U23 World League

OldHighbury
Spectators: 7443 (Terracing: 5583, Seating: 1712, VIP seats: 148) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Donato Carosella started the match with the kick off. If Donato Carosella had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 5th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Arlindo Meireles showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Donato Carosella, who was totally free with the ball in the 7th minute. Donato Carosella fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 14th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Arlindo Meireles having to interfere. After a rather tough play, OldHighburyInvincibles's Florian Paolucci got a free kick in the 21st minute. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Renato Aguiar in the 22nd managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Frank Di Cristofaro saved OldHighburyInvincibles from getting behind. Donato Carosella struck a weak shot in the 26th minute. Arlindo Meireles didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for OldHighburyInvincibles. After a rather tough play, Xurupita FC's Carlos Fernando Rocha got a free kick in the 27th minute. Arlindo Meireles made an important save on a dangerous shot by Emanuele Monzeglio in the 29th minute. Frank Di Cristofaro took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Renato Aguiar, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. When Emanuele Monzeglio fell near the penalty area in the 38th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored OldHighburyInvincibles's protests and gave Emanuele Monzeglio a yellow card for diving instead. Emanuele Monzeglio hit a great freekick 38 minutes into the match. A collision led to OldHighburyInvincibles getting a freekick after 42 minutes play. Amos Arcangeli hit a great ball. Frank Di Cristofaro showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Teodoro Valle, who was totally free with the ball in the 45th minute. When OldHighburyInvincibles's Donato Carosella in the 47th minute got a chance for a shot 47th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Xurupita FC's goalie prevented a goal.

The wind increased when Teodoro Valle made the kick off in the second half. In the 53rdth minute of the game Donato Carosella who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Xurupita FC's Arlindo Meireles was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Donato Carosella sent away a hard shot on goal in the 56th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 59 minutes into the match, OldHighburyInvincibles's goal looked a bit too open when Renato Aguiar came free, but Frank Di Cristofaro reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Frank Di Cristofaro showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Abel Proença, who was totally free with the ball in the 60th minute. Donato Carosella scored 2-0 in the 61st match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Arlindo Meireles, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. In the 65th minute Abel Proença shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Frank Di Cristofaro saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Xurupita FC's Arlindo Meireles played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Emanuele Monzeglio in the 74th minute of play. After a rather tough play, Xurupita FC's Renato Aguiar got a free kick in the 76th minute. In the 81st match minute, Xurupita FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Abel Proença to maneuver through the defense. When OldHighburyInvincibles's Emanuele Monzeglio in the 82nd minute got a chance for a shot 82nd didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Xurupita FC's goalie prevented a goal. In the 84th minute, Donato Carosella got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. In the 88th minute, Donato Carosella left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The OldHighburyInvincibles fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 3-0. 91 minutes into the game, Teodoro Valle cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 3-1. Frank Di Cristofaro was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. For all the effort they put into the match, the Xurupita FC players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for OldHighburyInvincibles.