League Play-Off

Johan CRUYFF
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Batiste Dufau made the kick off which started today's match. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by François-Xavier Finot during the 2nd minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. François-Xavier Finot hit a great freekick 2 minutes into the match. 6 minutes into the match, Franz Larrieu had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Donatien Casabianca. Dijon fc's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Franz Larrieu was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-1. arsenal's Mohamed-Ali Bruel proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 9th minute of the match, managed to save arsenal from getting a goal against them. The supporters of Dijon fc booed when arsenal was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 10 match minutes in a wonderful position. Manuel Mottet didn't get a good kick on the ball. 12 minutes into the match, Dijon fc's Jolan Andreani sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Mohamed-Ali Bruel narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Jolan Andreani received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 15th minute. Mohamed-Ali Bruel tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. A collision led to Dijon fc getting a freekick after 22 minutes play. Claude Arnold hit a great ball. In the 24th minute of the match Prosper Gabet shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Donatien Casabianca showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. 25 minutes into the match, arsenal's goal looked a bit too open when Jolan Andreani came free, but Mohamed-Ali Bruel reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Batiste Dufau received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 27th minute. Mohamed-Ali Bruel tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 32nd match minute, arsenal was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Prosper Gabet to maneuver through the defense. Dijon fc's Joachim Pate couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 33rd minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for arsenal. Batiste Dufau's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Mohamed-Ali Bruel read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 35th minute of play. In the 43rd minute, Bakary Ouvrard hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Batiste Dufau received a nice pass, split the defenders, and ran untouched towards the goal. Mohamed-Ali Bruel came out and tried to block the shot, but Batiste Dufau slotted it home off the left post making it 1-1 in the 47th minute. The score stood at 1-1 when the half time whistle went. Both sets of players seemed reasonably pleased with how the match was going.

The wind increased when Franz Larrieu made the kick off in the second half. Mohamed-Ali Bruel made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Batiste Dufau in the 53rd minute of play. In the 55th minute, Batiste Dufau 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. Dijon fc's Jolan Andreani got a good chance for a goal in the 57th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. An unexpectedly hard shot by Franz Larrieu in the 75th minute of play forced Dijon fc's goalkeeper Donatien Casabianca to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. An unexpectedly hard shot by Jolan Andreani in the 77th minute of play forced arsenal's goalkeeper Mohamed-Ali Bruel to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After 79 minutes of play, Dijon fc's Jolan Andreani made it 3-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Mohamed-Ali Bruel was left in no man's land by his defense there! If Julien Marck had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 82nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. In the 85th minute, Faudel Olivier hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Jolan Andreani fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 87th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Mohamed-Ali Bruel having to interfere. The supporters of arsenal booed when Dijon fc was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 92 match minutes in a wonderful position. Claude Arnold didn't get a good kick on the ball. After 94 played minutes, Dijon fc's Joachim Pate shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Mohamed-Ali Bruel came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in Dijon fc reached it. Mohamed-Ali Bruel took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jolan Andreani, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Batiste Dufau might have been able to make a better finish in the 98th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Mohamed-Ali Bruel. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Batiste Dufau ran back to his position shaking his head.