U21 World League

Kurdiska Berget
Spectators: 7724 (Terracing: 5794, Seating: 1776, VIP seats: 154) Leo Messi started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. With a little luck, La Scaloneta's Freddy Sarracino got control of the ball when Marco Lio tried to sneak it across the goal line. Mats Elg took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Leo Messi, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. When Marco Lio fell near the penalty area in the 9th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored FC Kurdistan's protests and gave Marco Lio a yellow card for diving instead. Mats Elg showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Sergio Agüero in the 10th minute of the match. Jari Litmanen had several of the La Scaloneta's defenders around him in the penalty area when he, after 14 minutes of play, received a pass and succeeded in some way to shoot a shot which went straight ahead into goal. This resulted in a 1-1 score and a disappointed Freddy Sarracino as he didn't even see the shot coming. Freddy Sarracino made an important save on a dangerous shot by Kaj Lundkvist in the 17th minute. 22 minutes into the game, Kaj Lundkvist cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 2-1. Freddy Sarracino was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Kaj Lundkvist received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 25th minute. Freddy Sarracino tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. A collision led to La Scaloneta getting a freekick after 25 minutes play. Adrian Nalo hit a great ball. 27 minutes into the match, FC Kurdistan's goal looked a bit too open when Leo Messi came free, but Mats Elg reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. The audience thought a goal was coming when Jari Litmanen got free with Freddy Sarracino in the 28th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 29th minute Ángel-Fabián Di María shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Mats Elg saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 33rd minute, FC Kurdistan's Marco Lio ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Freddy Sarracino. Freddy Sarracino yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 3-1. FC Kurdistan's Mats Elg played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Ángel-Fabián Di María in the 45th minute of play. If Leo Messi had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 47th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. No-one was surprised that the home team were leading 3-1 at half-time.

55 minutes into the match, La Scaloneta's goal looked a bit too open when Jari Litmanen came free, but Freddy Sarracino reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. When Adrian Nalo fell near the penalty area in the 58th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored La Scaloneta's protests and gave Adrian Nalo a yellow card for diving instead. The supporters of FC Kurdistan booed when La Scaloneta was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 58 match minutes in a wonderful position. Adrian Nalo didn't get a good kick on the ball. Kaj Lundkvist fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 59th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Freddy Sarracino having to interfere. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Jari Litmanen in the 62nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Freddy Sarracino prevented the ball from getting in the gole. After a rather tough play, La Scaloneta's Prudencio Polo got a free kick in the 64th minute. FC Kurdistan's Mikael Granström was substituted for Mattias Åhlberg. After some careless play in the La Scaloneta defense, Kaj Lundkvist kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Freddy Sarracino. The La Scaloneta fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Freddy Sarracino should have stopped the shot. Matias Llanos charged in rather forcefully in the 73rd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Matias Llanos the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Nils Zachrisson struck a weak shot in the 73rd minute. Freddy Sarracino didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for FC Kurdistan. Freddy Sarracino made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Kaj Lundkvist in the 78th minute of play. When Kaj Lundkvist came up free with the goalie in the 81st minute, the FC Kurdistan 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 Kaj Lundkvist couldn't finish the play. 86 minutes into the match, Ángel-Fabián Di María had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Mats Elg. FC Kurdistan's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Ángel-Fabián Di María was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 4-2. Kaj Lundkvist sent away a hard shot on goal in the 89th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. The supporters of La Scaloneta booed when FC Kurdistan was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 92 match minutes in a wonderful position. Kia Motor didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 93rd minute, Kaj Lundkvist hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. The referee blew his whistle, and the match came to a close. The players exchanged shirts and headed down the tunnel. The FC Kurdistan fans cheered their team off the field, for while La Scaloneta had put up a good fight, they were unable to come out of the game with any points to show for their effort.