Challenge

Gradevo Stadion
Spectators: 43 (Terracing: 33, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Anatoly Karpov took the kick off in the first half of the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Anatoly Karpov in the 3rd minute of play forced Ecuador's goalkeeper Julio Vera to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Julio Vera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Ulryk Robak, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Джуджан's Niki Kalkandzhiev played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Cristian Sancho in the 16th minute of play. Niki Kalkandzhiev showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Cristian Sancho in the 18th minute of the match. After a rather tough play, Ecuador's Cristian Sancho got a free kick in the 25th minute. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Daniel Zorita in the 29th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Niki Kalkandzhiev saved Джуджан from getting behind. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Anatoly Karpov in the 32nd managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Julio Vera saved Ecuador from getting behind. Niki Kalkandzhiev took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Daniel Zorita, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Julio Vera showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Ulryk Robak, who was totally free with the ball in the 39th minute. Julio Vera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Koldo Baltanas, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After the first half Ecuador were leading 0-1. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.

The audience was convinced that Anatoly Karpov's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Vera was relentless in the 52nd minute of the game. Джуджан were awarded a corner in the 53th minute after Ecuador's defender lost control of the ball, allowing it to roll out over the line. Simo Lishkov took the corner. The corner went over the outstretched arms of Ecuador's goalie and right to Shen Yin Le. He fired away a shot at goal, but the shot had too much spin, and it went just outside the goal. Ecuador's manager breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines as his team had managed to escape an almost certain goal. Cristian Sancho struck a weak shot in the 55th minute. Niki Kalkandzhiev didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Ecuador. Cristian Sancho received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 62nd minute. Niki Kalkandzhiev tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. With 63 minutes on the clock, Higinio Gervaso commited a dangerous tackle. The referee had no choice but to show him the red card. Daniel Zorita placed the ball on the penalty spot and got himself ready to shoot. Post out! In the 67th minute the ball was on its way in behind Ecuador's goalkeeper Julio Vera, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Julio Vera made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Koldo Baltanas in the 73rd minute of play. When Luis Andino came up free with the goalie in the 80th minute, the Ecuador 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 Luis Andino couldn't finish the play. 82 minutes into the game, Cristian Sancho cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 1-2. Niki Kalkandzhiev was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Cristian Sancho fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 85th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Niki Kalkandzhiev having to interfere. Cristian Sancho kicked well hit freekick during the 86th minute of the match. Ulryk Robak fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 91st minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Julio Vera having to interfere. Thanks to some nice moves Daniel Zorita could shoot a difficult shot in the 93rd minute, which Niki Kalkandzhiev however easily saved by the left post. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Agustín Saelices during the 94th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Ecuador's fans were overjoyed with their teams well-earned victory and stayed in the stadium long after the final whistle to celebrate the win.