Challenge

FC Schalke 04
Spectators: 39 (Terracing: 30, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) In the 3rd minute, Lautaro Puig hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 6 minutes into the game, Axel Tasis cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 0-1. Trent Cuevas was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. When FC Schalke 04's Kleanthis Kostakoglou in the 10th minute got a chance for a shot 10th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Costa Rica's goalie prevented a goal. After 11th play minutes Kleanthis Kostakoglou shot 1-1, a short shot which went by Benito Sanz and just under the crossbar into goal. After a defensive mix-up in Costa Rica's zone, František Spousta stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Benito Sanz came out of the goal and František Spousta tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. An unexpected shot in the 21st minute by Kleanthis Kostakoglou got the crowd on their feet, but to their dismay it went out on the left side. In the 25th minute the ball was on its way in behind Costa Rica's goalkeeper Benito Sanz, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Aaron Alcocer sent away a hard shot on goal in the 34th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 36th minute, FC Schalke 04's František Spousta ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Benito Sanz. Benito Sanz yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 2-1. After having played for 41 minutes, Kleanthis Kostakoglou managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. FC Schalke 04's supporters crossed their fingers, but Kleanthis Kostakoglou was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. With a little luck, Costa Rica's Benito Sanz got control of the ball when Kleanthis Kostakoglou tried to sneak it across the goal line. With an all-out effort, FC Schalke 04's Benito Sanz threw himself towards the right post 46 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Kleanthis Kostakoglou, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Af the end of the first half the score was 3-1. The first half had gone as expected for the home team.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Axel Tasis stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. After 58 played minutes Costa Rica got a freekick which was hit by Lautaro Puig. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Efrain Moruga during the 58th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. The supporters of FC Schalke 04 booed when Costa Rica was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 58 match minutes in a wonderful position. Efrain Moruga didn't get a good kick on the ball. Neal Collins's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Benito Sanz read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 60th minute of play. Costa Rica's Benito Sanz played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by František Spousta in the 61st minute of play. In the 64th minute, Costa Rica's Eliseo Noboa dribbled the ball into the box and hit a shot with the outside of his foot, sending the keeper the wrong way. 3-2. Costa Rica's Benito Sanz played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by František Spousta in the 68th minute of play. Eliseo Noboa sent away a hard shot on goal in the 75th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Eliseo Noboa might have been able to make a better finish in the 78th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Trent Cuevas. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Eliseo Noboa ran back to his position shaking his head. Trent Cuevas stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Axel Tasis's shot from short distance in the 81st minute. During the 84th minute of the match Efrain Moruga completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Efrain Moruga a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. In the 84th minute, Efrain Moruga hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 85 minutes into the match, FC Schalke 04's František Spousta broke free and took a long shot that unfortunately flew wide. A fine initiative that could have resulted in a goal. If Eliseo Noboa had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 88th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. FC Schalke 04's supporters were delighted with their team's performance and swarmed onto the pitch at the end of the match to celebrate the victory with the players.