U23 League

Hunting Field
Spectators: 205 (Terracing: 154, Seating: 47, VIP seats: 4) Emerald's Victor Piţurcă started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. After some fancy dribbling in the 8th minute, Victor Piţurcă managed to get in a good position for a shot. Emerald's supporters rose to their feet, but Victor Piţurcă was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Daniel Jienescu breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Through an outstanding action, after 11 minutes, Bogdan Lobonț successfully got his hands on the ball before it slid into the goal at the right post. Victor Piţurcă blasted a shot towards the goal in the 16th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Daniel Jienescu having to make a save. Victor Piţurcă's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Daniel Jienescu read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 16th minute of play. After a defensive mix-up in Emerald's zone, Radomil Gotfryd stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Bogdan Lobonț came out of the goal and Radomil Gotfryd tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. After 25 played minutes GoalHunters got a freekick which was hit by Petru Rainea. When the match had gone on for 29 minutes, Octav Stoicescu took a quick shot and it went in 1-0 without a chance for Bogdan Lobonț to make any attempt to save it. 33 minutes into the match, GoalHunters's goal looked a bit too open when Gabriel Vermeşan came free, but Daniel Jienescu reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After 34 played minutes GoalHunters got a freekick which was hit by Octav Stoicescu. 35 minutes into the match, GoalHunters's goal looked a bit too open when Gabriel Vermeşan came free, but Daniel Jienescu reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Emerald's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Jaime Carioca in the 36th minute. The corner led Emerald's Jaime Carioca to fire away a dangerous shot which Daniel Jienescu despite some difficulties managed to get hold on the ball. Victor Piţurcă scored 1-1 in the 38th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Daniel Jienescu, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. In the 44th minute, Victor Piţurcă hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Victor Piţurcă in the 47th minute of play forced GoalHunters's goalkeeper Daniel Jienescu to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a very even first half the match was still tied. The players went to their respective dressing rooms to discuss the tactics for the second half.

In the 53rd minute, Panait Vişoiu left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The GoalHunters fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 2-1. Emerald's attentive Gabriel Vermeşan managed to snatch the ball when Santos Cordaryal made a throw-in in the 61st minute of the game. Daniel Jienescu didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Gabriel Vermeşan went, in the 66th minute, to the upper right corner, 2-2 was the resulting score. When GoalHunters's Călin Pătrășconiu in the 70th minute got a chance for a shot 70th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Emerald's goalie prevented a goal. In the 74th minute of the match Emerald got a corner. GoalHunters's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Jaime Carioca ran over to the corner to take the kick. Jaime Carioca made a great header on Emerald's corner, it was just that GoalHunters's Daniel Jienescu managed to reach the ball for a save. Emerald's Bogdan Lobonț played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Călin Pătrășconiu in the 78th minute of play. With an all-out effort, Emerald's Daniel Jienescu threw himself towards the right post 79 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Victor Piţurcă, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. Emerald's Victor Piţurcă got a good chance for a goal in the 81st minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. In the 87th minute Ferdinand Condrea shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Daniel Jienescu saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Emerald's players left the field with heads hung low after losing a match that had been finely balanced throughout.