Challenge

Estadio Azteca
Spectators: 45 (Terracing: 35, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Sven Brask kicked off to start the match. After 4 played minutes Lokomotiv Plovdiv got a freekick which was hit by Yulian Florov. 5 minutes into the match, Lokomotiv Plovdiv's goalkeeper Krum Nikolchov had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Lautaro Mancebo. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lautaro Mancebo in the 7th minute of play forced Lokomotiv Plovdiv's goalkeeper Krum Nikolchov to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Yulian Florov charged in rather forcefully in the 8th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Yulian Florov the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After a rather tough play, Lokomotiv Plovdiv's Yulian Florov got a free kick in the 8th minute. Sven Brask might have been able to make a better finish in the 10th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Dante Lacasa. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Sven Brask ran back to his position shaking his head. In the 11th minute Felix Luque suffered a thigh injury and had to be helped off the field. Sven Brask kicked well hit freekick during the 13th minute of the match. After 19 minutes, Mirolyub Dragoychev mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Lokomotiv Plovdiv and the Mexico players grew even worse after the yellow card. Mirolyub Dragoychev hit a great freekick 19 minutes into the match. Yulian Florov kicked well hit freekick during the 20th minute of the match. Mexico's Joel Gaona couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 21st minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Lokomotiv Plovdiv. After a rather tough play, Lokomotiv Plovdiv's Jordi Alba got a free kick in the 22nd minute. 25 minutes into the match, Zdzislaw Obuchowicz had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Dante Lacasa. Mexico's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Zdzislaw Obuchowicz was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-1. Lautaro Mancebo came free with the goalkeeper in the 28th minute of the match, and shot straight on target. The shot was a little too simple and Krum Nikolchov could save by the left post. Dante Lacasa took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Sven Brask, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After some fancy dribbling in the 35th minute, Alberto Tafalla managed to get in a good position for a shot. Mexico's supporters rose to their feet, but Alberto Tafalla was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Krum Nikolchov breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Dante Lacasa made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Zdzislaw Obuchowicz in the 38th minute of play. Mirolyub Dragoychev hit a great freekick 41 minutes into the match. After 42 played minutes Mexico got a freekick which was hit by Luca Zorita. In the 44th match minute, Mexico was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Joel Gaona to maneuver through the defense. After the first half Lokomotiv Plovdiv were leading 0-1. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Joel Gaona to make the kick off. Lin Feng Xi kicked well hit freekick during the 51st minute of the match. The supporters of Lokomotiv Plovdiv booed when Mexico was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 52 match minutes in a wonderful position. Lautaro Mancebo didn't get a good kick on the ball. When Mirolyub Dragoychev came up free with the goalie in the 60th minute, the Lokomotiv Plovdiv fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Mirolyub Dragoychev couldn't finish the play. The audience was convinced that Lautaro Mancebo's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Krum Nikolchov was relentless in the 62nd minute of the game. Lautaro Mancebo charged in rather forcefully in the 65th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Lautaro Mancebo the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In the 65th minute, Lautaro Mancebo hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Lokomotiv Plovdiv's Facundo Nazario was substituted for Sven Brask. In the 66th match minute, Mexico was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Lautaro Mancebo to maneuver through the defense. Mirolyub Dragoychev in the 68thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Dante Lacasa, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. An unexpectedly hard shot by Alberto Tafalla in the 71st minute of play forced Lokomotiv Plovdiv's goalkeeper Krum Nikolchov to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Krum Nikolchov made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Joel Gaona in the 76th minute of play. Dante Lacasa showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Facundo Nazario, who was totally free with the ball in the 84th minute. Joel Gaona's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Krum Nikolchov read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 87th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Facundo Nazario in the 89th minute of play forced Mexico's goalkeeper Dante Lacasa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Alberto Tafalla sent away a hard shot on goal in the 91st minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Lokomotiv Plovdiv's supporters were very happy and cheered loudly because their team had won after a very close match.