U21 World League

Gold Raiders Arena
Spectators: 7652 (Terracing: 5741, Seating: 1759, VIP seats: 152) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Valentin Ursulescu started the match with the kick off. In the 4th match minute, Gold Raiders FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by İsrafil Yaltırak to maneuver through the defense. After 6 played minutes The Owls got a freekick which was hit by Petruț Alecu. Göksel Esenboğa recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 7th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. After some careless play in the Gold Raiders FC defense, Iulian Pordea kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Resul Yalın. The Gold Raiders FC fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Resul Yalın should have stopped the shot. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Valentin Ursulescu in the 12th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Resul Yalın prevented the ball from getting in the gole. The supporters of Gold Raiders FC booed when The Owls was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 13 match minutes in a wonderful position. Eduard Bitănescu didn't get a good kick on the ball. After some fancy dribbling in the 14th minute, Özgür Akbora managed to get in a good position for a shot. Gold Raiders FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Özgür Akbora was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Ionuț Lungu breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Uygur Üstüner hit a great freekick 17 minutes into the match. Iulian Pordea took a chance and fired a shot far from the goal in the 17th minute, but it turned out to be a dangerous situation for Resul Yalın. Gold Raiders FC's goalkeeper really had to stretch himself to stop the ball from crossing the goal line. The audience was convinced that Valentin Ursulescu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Resul Yalın was relentless in the 21st minute of the game. In the 22nd minute of the match The Owls got a corner. Gold Raiders FC's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Iulian Pordea ran over to the corner to take the kick. After taking down the ball on The Owls's corner Iulian Pordea fired away a hard shot, but the defenders efficiently covered the most dangerous angles and Resul Yalın quite easily take care of the ball. Sefa Sadi kicked well hit freekick during the 23rd minute of the match. Gold Raiders FC's Resul Yalın played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Valentin Ursulescu in the 23rd minute of play. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Valentin Ursulescu in the 26th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Resul Yalın prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Valentin Ursulescu struck a weak shot in the 32nd minute. Resul Yalın didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for The Owls. After a rather tough play, Gold Raiders FC's Asaf Dirican got a free kick in the 34th minute. The audience thought a goal was coming when Göksel Esenboğa got free with Ionuț Lungu in the 37th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Özgür Akbora recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 41st minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. After a defensive mix-up in The Owls's zone, Özgür Akbora stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Ionuț Lungu came out of the goal and Özgür Akbora tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Göksel Esenboğa made a kick off. Resul Yalın was a little too slow when Iulian Pordea got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 54th minute. The score was now 0-2. Göksel Esenboğa sent away a hard shot on goal in the 67th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to The Owls getting a freekick after 68 minutes play. Liviu Huștea hit a great ball. When Traian Arsene fell near the penalty area in the 69th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored The Owls's protests and gave Traian Arsene a yellow card for diving instead. After 80 played minutes The Owls got a freekick which was hit by Fabian Isăcescu. An unexpected shot in the 83rd minute by Iulian Pordea got the crowd on their feet, but to their dismay it went out on the left side. If Özgür Akbora had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 86th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Eduard Bitănescu might have been able to make a better finish in the 87th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Resul Yalın. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Eduard Bitănescu ran back to his position shaking his head. If Göksel Esenboğa had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 91st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The Owls's Ionuț Lungu played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Özgür Akbora in the 92nd minute of play. The Gold Raiders FC fans had already started to leave before the final whistle blew. The Owls were clearly better and deserved to take the win.