Friendly League

Saint Etienne
Spectators: 41 (Terracing: 32, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Mosab Mandane made the kick off which started today's match. 4 minutes into the match, Al-Wasl SC's goal looked a bit too open when Ernie Muller came free, but Mubarek Baroun reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Mubarek Baroun made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Bernd von Grimmelhausen in the 5th minute of play. When Al-Wasl SC's Mosab Mandane in the 8th minute got a chance for a shot 8th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Saint Etienne's goalie prevented a goal. If Mosab Mandane had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 10th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Robert Auf der Maur showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Sayed Al Ramzi in the 15th minute of the match. Saint Etienne's Robert Auf der Maur played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Sayed Al Ramzi in the 18th minute of play. 19 minutes into the match, Saint Etienne's goal looked a bit too open when Abdullah Al Azmi came free, but Robert Auf der Maur reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 21st minute Hamad Al Ateqi shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Robert Auf der Maur saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 22nd minute, Sayed Al Ramzi left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Al-Wasl SC fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-1. In the 31st minute, Yaqoot Bo Hamad hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After a defensive mix-up in Al-Wasl SC's zone, Edmund Kubeck stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Mubarek Baroun came out of the goal and Edmund Kubeck tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. If Gustav Pilz had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 34th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. After a rather tough play, Al-Wasl SC's Sulaiman Al Fadhalah got a free kick in the 35th minute. Saint Etienne's Robert Auf der Maur played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Sayed Al Ramzi in the 41st minute of play. After 41 played minutes Saint Etienne got a freekick which was hit by Bernd von Grimmelhausen. In the 46th minute, Yaqoot Bo Hamad hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After the first half Al-Wasl SC were leading 0-2. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.

The wind increased when Gustav Pilz made the kick off in the second half. With a little luck, Saint Etienne's Robert Auf der Maur got control of the ball when Mosab Mandane tried to sneak it across the goal line. Hamad Al Ateqi kicked well hit freekick during the 53rd minute of the match. After 56 minutes, Mark König mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Saint Etienne and the Al-Wasl SC players grew even worse after the yellow card. The supporters of Al-Wasl SC booed when Saint Etienne was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 57 match minutes in a wonderful position. Mark König didn't get a good kick on the ball. Robert Auf der Maur showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Abdullah Al Azmi, who was totally free with the ball in the 59th minute. In the 61st minute, Abdullah Al Azmi reached a very good position and smashed the ball with a huge effort into the net, just to the left of Robert Auf der Maur. The goal made the score 0-3. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Gustav Pilz in the 70th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Mubarek Baroun prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Gustav Pilz sent away a hard shot on goal in the 72nd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. An unexpectedly hard shot by Gustav Pilz in the 77th minute of play forced Al-Wasl SC's goalkeeper Mubarek Baroun to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 80th match minute, Saint Etienne was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Gustav Pilz to maneuver through the defense. The away crowd were delighted with the way their team had played and cheered loudly when the final whistle sounded. Al-Wasl SC walked away with the win, even though the match was close until the end.