Federation Clash Challenge

Gazprom Arena
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Dirar Rashid got the match started through his kick off. After a rather tough play, Líbano's Dirar Rashid got a free kick in the 2nd minute. After 3 played minutes Líbano got a freekick which was hit by Nour al Din Hamid. Johannes Botvidsson could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 4th minute of the match, but Hisham Abdul Nasser made a huge save. An unexpectedly hard shot by Akram Munahid in the 8th 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. Líbano's Hisham Abdul Nasser played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Peter Snell in the 8th minute of play. 12 minutes into the match, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's goal looked a bit too open when Akram Munahid came free, but Zafer Hürsel reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. When Håkan Kjellman came up free with the goalie in the 16th minute, the FC Zenit Saint Petersburg 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 Håkan Kjellman couldn't finish the play. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Johannes Botvidsson quite brazenly broke a throw-in by Ali Miyaz, made in the 19th minute of the game. Zafer Hürsel showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Akram Munahid in the 22nd minute of the match. Zafer Hürsel showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Dirar Rashid, who was totally free with the ball in the 26th minute. Dirar Rashid scored 0-1 in the 29th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Zafer Hürsel, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. 33 minutes into the match, Líbano's goal looked a bit too open when Emanuel Emander came free, but Hisham Abdul Nasser reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Zafer Hürsel played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Lotfi El Makhtoub in the 38th minute of play. Hisham Abdul Nasser came out of the goal in the 46th minute to try and stop a shot by FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Emanuel Emander. But to his dismay, Emanuel Emander quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-2. Disappointed in the 1-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Håkan Kjellman was the one to do the kick off. Lotfi El Makhtoubs short, quick shot in the 56thth minute got Zafer Hürsel to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. In the 59th minute of the match FC Zenit Saint Petersburg got a corner. Líbano's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Johannes Botvidsson ran over to the corner to take the kick. Zafer Hürsel made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Dirar Rashid in the 63rd minute of play. A collision led to Líbano getting a freekick after 68 minutes play. Lotfi El Makhtoub hit a great ball. Hisham Abdul Nasser took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Håkan Kjellman, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The supporters of Líbano booed when FC Zenit Saint Petersburg was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 73 match minutes in a wonderful position. Aron Sjöberg didn't get a good kick on the ball. Ali Miyaz received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 75th minute. Zafer Hürsel tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Bashar Al Azra could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 79th minute of the match, but Zafer Hürsel made a huge save. Zafer Hürsel made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Bashar Al Azra in the 85th minute of play. The audience thought a goal was coming when Bashar Al Azra got free with Zafer Hürsel in the 90th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 94th match minute, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Peter Snell to maneuver through the defense. The away crowd were delighted with the way their team had played and cheered loudly when the final whistle sounded. Líbano walked away with the win, even though the match was close until the end.