Challenge

Martin Palermo
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) Santa Maradona's Rodolfo Cordeiro 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. Julio Vera was out of position in the 3 minute of play, and Rodolfo Cordeiro capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Rodolfo Cordeiro really showed his touch with that goal: 1-0. 7 minutes into the match, Santa Maradona's goal looked a bit too open when Daniel Zorita came free, but Jonathan Errapel reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 10 minutes into the match, Santa Maradona's goal looked a bit too open when Cristian Sancho came free, but Jonathan Errapel reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 11th minute Ecuador were awarded a corner. Daniel Zorita went to the cornerflag to take it. After taking down the ball on Ecuador's corner Daniel Zorita fired away a hard shot, but the defenders efficiently covered the most dangerous angles and Jonathan Errapel quite easily take care of the ball. Jonathan Errapel showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Daniel Zorita, who was totally free with the ball in the 14th minute. 14 minutes into the game, Ecuador's Daniel Zorita nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Jonathan Errapel made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 1-1. After a defensive mix-up in Santa Maradona's zone, Daniel Zorita stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Jonathan Errapel came out of the goal and Daniel Zorita tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The supporters of Santa Maradona booed when Ecuador was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 24 match minutes in a wonderful position. Juan Sebastián Puig didn't get a good kick on the ball. Ecuador's Julio Vera played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Miguel Transito in the 25th minute of play. Daniel Zorita struck a weak shot in the 27th minute. Jonathan Errapel didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Ecuador. Jonathan Errapel made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Cristian Sancho in the 31st minute of play. In the 34th minute, Daniel Zorita left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Ecuador fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 1-2. With an all-out effort, Santa Maradona's Julio Vera threw himself towards the right post 37 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Miguel Transito, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Santa Maradona were awarded a corner in the 38th minute after Ecuador's defender lost control of the ball, allowing it to roll out over the line. Haroldo Martxot took the corner. Gervasio Garcia made a great header on Santa Maradona's corner, it was just that Ecuador's Julio Vera managed to reach the ball for a save. Jonathan Errapel took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Daniel Zorita, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 42nd minute Ecuador were awarded a corner. Daniel Zorita went to the cornerflag to take it. After 44 minutes of play, Santa Maradona's Rodolfo Cordeiro made it 2-2 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Julio Vera was left in no man's land by his defense there! Felix Montenegro blasted a shot towards the goal in the 47th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Jonathan Errapel having to make a save. After fighting hard for a draw in the first half, the players were able to take a much needed rest.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Daniel Zorita to make the kick off. Daniel Zorita could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 52nd minute of the match, but Jonathan Errapel made a huge save. In the 56th minute, Cecilio Beltxe had to leave the field with a concussion. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Primitivo Andino during the 56th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Primitivo Andino hit a great freekick 58 minutes into the match. 59 minutes into the match, Santa Maradona's Miguel Transito sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Julio Vera narrowly saved just below the crossbar. After 66 played minutes Ecuador's Felix Montenegro stole the ball from his opponents and shot the ball towards the upper left corner, but Jonathan Errapel stretched himself as far as he could, and stopped the ball from passing the line. robbing Santa Maradona of the goal. Julio Vera stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Miguel Transito's shot from short distance in the 67th minute. In the 71st minute, Ecuador's Daniel Zorita dribbled the ball into the box and hit a shot with the outside of his foot, sending the keeper the wrong way. 3-3. 79 minutes had been played when some careless play by Santa Maradona's defense caused the ball to cross the line for a corner. Daniel Zorita was slow to take the kick. During this time Ecuador's players had a chance to rest. The audience thought a goal was coming when Daniel Zorita got free with Jonathan Errapel in the 80th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Jonathan Errapel was out of position in the 80 minute of play, and Daniel Zorita capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Daniel Zorita really showed his touch with that goal: 3-4. After some careless play in the Santa Maradona defense, Cristian Sancho kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Jonathan Errapel. The Santa Maradona fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Jonathan Errapel should have stopped the shot. The audience was convinced that Rodolfo Cordeiro's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Vera was relentless in the 87th minute of the game. The supporters of Ecuador booed when Santa Maradona was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 92 match minutes in a wonderful position. Fernando Nabar didn't get a good kick on the ball. Daniel Zorita fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 93rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Jonathan Errapel having to interfere. Ecuador's players went to the stands to thank the travelling support. The fan's backing had helped spurr the team on to a fine performance that won them the match.