Challenge

The Betsy Stadium
Spectators: 41 (Terracing: 32, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Tomas Berganza got the match started through his kick off. Staffordshire Terrier FC's Clive Holloway played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Abraham Alguacil in the 3rd minute of play. After 16 played minutes Staffordshire Terrier FC got a freekick which was hit by Matt Sullivan. When Rogelio Espiridion fell near the penalty area in the 20th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Staffordshire Terrier FC's protests and gave Rogelio Espiridion a yellow card for diving instead. In the 26th minute, one of Panama:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Panama. In the 29th match minute, Panama was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Tomas Berganza to maneuver through the defense. Yu Jie Xing might have been able to make a better finish in the 31st minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Marcos Cotilla. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Yu Jie Xing ran back to his position shaking his head. Staffordshire Terrier FC's Yu Jie Xing got a good chance for a goal in the 38th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. A collision led to Panama getting a freekick after 41 minutes play. Abraham Alguacil hit a great ball. Tomas Berganza struck a weak shot in the 43rd minute. Clive Holloway didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Panama. After a defensive mix-up in Staffordshire Terrier FC's zone, Tomas Berganza stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Clive Holloway came out of the goal and Tomas Berganza tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 0-0 after a close first half.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Yu Jie Xing made a kick off. A collision led to Panama getting a freekick after 51 minutes play. Matthew Garrido hit a great ball. Yu Jie Xing scored 1-0 in the 52nd match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Marcos Cotilla, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. After having played for 55 minutes, Matt Sullivan managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Staffordshire Terrier FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Matt Sullivan was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. In the 57th minute, Yu Jie Xing ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Marcos Cotilla was frozen by the shot and now it was 2-0. In the 60th minute, Ferdinando Braccia hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. A collision led to Panama getting a freekick after 62 minutes play. Miguel Miralles hit a great ball. After some fancy dribbling in the 63rd minute, Yu Jie Xing managed to get in a good position for a shot. Staffordshire Terrier FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Yu Jie Xing was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Marcos Cotilla breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Matthew Garrido made in the 66th minute of the game a throw-in that took a bad bounce and was taken care of by Staffordshire Terrier FC's Ferdinando Braccia. Rogelio Espiridion was shown his second yellow card after 77 minutes, following a rather ugly tackle on opponent. That was the end of his participation in the match. Staffordshire Terrier FC made a substitution. Alex Zanardi replaced Yu Jie Xing. After 77 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Staffordshire Terrier FC! When the match had been going on for 80 minutes, Panama's Abraham Alguacil got an opportunity to shoot a penalty. He stayed cool and waited for the goalkeeper to move, before he confidently shot the ball into the goal, to the left of Clive Holloway. Clive Holloway was a little too slow when Tomas Berganza got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 84th minute. The score was now 2-2. The supporters of Staffordshire Terrier FC booed when Panama was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 86 match minutes in a wonderful position. Matthew Garrido didn't get a good kick on the ball. A collision led to Staffordshire Terrier FC getting a freekick after 87 minutes play. Ferdinando Braccia hit a great ball. Felipe Ros got a throw-in 96 minutes in the game and the ball was received by Isidoro Sarmiento. In the 98th match minute, Staffordshire Terrier FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Brice Gamble to maneuver through the defense. The final whistle blew with the score still tied, and both teams left the pitch thinking about the missed chances that could have given their team the win.