Friendly League

Cruz de Malta
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) AFC - Curitiba's Esteve Hodei 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. 6 minutes into the match, AFC - Curitiba's goalkeeper Duarte Mendes had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Gunnar Ekeroth. A collision led to AFC - Curitiba getting a freekick after 10 minutes play. Romário Ortiz hit a great ball. George Buffon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Jan Bykowski in the 13th minute of play. Duarte Mendes made an important save on a dangerous shot by Gunnar Ekeroth in the 17th minute. George Mbappè charged in rather forcefully in the 18th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed George Mbappè the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. George Mbappè kicked well hit freekick during the 18th minute of the match. 20 minutes into the match, AFC - Curitiba's goalkeeper Duarte Mendes had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by George Mbappè. An unexpectedly hard shot by Jan Bykowski in the 23rd minute of play forced Three Lions FC's goalkeeper George Buffon to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 23rd minute, Esteve Hodei ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. George Buffon was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-1. George Buffon showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Romário Ortiz, who was totally free with the ball in the 25th minute. 31 minutes into the match, Three Lions FC's goal looked a bit too open when Matouš Carda came free, but George Buffon reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Three Lions FC's George Messi was standing unmarked in front of the goal when he, in the 34th play minute, got the ball and easily drilled it into the goal. In the 38th minute George Mbappè shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Duarte Mendes saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. With his leg Duarte Mendes managed to avoid a goal in the 40thth minute, when Three Lions FC's George Messi fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Duarte Mendes made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from George Messi in the 43rd minute of play. George Messi struck a weak shot in the 45th minute. Duarte Mendes didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Three Lions FC.

The hometeam waved at the audience when it was time for George Messi to strike the kick off in the second half. Jan Bykowski could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 58th minute of the match, but George Buffon made a huge save. In the 60th minute, George Messi ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Duarte Mendes was frozen by the shot and now it was 3-1. George Buffon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Romário Ortiz in the 70th minute of play. In the 71st minute of the match AFC - Curitiba got a corner. Three Lions FC's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Lucjan Setara ran over to the corner to take the kick. 73 minutes into the game, AFC - Curitiba's Matouš Carda nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. George Buffon made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 3-3. George Buffon made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Romário Ortiz in the 76th minute of play. Wanderson Oliveira hit a great freekick 77 minutes into the match. With an all-out effort, AFC - Curitiba's George Buffon threw himself towards the right post 80 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Esteve Hodei, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Duarte Mendes made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Gunnar Ekeroth in the 83rd minute of play. 84 minutes into the match, Three Lions FC's goal looked a bit too open when Matouš Carda came free, but George Buffon reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. When AFC - Curitiba's Matouš Carda in the 84th minute got a chance for a shot 84th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Three Lions FC's goalie prevented a goal. After a rather tough play, Three Lions FC's Benito McRae got a free kick in the 87th minute. George Buffon didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Jan Bykowski went, in the 91st minute, to the upper right corner, 3-4 was the resulting score. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched AFC - Curitiba eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.