U23 League

Colosseum
Spectators: 159 (Terracing: 120, Seating: 36, VIP seats: 3) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Beppe Rivera started the match with the kick off. Felice Barbato charged in rather forcefully in the 2nd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Felice Barbato the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In the 2nd minute, Felice Barbato hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. In the 13th minute Bianco Carozza shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Florian Pinti saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Angelo Marchegiani hit a great freekick 16 minutes into the match. Felice Barbato sent away a hard shot on goal in the 17th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Aurelio Epifani took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Ermanno Marcolongo, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Talenti Roma Calcio's Florian Pinti played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Bianco Carozza in the 20th minute of play. The audience thought a goal was coming when Fabiano Tatangelo got free with Florian Pinti in the 21st minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Ermanno Marcolongo kicked well hit freekick during the 24th minute of the match. Aurelio Epifani showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Felice Barbato in the 30th minute of the match. In the 32nd match minute, Talenti Roma Calcio was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Antonio Teodori to maneuver through the defense. During the 41st minute of the match Felice Barbato completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Felice Barbato a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. The supporters of Gladiator FC booed when Talenti Roma Calcio was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 41 match minutes in a wonderful position. Felice Barbato didn't get a good kick on the ball. The first half was very even, with the score at 0-0 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

The wind increased when Ermanno Marcolongo made the kick off in the second half. After a rather tough play, Talenti Roma Calcio's Dave Paoletti got a free kick in the 52nd minute. Talenti Roma Calcio's Florian Pinti played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Fabiano Tatangelo in the 53rd minute of play. Ermanno Marcolongo took the ball and in the 55 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Aurelio Epifani. Aurelio Epifani dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 0-1. In the 63rd minute Talenti Roma Calcio were awarded a corner. Ermanno Marcolongo went to the cornerflag to take it. After a rather tough play, Talenti Roma Calcio's Armando Marinacci got a free kick in the 65th minute. When Talenti Roma Calcio's Ermanno Marcolongo in the 68th minute got a chance for a shot 68th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Gladiator FC's goalie prevented a goal. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Ferruccio Rinaldi in the 73rd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Florian Pinti prevented the ball from getting in the gole. A collision led to Gladiator FC getting a freekick after 77 minutes play. Amos Iacomini hit a great ball. Aurelio Epifani made a fantastic save in the 88th minute, when Antonio Teodori sent off a good shot on target. In the 95th minute, one of Talenti Roma Calcio:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Talenti Roma Calcio. The Talenti Roma Calcio supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Talenti Roma Calcio would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.