Challenge

FC NATIONAL ARENA
Spectators: 44 (Terracing: 34, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Francisco Seco took the kick off in the first half of the match. Joaquin Gayoso showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Phaiakes Paraskevopoulos, who was totally free with the ball in the 4th minute. In the 5th minute, Phaiakes Paraskevopoulos made a precise shot to the right of Joaquin Gayoso. Uruguay's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-0. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Apostolis Polychronopoulos in the 8th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Joaquin Gayoso saved Uruguay from getting behind. Bogdan Lobonț came out of the goal in the 11th minute to try and stop a shot by Uruguay's Francisco Seco. But to his dismay, Francisco Seco quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-1. An unexpectedly hard shot by Francisco Seco in the 24th minute of play forced FC NATIONAL's goalkeeper Bogdan Lobonț to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Francisco Seco sent away a hard shot on goal in the 27th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 29 minutes into the match, Uruguay's goalkeeper Joaquin Gayoso had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Octavian Popescu. 35 minutes into the game, Francisco Seco cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 2-2. Bogdan Lobonț was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Francisco Seco's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Bogdan Lobonț read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 37th minute of play. The audience was convinced that Apostolis Polychronopoulos's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Joaquin Gayoso was relentless in the 39th minute of the game. Bogdan Lobonț made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Francisco Seco in the 47th minute of play. The score stood at 2-2 when the half time whistle went. Both sets of players seemed reasonably pleased with how the match was going.

The wind increased when Apostolis Polychronopoulos made the kick off in the second half. Jaime Cazalla took the ball and in the 52 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Bogdan Lobonț. Bogdan Lobonț dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 2-3. An unexpectedly hard shot by Maximiliano Escribano in the 58th minute of play forced FC NATIONAL's goalkeeper Bogdan Lobonț to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a rather tough play, FC NATIONAL's Akestes Bentihavas got a free kick in the 59th minute. 62 minutes into the match, Octavian Popescu had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Joaquin Gayoso. Uruguay's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Octavian Popescu was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 3-3. An unexpectedly hard shot by Octavian Popescu in the 66th minute of play forced Uruguay's goalkeeper Joaquin Gayoso to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. An unexpectedly hard shot by Apostolis Polychronopoulos in the 69th minute of play forced Uruguay's goalkeeper Joaquin Gayoso to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a defensive mix-up in Uruguay's zone, Octavian Popescu stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Joaquin Gayoso came out of the goal and Octavian Popescu tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Francisco Seco's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Bogdan Lobonț read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 81st minute of play. Francisco Seco struck a weak shot in the 84th minute. Bogdan Lobonț didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Uruguay. Joaquin Gayoso made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Octavian Popescu in the 87th minute of play. The supporters of Uruguay booed when FC NATIONAL was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 92 match minutes in a wonderful position. Aiakos Karahalios didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 93rd minute, Francisco Seco 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. 95 minutes into the match, Octavian Popescu had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Joaquin Gayoso. Uruguay's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Octavian Popescu was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 4-3. FC NATIONAL were really happy, having secured the victory after a very even contest. They thanked the players of Uruguay for a fine match.