Challenge

Ángel Labruna
Spectators: 41 (Terracing: 32, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Fulgencio Gartzi kicked off to start the match. Marcos Cotilla showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Fulgencio Gartzi, who was totally free with the ball in the 5th minute. After 10th play minutes Jan-Olof Eliasson shot 1-0, a short shot which went by Marcos Cotilla and just under the crossbar into goal. In the 13th minute, Jan-Olof Eliasson 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. If Jan-Olof Eliasson had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 14th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Clemente Anaya hit a great freekick 15 minutes into the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Fulgencio Gartzi in the 18th minute of play forced Panama's goalkeeper Marcos Cotilla to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Jose Carita hit a great freekick 20 minutes into the match. 22 minutes into the match, La Gallardeta's goal looked a bit too open when Tomas Berganza came free, but Belchior Saldanha reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 26 minutes into the game, La Gallardeta's Jan-Olof Eliasson nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Marcos Cotilla made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-0. After a defensive mix-up in Panama's zone, Fulgencio Gartzi stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Marcos Cotilla came out of the goal and Fulgencio Gartzi tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Marcos Cotilla showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Enzo Nuñez in the 31st minute of the match. Belchior Saldanha made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Tomas Berganza in the 33rd minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Isidoro Sarmiento in the 38th minute of play forced La Gallardeta's goalkeeper Belchior Saldanha to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 39th minute, Jose Carita hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 43 minutes into the match, Isidoro Sarmiento had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Belchior Saldanha. La Gallardeta's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Isidoro Sarmiento was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-1. Marcos Cotilla came out of the goal in the 47th minute to try and stop a shot by La Gallardeta's Jan-Olof Eliasson. But to his dismay, Jan-Olof Eliasson quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 3-1. The home fans were very happy to see their team leading 3-1 at half-time.

The wind increased when Tomas Berganza made the kick off in the second half. Marcos Cotilla made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Fulgencio Gartzi in the 55th minute of play. In the 56th match minute, La Gallardeta was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Enzo Nuñez to maneuver through the defense. Fulgencio Gartzi took the ball and in the 59 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Marcos Cotilla. Marcos Cotilla dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 4-1. In the 63rd minute, Fulgencio Gartzi made a precise shot to the right of Marcos Cotilla. Panama's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 5-1. A collision led to La Gallardeta getting a freekick after 69 minutes play. Alessio Scandella hit a great ball. Miguel Miralles was extremely unlucky when he, in the 71st minute, took a shot that hit the right post and went out. Marcos Cotilla took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jan-Olof Eliasson, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 74 minutes had been played when some careless play by Panama's defense caused the ball to cross the line for a corner. Alessio Scandella was slow to take the kick. During this time La Gallardeta's players had a chance to rest. 75 minutes into the game, Alex Cambeiro was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Panama's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave La Gallardeta the free kick. After a rather tough play, Panama's Alex Cambeiro got a free kick in the 75th minute. A collision led to La Gallardeta getting a freekick after 81 minutes play. Clemente Anaya hit a great ball. Belchior Saldanha took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tomas Berganza, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Panama's Marcos Cotilla played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Fulgencio Gartzi in the 84th minute of play. With a little luck, La Gallardeta's Belchior Saldanha got control of the ball when Abraham Alguacil tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 91st minute, Dylan Sarmiento hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 94 minutes into the match, La Gallardeta's goalkeeper Belchior Saldanha had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Abraham Alguacil. La Gallardeta's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Alessio Scandella in the 97th minute. The corner led La Gallardeta's Alessio Scandella to fire away a dangerous shot which Marcos Cotilla despite some difficulties managed to get hold on the ball. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when the referee blew the final whistle. La Gallardeta had won after a very even match.