Challenge

Estadio Azteca
Spectators: 45 (Terracing: 35, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Sergiu Coșeriu got the match started through his kick off. In the 3rd minute, Lautaro Mancebo 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 Alberto Tafalla had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 6th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Lautaro Mancebo came free with the goalkeeper in the 10th minute of the match, and shot straight on target. The shot was a little too simple and Gigel Tilea could save by the left post. In the 14th minute, Lautaro Mancebo 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 16th minute, Sergiu Coșeriu 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 19th minute the ball was on its way in behind Academia Rio's goalkeeper Gigel Tilea, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 26 minutes into the match, Academia Rio's goal looked a bit too open when Joel Gaona came free, but Gigel Tilea reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 26th minute, Joel Gaona ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Gigel Tilea was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. Joel Gaona received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 34th minute. Gigel Tilea tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. With an all-out effort, Mexico's Gigel Tilea threw himself towards the right post 38 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Joel Gaona, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Mexico's Dante Lacasa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Virgil Şimonca in the 46th minute of play.

The wind increased when Joel Gaona made the kick off in the second half. An unexpectedly hard shot by Sergiu Coșeriu in the 51st minute of play forced Mexico's goalkeeper Dante Lacasa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Mexico were awarded a corner in the 53th minute after Academia Rio's defender lost control of the ball, allowing it to roll out over the line. Joel Gaona took the corner. When the match had gone on for 57 minutes, Virgil Şimonca put it in 1-1 from a short distance just to the right of Dante Lacasa. Joel Gaona succeeded in the game's 60th minute to shoot an unreachable shot under the crossbar and scored - 2-1. Lautaro Mancebo might have been able to make a better finish in the 63rd minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Gigel Tilea. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Lautaro Mancebo ran back to his position shaking his head. An unexpectedly hard shot by Virgil Şimonca in the 65th minute of play forced Mexico's goalkeeper Dante Lacasa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Mexico's Joel Gaona got a good chance for a goal in the 66th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Gigel Tilea showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Lautaro Mancebo, who was totally free with the ball in the 70th minute. 74 minutes had been played when some careless play by Academia Rio's defense caused the ball to cross the line for a corner. Joel Gaona was slow to take the kick. During this time Mexico's players had a chance to rest. In the 76th minute, Alberto Tafalla ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Gigel Tilea was frozen by the shot and now it was 3-1. In the 80th match minute, Academia Rio was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Mihai Oniga to maneuver through the defense. Dante Lacasa took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Sergiu Coșeriu, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The audience was convinced that Lautaro Mancebo's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Gigel Tilea was relentless in the 87th minute of the game. Olimpiu Dichiseanu took the ball and in the 94 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Dante Lacasa. Dante Lacasa dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 3-2. The referee blew his whistle, and the match came to a close. The players exchanged shirts and headed down the tunnel. The Mexico fans cheered their team off the field, for while Academia Rio had put up a good fight, they were unable to come out of the game with any points to show for their effort.