Challenge

Gazprom Arena
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) Håkan Kjellman made the kick off and thus started the match. 4 minutes into the match, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Emanuel Emander sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Julio Vera narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Zafer Hürsel 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 6th minute. In the 6th minute Cristian Sancho shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Zafer Hürsel saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Zafer Hürsel showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Cristian Sancho, who was totally free with the ball in the 11th minute. Julio Vera made an important save on a dangerous shot by Håkan Kjellman in the 13th minute. Cristian Sancho recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 20th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. In the 23rd minute the ball was on its way in behind Ecuador's goalkeeper Julio Vera, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Emanuel Emander sent away a hard shot on goal in the 25th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 27 minutes into the game, Ecuador's Daniel Zorita nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Zafer Hürsel made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-1. The audience thought a goal was coming when Håkan Kjellman got free with Julio Vera in the 30th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Johannes Botvidsson in the 31st minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Juan Sebastián Puig in the 33rd minute of play forced FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's goalkeeper Zafer Hürsel to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After some fancy dribbling in the 36th minute, Daniel Zorita managed to get in a good position for a shot. Ecuador's supporters rose to their feet, but Daniel Zorita was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Zafer Hürsel breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. If Luis Andino had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 40th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. If Cristian Sancho had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 47th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

The wind increased when Daniel Zorita made the kick off in the second half. An unexpected shot in the 52nd minute by Daniel Zorita got the crowd on their feet, but to their dismay it went out on the left side. After having played for 63 minutes, Luis Andino managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Ecuador's supporters crossed their fingers, but Luis Andino was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. In the 64th minute the ball was on its way in behind Ecuador's goalkeeper Julio Vera, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Ecuador's Julio Vera played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Håkan Kjellman in the 66th minute of play. Daniel Zorita in the 67thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Zafer Hürsel, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. When Luis Andino came up free with the goalie in the 72nd minute, the Ecuador fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Luis Andino couldn't finish the play. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg made a substitution. Valentin Ivarsson replaced Emanuel Emander. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Gabriel Söderström was substituted for Jörgen Ekeroth. Julio Vera took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Håkan Kjellman, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After a defensive mix-up in FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's zone, Daniel Zorita stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Zafer Hürsel 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. Zafer Hürsel showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Agustín Saelices in the 90th minute of the match. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Johannes Botvidsson in the 96th minute. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg succeeded in salvaging a draw, even though Ecuador had controlled the match.