Challenge

Markowy Stadion
Spectators: 43 (Terracing: 33, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) Mexico's Joel Gaona started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. In the 2nd minute, Sebastião Gigante hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 3 minutes into the match, Markowy Team's goal looked a bit too open when Luca Zorita came free, but Artur Boruc reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Mexico's Dante Lacasa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Mai Jian Xi in the 10th minute of play. Dante Lacasa took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Mai Jian Xi, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 15 minutes into the match, Mexico's goalkeeper Dante Lacasa had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Carlos Alcaraz. 18 minutes into the match, Markowy Team's goal looked a bit too open when Alberto Tafalla came free, but Artur Boruc reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Dante Lacasa made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Carlos Alcaraz in the 21st minute of play. After 27 minutes of play, Mexico's Alberto Tafalla made it 0-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Artur Boruc was left in no man's land by his defense there! The audience was convinced that Mai Jian Xi's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Dante Lacasa was relentless in the 30th minute of the game. In the 32nd minute Luca Zorita shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Artur Boruc saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. An unexpectedly hard shot by Lautaro Mancebo in the 35th minute of play forced Markowy Team's goalkeeper Artur Boruc to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 41 minutes into the game, one of Mexico:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. Dante Lacasa had in the 42ndth minute some difficulties stopping Mai Jian Xi's well aimed penalty as it nearly passed him on his left side, but he still managed to hold the ball. In the 42nd minute, Mai Jian Xi made a precise shot to the right of Dante Lacasa. Mexico's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-1. With a little luck, Mexico's Dante Lacasa got control of the ball when Carlos Alcaraz tried to sneak it across the goal line. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 1-1 after a close first half.

Dante Lacasa didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Carlos Alcaraz went, in the 53rd minute, to the upper right corner, 2-1 was the resulting score. In the 57th minute Tomasz Wietrzychowski shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Dante Lacasa saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 60th minute, Carlos Alcaraz 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. In the 61st minute, Mai Jian Xi ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Dante Lacasa was frozen by the shot and now it was 3-1. In the 66th minute Carlos Alcaraz shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Dante Lacasa saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Artur Boruc showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Joel Gaona, who was totally free with the ball in the 67th minute. In the 68th minute Carlos Alcaraz shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Dante Lacasa saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. An unexpectedly hard shot by Mai Jian Xi in the 78th minute of play forced Mexico's goalkeeper Dante Lacasa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Joel Gaona might have been able to make a better finish in the 82nd minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Artur Boruc. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Joel Gaona ran back to his position shaking his head. Sebastião Gigante kicked well hit freekick during the 92nd minute of the match. For all the effort they put into the match, the Mexico players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for Markowy Team.