League Play-Off

Halstead
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when David Rostom got the match started through his kick off. An unexpectedly hard shot by Chedi Benzekri in the 4th minute of play forced Halstead AFC's goalkeeper Mehdi Ben Bourguiba to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Fraj Cherif's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Mehdi Ben Bourguiba read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 6th minute of play. Chedi Benzekri fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 8th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Mehdi Ben Bourguiba having to interfere. In the 9th match minute, Halstead AFC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Issam Abdelmajid to maneuver through the defense. Hamed Khaled kicked well hit freekick during the 11th minute of the match. When Wissem Mellouli fell near the penalty area in the 14th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Birch House's protests and gave Wissem Mellouli a yellow card for diving instead. A collision led to Halstead AFC getting a freekick after 16 minutes play. Najeh Nefzi hit a great ball. Sofiène Nafti made a fantastic save in the 21st minute, when Hamed Khaled sent off a good shot on target. Mehdi Ben Bourguiba made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Fraj Cherif in the 26th minute of play. Sofiène Nafti came out of the goal in the 28th minute to try and stop a shot by Halstead AFC's Hamed Khaled. But to his dismay, Hamed Khaled quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-0. With a little luck, Birch House's Sofiène Nafti got control of the ball when Hamed Khaled tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 37th minute of the match Mehdi Salem sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Mehdi Ben Bourguiba skillfully saved the ball. After a rather tough play, Birch House's Wissem Mellouli got a free kick in the 40th minute. Sofiène Nafti was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but David Rostom showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 2-0 in the 42 minute of play. After 47 played minutes Birch House got a freekick which was hit by Fraj Cherif. No-one was surprised that the home team were leading 2-0 at half-time.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Chedi Benzekri made a kick off. Sofiène Nafti took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from David Rostom, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 54th minute, Chedi Benzekri fired away a killer shot towards the goal that, to the delight of Mehdi Ben Bourguiba, passed just outside the right post. Chedi Benzekri received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 56th minute. Mehdi Ben Bourguiba tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Birch House's Sofiène Nafti played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by David Rostom in the 60th minute of play. In the 63rdth minute of the game David Rostom who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Birch House's Sofiène Nafti was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Birch House's Sofiène Nafti played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by David Rostom in the 65th minute of play. Sofiène Nafti stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Hamed Khaled's shot from short distance in the 70th minute. Said Ben Achab blasted a shot towards the goal in the 78th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Mehdi Ben Bourguiba having to make a save. Sofiène Nafti showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from David Rostom, who was totally free with the ball in the 81st minute. Chedi Benzekri received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 82nd minute. Mehdi Ben Bourguiba tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Chedi Benzekri sent away a hard shot on goal in the 85th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Mehdi Ben Bourguiba made a fantastic save in the 91st minute, when Chedi Benzekri sent off a good shot on target. When the referee blew the final whistle, Halstead AFC could leave the field as winners, despite Birch House having more of the ball for most of the match.