U23 World League

Vasile Bratianu
Spectators: 7513 (Terracing: 5635, Seating: 1728, VIP seats: 150) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Petruț Vlăsiu started the match with the kick off. George Agachi charged in rather forcefully in the 5th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed George Agachi the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. George Agachi kicked well hit freekick during the 5th minute of the match. After 8 played minutes Galati Harbour Cats got a freekick which was hit by Fabian Minculescu. After a defensive mix-up in Galati Harbour Cats's zone, Amadeo Frantzes stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Manole Ghiondea came out of the goal and Amadeo Frantzes tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. After having played for 13 minutes, Joel Luix managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Stat Veritas FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Joel Luix was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 16 played minutes Galati Harbour Cats got a freekick which was hit by Manole Anghel. Manole Ghiondea showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Damian Maura in the 18th minute of the match. 24 minutes into the game, Galati Harbour Cats's Sebastian Andone nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Julio Martxot made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 1-0. A collision led to Galati Harbour Cats getting a freekick after 28 minutes play. Sebastian Andone hit a great ball. After 31 minutes of play, Stat Veritas FC's Joel Luix made it 1-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Manole Ghiondea was left in no man's land by his defense there! Galati Harbour Cats's Manole Ghiondea played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Joel Luix in the 34th minute of play. If Sebastian Andone had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 36th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Jo Bag's late challenge caught a Stat Veritas FC's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Jo Bag helped the player get up and apologised. Jo Bag hit a great freekick 39 minutes into the match. The supporters of Stat Veritas FC booed when Galati Harbour Cats was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 43 match minutes in a wonderful position. Jo Bag didn't get a good kick on the ball. After fighting hard for a draw in the first half, the players were able to take a much needed rest.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Joel Luix to make the kick off. The audience was convinced that Petruț Vlăsiu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Julio Martxot was relentless in the 56th minute of the game. Galati Harbour Cats's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Filip Mavrogheni in the 57th minute. It was a well-played corner which Petruț Vlăsiu managed to volley towards the net. Unfortunately, he didn't get a great hit on the ball and it went out into the grandstand. The supporters of Galati Harbour Cats booed when Stat Veritas FC was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 58 match minutes in a wonderful position. Oscar Ruggieri didn't get a good kick on the ball. George Agachi sent away a hard shot on goal in the 60th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 61 minutes into the game, Galati Harbour Cats's Petruț Vlăsiu nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Julio Martxot made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-1. Petruț Vlăsiu received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 64th minute. Julio Martxot tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 66 minutes into the game, Manole Anghel was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Galati Harbour Cats's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Stat Veritas FC the free kick. After 66 played minutes Galati Harbour Cats got a freekick which was hit by Manole Anghel. Julio Martxot showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Petruț Vlăsiu, who was totally free with the ball in the 70th minute. When Ricardo Bitxintxo fell near the penalty area in the 87th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Stat Veritas FC's protests and gave Ricardo Bitxintxo a yellow card for diving instead. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when the referee blew the final whistle. Galati Harbour Cats had won after a very even match.