U21 World League

EL NATIONAL
Spectators: 7474 (Terracing: 5607, Seating: 1718, VIP seats: 149) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Issa Bado kicked off to start the match. In the 3rd minute, Issa Bado ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Dimitri Huijbreghts was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. Issa Bado sent away a hard shot on goal in the 9th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Octavian Smidts who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 12thth minute tested the skills of Dimitri Huijbreghts when he managed to save the team from getting behind. Dimitri Huijbreghts made a fantastic save in the 15th minute, when Issa Bado sent off a good shot on target. Alek Verdonckt's late challenge caught a FC Ouagadougou National's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Alek Verdonckt helped the player get up and apologised. Jerome Helssen hit a great freekick 20 minutes into the match. A collision led to FC Ouagadougou National getting a freekick after 20 minutes play. Karl Roeckeloos hit a great ball. Dimitri Huijbreghts showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Issa Bado, who was totally free with the ball in the 23rd minute. A collision led to FC Ouagadougou National getting a freekick after 25 minutes play. Jeremie Sterkx hit a great ball. In the 29th minute, Octavian Smidts made a precise shot to the right of Dimitri Huijbreghts. Esquirla FC's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-1. 33 minutes into the match, Esquirla FC's goal looked a bit too open when Issa Bado came free, but Dimitri Huijbreghts reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Ben Jaddon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Kasper Viskens in the 41st minute of play. When the referee blew for the end of the half the home team players were clearly happier, as they went in to the break leading 2-1.

After a rather tough play, Esquirla FC's Wes Goons got a free kick in the 52nd minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Octavian Smidts in the 56th minute of play forced Esquirla FC's goalkeeper Dimitri Huijbreghts to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Issa Bado struck a weak shot in the 64th minute. Dimitri Huijbreghts didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for FC Ouagadougou National. 66 minutes into the game, Esquirla FC's Kasper Viskens nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Ben Jaddon made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-2. In the 71st match minute, Esquirla FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Philippe-Arnaud Van den Plas to maneuver through the defense. Jerome Helssen sent away a hard shot on goal in the 74th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Joel Vrijdags charged in rather forcefully in the 75th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Joel Vrijdags the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 75 played minutes FC Ouagadougou National got a freekick which was hit by Joel Vrijdags. With a little luck, FC Ouagadougou National's Ben Jaddon got control of the ball when Kasper Viskens tried to sneak it across the goal line. After a defensive mix-up in FC Ouagadougou National's zone, Jerome Helssen stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Ben Jaddon came out of the goal and Jerome Helssen tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. In the 87th minute, Abdoulay Ali hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After having played for 88 minutes, Alek Verdonckt managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Esquirla FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Alek Verdonckt was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Kasper Viskens's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Ben Jaddon read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 90th minute of play. The teams fought very hard right up to the final whistle. Both sets of players were happy to go away with a draw.