Challenge

The Fortress
Spectators: 44 (Terracing: 34, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Axel Tasis started the match with the kick off. When the match had gone on for 7 minutes, Cullan Dimson put it in 2-0 from a short distance just to the right of Benito Sanz. 15 minutes into the game, Costa Rica's Eliseo Noboa nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Pat Walker made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-1. Eliseo Noboa sent away a hard shot on goal in the 20th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Aaron Gillmour hit a great freekick 25 minutes into the match. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Cullan Dimson in the 31st minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Benito Sanz prevented the ball from getting in the gole. 33 minutes into the match, Costa Rica's goal looked a bit too open when Irwin Keegan came free, but Benito Sanz reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 38th minute, Cullan Dimson ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Benito Sanz was frozen by the shot and now it was 3-1. 47 minutes into the match, Cullan Dimson had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Benito Sanz. Costa Rica's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Cullan Dimson was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 4-1. The home fans were very happy to see their team leading 4-1 at half-time.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Cullan Dimson stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. In the 54th minute, Lautaro Puig ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Pat Walker was frozen by the shot and now it was 4-2. Cullan Dimson received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 58th minute. Benito Sanz tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The audience was convinced that Axel Tasis's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Pat Walker was relentless in the 61st minute of the game. If Eliseo Noboa had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 62nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Axel Tasis's late challenge caught a Dhún na nGall™'s player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Axel Tasis helped the player get up and apologised. After 65 played minutes Costa Rica got a freekick which was hit by Axel Tasis. Lautaro Puig scored 4-3 in the 68th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Pat Walker, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. An unexpectedly hard shot by Cullan Dimson in the 78th minute of play forced Costa Rica's goalkeeper Benito Sanz to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a rather tough play, Costa Rica's Alan Moruga got a free kick in the 79th minute. Costa Rica's Benito Sanz played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Irwin Keegan in the 81st minute of play. 5-3 became the score in the 82nd minute when Cullan Dimson elegantly shot the ball into goal just under the crossbar. 88 minutes into the match, Dhún na nGall™'s goalkeeper Pat Walker had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Axel Tasis. After 90 played minutes Costa Rica got a freekick which was hit by Eliseo Noboa. In the 92nd minute Cullan Dimson shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Benito Sanz saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Bairthmead Hunt sent away a hard shot on goal in the 95th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Benito Sanz showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Bairthmead Hunt, who was totally free with the ball in the 98th minute. It was no surprise that this one had ended in a win for the home team. Dhún na nGall™ had played much better football throughout.