U21 World League

Santiago Bernabeu
Spectators: 7750 (Terracing: 5814, Seating: 1782, VIP seats: 154) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Betinho Severo took the kick off in the first half of the match. Giovani de Amaral showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Ghenadie Bâtcã, who was totally free with the ball in the 6th minute. After 8 played minutes UFC Puturoasa got a freekick which was hit by Eugen Bumbu. After 12 played minutes Portuguesa got a freekick which was hit by Maicon Munhoz. After a defensive mix-up in Portuguesa's zone, Alexei Caraman stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Giovani de Amaral came out of the goal and Alexei Caraman tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. With his leg Giovani de Amaral managed to avoid a goal in the 16thth minute, when UFC Puturoasa's Alexei Caraman fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Giovani de Amaral made a fantastic save in the 21st minute, when Alexei Caraman sent off a good shot on target. An unexpectedly hard shot by Ghenadie Bâtcã in the 23rd minute of play forced Portuguesa's goalkeeper Giovani de Amaral to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ghenadie Bâtcã sent away a hard shot on goal in the 26th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 28thth minute of the game Ghenadie Bâtcã who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Portuguesa's Giovani de Amaral was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. After 29 played minutes Sandu Botnaru rounded Portuguesa's defense and shot a beautiful shot into goal via left pole - 1-0. Ghenadie Bâtcã hit a great freekick 32 minutes into the match. A collision led to Portuguesa getting a freekick after 41 minutes play. Betinho Severo hit a great ball. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Alexandru Ciocan during the 43rd minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Alexandru Ciocan hit a great freekick 44 minutes into the match. All the noise was coming from the home fans when the whistle went for half-time. The home team had fought hardest to put themselves in a deserved lead.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Ghenadie Bâtcã to make the kick off. In the 53rd minute Ghenadie Bâtcã shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Giovani de Amaral saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Alexandru Ciocan was shown his second yellow card after 55 minutes, following a rather ugly tackle on opponent. That was the end of his participation in the match. In the 55th minute, Alexandru Ciocan hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Thibaut Courtois made a fantastic save in the 67th minute, when Pedro Augusto de Barros sent off a good shot on target. In the 68th minute of the match Portuguesa got a corner. UFC Puturoasa's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Charles Arantes ran over to the corner to take the kick. A hard shot 70 in the game by Pedro Augusto de Barros from a close distance when the talented Thibaut Courtois managed to make a qualified save. UFC Puturoasa's players were relieved. After 70 played minutes UFC Puturoasa got a freekick which was hit by Mircea Musteatã. Thibaut Courtois showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Betinho Severo in the 71st minute of the match. Giovani de Amaral showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ghenadie Bâtcã in the 77th minute of the match. Alexei Caraman fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 78th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Giovani de Amaral having to interfere. Maicon Munhoz's late challenge caught a UFC Puturoasa's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Maicon Munhoz helped the player get up and apologised. The supporters of Portuguesa booed when UFC Puturoasa was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 81 match minutes in a wonderful position. Mircea Musteatã didn't get a good kick on the ball. Giovani de Amaral stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Ghenadie Bâtcã's shot from short distance in the 86th minute. Pavel Spãtaru kicked well hit freekick during the 88th minute of the match. Thibaut Courtois took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Betinho Severo, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. It was no surprise that this one had ended in a win for the home team. UFC Puturoasa had played much better football throughout.