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Match Report
Pepsi Arena
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31,
Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) FC Pepsi's Lv Yuan Kuan started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. Julio Vera showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Kurt Lundin, who was totally free with the ball in the 7th minute. Paul Holmstedt showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Cristian Sancho in the 12th minute of the match. After some fancy dribbling in the 13th minute, Kurt Lundin managed to get in a good position for a shot. FC Pepsi's supporters rose to their feet, but Kurt Lundin was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Julio Vera breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. FC Pepsi's Kurt Lundin got a good chance for a goal in the 16th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Lv Yuan Kuan could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 18th minute of the match, but Julio Vera made a huge save. If Cristian Sancho had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 19th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Paul Holmstedt showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Cristian Sancho, who was totally free with the ball in the 19th minute. The audience cheered when Cristian Sancho's long shot passed Paul Holmstedt's right side. It was 0-1, 19 minutes into the match. The audience thought a goal was coming when Kurt Lundin got free with Julio Vera in the 25th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. After 26 minutes Ecuador's defender was forced to head the ball over the line for a corner. It was Ludvig Ahlroht who took care of the corner kick. In the 27th minute, Daniel Zorita 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 36th minute, Juan Sebastián Puig hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Joshua Sammut Castelletti in the 37th minute of play forced Ecuador's goalkeeper Julio Vera to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 40 minutes into the match, FC Pepsi's goal looked a bit too open when Cristian Sancho came free, but Paul Holmstedt reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Julio Vera made an important save on a dangerous shot by Lv Yuan Kuan in the 42nd minute. After 46 played minutes Ecuador got a freekick which was hit by Agustín Saelices. Ecuador's Julio Vera played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Kurt Lundin in the 48th minute of play.
When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Daniel Zorita made a kick off. Julio Vera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Joshua Sammut Castelletti, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Julio Vera came out of the goal in the 57th minute to try and stop a shot by FC Pepsi's Lv Yuan Kuan. But to his dismay, Lv Yuan Kuan quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-1. After some careless play in the FC Pepsi defense, Cristian Sancho kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Paul Holmstedt. The FC Pepsi fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Paul Holmstedt should have stopped the shot. Cristian Sancho fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 69th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Paul Holmstedt having to interfere. Julio Vera made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Joshua Sammut Castelletti in the 74th minute of play. The supporters of Ecuador booed when FC Pepsi was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 76 match minutes in a wonderful position. Joshua Sammut Castelletti didn't get a good kick on the ball. Daniel Zorita took the ball and in the 82 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Paul Holmstedt. Paul Holmstedt dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-3. With a little luck, FC Pepsi's Paul Holmstedt got control of the ball when Cristian Sancho tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 90th minute Joshua Sammut Castelletti shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Julio Vera saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Julio Vera made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Kanu Kanu in the 92nd minute of play. In the 93rd minute FC Pepsi were awarded a corner. Ludvig Ahlroht went to the cornerflag to take it. Kurt Lundin was in a good position and managed to take a shot, but he missed just to the outside of the post. The audience was convinced that Kanu Kanu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Vera was relentless in the 96th minute of the game. Ecuador played a much better game than FC Pepsi and deserved their victory. The FC Pepsi players were clearly disappointed as they left the ground.
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