National Stadium
Spectators: 10300 (Terracing: 7725,
Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) Eric Choupo-Moting might have been able to make a better finish in the 3rd minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Mahieddine Bouzid. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Eric Choupo-Moting ran back to his position shaking his head. In the 3rd minute Eric Choupo-Moting shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Mahieddine Bouzid saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Jack Nolan took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Fodil Otman, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. U21 Northern Ireland's Eric Choupo-Moting got a good chance for a goal in the 6th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. After having played for 11 minutes, Eric Choupo-Moting managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. U21 Northern Ireland's supporters crossed their fingers, but Eric Choupo-Moting was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 21 minutes of play, U21 MZ Country's Fodil Otman made it 0-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Jack Nolan was left in no man's land by his defense there! Mahieddine Bouzid was a little too slow when Eric Choupo-Moting got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 25th minute. The score was now 1-1. 33 minutes into the match, U21 MZ Country's goal looked a bit too open when Eric Choupo-Moting came free, but Mahieddine Bouzid reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After 35 minutes, Smail Madani mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the U21 MZ Country and the U21 Northern Ireland players grew even worse after the yellow card. 41 minutes into the match, Abdellah Djura had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Jack Nolan. U21 Northern Ireland's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Abdellah Djura was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-2. When U21 MZ Country's Fodil Otman in the 45th minute got a chance for a shot 45th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye U21 Northern Ireland's goalie prevented a goal. The audience was convinced that Eric Choupo-Moting's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Mahieddine Bouzid was relentless in the 48th minute of the game. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 1-2 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.
In the 51st minute, Toby Coogan hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 55 minutes into the game, Billel Aggoune was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. U21 MZ Country's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave U21 Northern Ireland the free kick. Mahieddine Bouzid took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Eric Choupo-Moting, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. U21 MZ Country's Mahieddine Bouzid played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Eric Choupo-Moting in the 56th minute of play. Jack Nolan made a fantastic save in the 59th minute, when Hocine Assad sent off a good shot on target. Mahieddine Bouzid took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Eric Choupo-Moting, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. U21 Northern Ireland's Jack Nolan proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 68th minute of the match, managed to save U21 Northern Ireland from getting a goal against them. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Daniel Hawkins in the 73rd managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Mahieddine Bouzid saved U21 MZ Country from getting behind. The audience thought a goal was coming when Fodil Otman got free with Jack Nolan in the 75th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. After a defensive mix-up in U21 Northern Ireland's zone, Abdelhani Laura Douibi stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Jack Nolan came out of the goal and Abdelhani Laura Douibi tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Abdelhani Laura Douibi sent away a hard shot on goal in the 81st minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 82nd minute, Daniel Hawkins hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Abdelhani Laura Douibi in the 83rd minute of play forced U21 Northern Ireland's goalkeeper Jack Nolan to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. U21 MZ Country's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Hocine Assad in the 85th minute. 86 minutes into the match, Mimoun Karim Belkassem had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Jack Nolan. U21 Northern Ireland's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Mimoun Karim Belkassem was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-3. In the 90th minute, Billel Aggoune hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 93 minutes into the match, U21 MZ Country's goal looked a bit too open when Daniel Hawkins came free, but Mahieddine Bouzid reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. When the match clock showed 95 minutes, the score became 2-3 when Eric Choupo-Moting sped through U21 MZ Country's defense and sent away a curving shot that went into the net to the right of Mahieddine Bouzid. The U21 MZ Country supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing U21 MZ Country would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.
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