 1-0 in the 20th minute. Cristian Ronaldo received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 24th minute. Nick Grech tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. UFC Puturoasa's Anton Grimalschi played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Luke Abdilla in the 32nd minute of play. Ruslan Blanari sent away a hard shot on goal in the 34th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Mark Cuschieri received a nice pass, split the defenders, and ran untouched towards the goal. Anton Grimalschi came out and tried to block the shot, but Mark Cuschieri slotted it home off the left post making it 2-0 in the 36th minute. In the 41st minute Mark Cuschieri shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Anton Grimalschi saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. When Sergiu Ramos fell near the penalty area in the 42nd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored UFC Puturoasa's protests and gave Sergiu Ramos a yellow card for diving instead. In the 42nd match minute, UFC Puturoasa was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Sergiu Ramos to maneuver through the defense. If Lawrence Gonzi had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 44th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Ruslan Blanari kicked well hit freekick during the 46th minute of the match. A hard shot by Mark Borg Xuereb from long distance, 47 minutes into the match, got Anton Grimalschi's attention. Through a fast twist with his body, he could stop the ball from going in on his right side. The home fans were very happy to see their team leading 2-0 at half-time.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Cristian Ronaldo stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. In the 59thth minute of the game Cristian Ronaldo who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Templars FC's Nick Grech was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. 60 minutes into the match, Mark Cuschieri had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Anton Grimalschi. UFC Puturoasa's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Mark Cuschieri was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 3-0. Nick Grech came out of the goal in the 63rd minute to try and stop a shot by UFC Puturoasa's Sergiu Ramos. But to his dismay, Sergiu Ramos quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 3-1. When Templars FC's Lawrence Gonzi in the 70th minute got a chance for a shot 70th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye UFC Puturoasa's goalie prevented a goal. When Mark Borg Xuereb came up free with the goalie in the 71st minute, the Templars FC 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 Mark Borg Xuereb couldn't finish the play. Templars FC made a substitution. Neil Debono replaced Dylan Pizzuto. After a rather tough play, Templars FC's Mark Borg Xuereb got a free kick in the 76th minute. Nick Grech was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Cristian Ronaldo showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 3-2 in the 81 minute of play. When Emil Dobândã came up free with the goalie in the 96th minute, the UFC Puturoasa 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 Emil Dobândã couldn't finish the play. Templars FC's fans were exulted and cheered after their team won in a match that could easily have gone the other way.