Challenge

Pepsi Arena
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Joshua Sammut Castelletti kicked off to start the match. In the 3rd minute, Bruno Lucente hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. In the 5th minute, Daniel Zorita 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. If Agustín Saelices had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 10th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. FC Pepsi's Paul Holmstedt played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Cristian Sancho in the 12th minute of play. Paul Holmstedt made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Cristian Sancho in the 15th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Daniel Zorita in the 17th minute of play forced FC Pepsi's goalkeeper Paul Holmstedt to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Paul Holmstedt didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Daniel Zorita went, in the 17th minute, to the upper right corner, 0-1 was the resulting score. With a little luck, Ecuador's Julio Vera got control of the ball when Joshua Sammut Castelletti tried to sneak it across the goal line. Felix Montenegro blasted a shot towards the goal in the 30th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Paul Holmstedt having to make a save. Paul Holmstedt took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Cristian Sancho, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The supporters of FC Pepsi booed when Ecuador was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 33 match minutes in a wonderful position. Luis Andino didn't get a good kick on the ball. Daniel Zorita fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 39th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Paul Holmstedt having to interfere. Julio Vera showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Lv Yuan Kuan, who was totally free with the ball in the 41st minute. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Daniel Zorita stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. In the 60th minute Lv Yuan Kuan shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Julio Vera saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The audience was convinced that Joshua Sammut Castelletti's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Vera was relentless in the 61st minute of the game. Julio Vera showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Lv Yuan Kuan in the 66th minute of the match. FC Pepsi's Kanu Kanu was substituted for Lv Yuan Kuan. In the 74th minute, Joshua Sammut Castelletti ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Julio Vera was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-1. In the 79th match minute, Ecuador was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Cristian Sancho to maneuver through the defense. Camilo Gisbert hit a great freekick 80 minutes into the match. 86 minutes into the match, FC Pepsi's Hubert Ekerot sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Julio Vera narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 87th minute Daniel Zorita shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Paul Holmstedt saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The audience was convinced that Kanu Kanu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Vera was relentless in the 89th minute of the game. Ecuador were clearly unhappy with the draw, as they felt they had done enough to earn themselves a victory.