Challenge

Buca Arena
Spectators: 43 (Terracing: 33, Seating: 10, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Eligijus Abakevičius took the kick off in the first half of the match. When Bozkurt Avşaroğlu fell near the penalty area in the 4th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Bucaspor's protests and gave Bozkurt Avşaroğlu a yellow card for diving instead. Bozkurt Avşaroğlu hit a great freekick 5 minutes into the match. Facundo Cadaval struck a weak shot in the 10th minute. Nando Muslera didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Mexico. 14 minutes into the match, Mexico's goal looked a bit too open when Eligijus Abakevičius came free, but Dante Lacasa reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 15th minute Bucaspor were awarded a corner. Günalp Paksoy went to the cornerflag to take it. A collision led to Bucaspor getting a freekick after 16 minutes play. Heli Incera hit a great ball. The audience thought a goal was coming when Gregorie Lievens got free with Dante Lacasa in the 21st minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Mexico's Dante Lacasa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Gregorie Lievens in the 23rd minute of play. Joel Gaona struck a weak shot in the 24th minute. Nando Muslera didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Mexico. Mexico's Dante Lacasa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Gregorie Lievens in the 26th minute of play. Facundo Cadaval received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 30th minute. Nando Muslera tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Nando Muslera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Joel Gaona, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. A hard shot by Bozkurt Avşaroğlu from long distance, 39 minutes into the match, got Dante Lacasa's attention. Through a fast twist with his body, he could stop the ball from going in on his right side. If Alberto Tafalla had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 40th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The referee blew the whistle for a penalty in the 41st minute of the game. One of Bucaspor:s players had nearly got his shirt torn off by an opponent while getting free in front of Mexico:s goal. When the match had gone on for 47 minutes, Gregorie Lievens put it in 1-0 from a short distance just to the right of Dante Lacasa. The away team players looked dejected as the walked off the pitch at half time. They had fought hard, but were still losing 1-0.

The wind increased when Joel Gaona made the kick off in the second half. Dante Lacasa showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Gregorie Lievens, who was totally free with the ball in the 52nd minute. If Alberto Tafalla had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 54th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Bucaspor's Nando Muslera played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Alberto Tafalla in the 57th minute of play. The supporters of Mexico booed when Bucaspor was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 62 match minutes in a wonderful position. Eligijus Abakevičius didn't get a good kick on the ball. Bucaspor's Nando Muslera proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 63rd minute of the match, managed to save Bucaspor from getting a goal against them. In the 64th minute Mexico were awarded a corner. Joel Gaona went to the cornerflag to take it. The corner ended in Joel Gaona almost managing to get the ball behind the net, but Bucaspor's Nando Muslera did a great save. In the 69th minute, Joel Gaona made a precise shot to the right of Nando Muslera. Bucaspor's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-1. Joel Gaona's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Nando Muslera read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 75th minute of play. After a defensive mix-up in Mexico's zone, Ahmet Yahya Ülkümen stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Dante Lacasa came out of the goal and Ahmet Yahya Ülkümen tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The supporters of Mexico booed when Bucaspor was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 83 match minutes in a wonderful position. Ender Torcan didn't get a good kick on the ball. Dante Lacasa took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Gregorie Lievens, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Mexico's Luca Zorita got a good chance for a goal in the 93rd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. When the referee blew the final whistle, you could see the dissatisfaction in the Mexico players' eyes. They were disappointed they hadn't taken more from the game.