Challenge

Staples center
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Peyo Hadzhimitov took the kick off in the first half of the match. In the 3rd minute, Peyo Hadzhimitov hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Antoan Mishev hit a great freekick 8 minutes into the match. In the 9th match minute, Опълченците was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Maksim Ganchev to maneuver through the defense. 10 minutes into the match, Опълченците's goal looked a bit too open when Mateo Leguizamo came free, but Slaveyko Halov reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Antoan Mishev hit a great freekick 14 minutes into the match. 17 minutes into the match, Опълченците's goal looked a bit too open when Moises Fernandino came free, but Slaveyko Halov reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 20th minute Moises Fernandino shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Slaveyko Halov saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 23 minutes into the game, Tomislav Kishev was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Опълченците's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave El Salvador the free kick. After 24 played minutes, El Salvador's Mateo Leguizamo shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Slaveyko Halov came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in El Salvador reached it. Moises Fernandino struck a weak shot in the 25th minute. Slaveyko Halov didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for El Salvador. With a little luck, El Salvador's Ricardo Zorita got control of the ball when Kristiyan Bunev tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 33rd minute the ball was on its way in behind El Salvador's goalkeeper Ricardo Zorita, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Slaveyko Halov took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Moises Fernandino, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 39 minutes, Maksim Ganchev mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Опълченците and the El Salvador players grew even worse after the yellow card. Mateo Leguizamo, 40 minutes into the match, dribbled the ball up the side of the field and decided to take a long shot at the goal. Unfortunately, the ball was poorly hit and landed closer to the corner than to the goal. Slaveyko Halov showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Abram Luque, who was totally free with the ball in the 44th minute. Moises Fernandino fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 46th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Slaveyko Halov having to interfere. Disappointed in the 0-1 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

The wind increased when Moises Fernandino made the kick off in the second half. In the 51st minute, Ganyo Salmov ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Ricardo Zorita was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-1. In the 53rd match minute, Опълченците was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Antoan Mishev to maneuver through the defense. Slaveyko Halov made an important save on a dangerous shot by Moises Fernandino in the 59th minute. Slaveyko Halov was out of position in the 61 minute of play, and Abram Luque capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Abram Luque really showed his touch with that goal: 1-2. In the 65th match minute, El Salvador was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Jesus Carvallo to maneuver through the defense. In the 66th minute of the match Bratan Kalinov shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Ricardo Zorita showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. In the 69th minute Kristiyan Bunev shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Ricardo Zorita saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The audience thought a goal was coming when Moises Fernandino got free with Slaveyko Halov in the 74th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 78th match minute, El Salvador was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Abram Luque to maneuver through the defense. If Abram Luque had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 84th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. With a little luck, Опълченците's Slaveyko Halov got control of the ball when Moises Fernandino tried to sneak it across the goal line. The El Salvador supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing El Salvador would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.