Sporting 6 - 1 HARTL (392631514)

Due to an all-day shower, 32165 paying spectators got to see a match on a pitch-turned-bog at Sportarena Zellach. Wilhelmus van Willigen was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Manolios Fonsos and Jan-Ulfert Lengl. Sporting tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Starters: O'Hagan - Pshaniszny, Sävel, Pionnier - Panero, Frenquelli, Rijnsewijn, Burger, Calejo - Elejalde, Cervi.

HARTL had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Wasserman - Šliačkus, Stammers, Cárcamo - Trinder, Brejša, Allgayer, Müllner, van der Plaats - Thauvin, Piórko.

M. Allgayer was struggling to make the ball dance with his usual trickery and panache, and the opposing players had little trouble shutting him down in these muddy conditions. 6 minutes into the game, a swerving free kick by K. Pshaniszny almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the shot glanced harmlessly off the frame of the goal. The celebrations in the stands could only mean one thing - K. Pshaniszny's free kick had found the back of the net and put Sporting ahead 1 - 0! 25 minutes in, HARTL's M. Thauvin received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. The home side's G. Elejalde came close to extending the lead 27 minutes into the game. His shot came in from the right hand side but L. Wasserman managed to save it with an unbelievable reaction stop. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave D. Šliačkus from HARTL a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 29 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! 1 - 0 was the halftime score. Possession in this half belonged to Sporting, who controlled the ball 52 percent of the time.

Sporting's E. Panero saw his fine effort strike the top of the bar following some good work up the middle by his teammates after 51 minutes. HARTL needed a fresh pair of legs on the field, and after 60 minutes R. van der Plaats made way for D. Janiczek. HARTL tied it all up, 60 minutes in, after a spectacular goal by M. Brejša, who miraculously broke through the home side's central defence, making it 1 - 1. As the 80 minute mark approached, the HARTL coach decided it was time for a substitution. M. Brejša reluctantly made way for J. Green on the pitch. J. Stammers was the new captain of HARTL - handed the armband by the departing player. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Sporting, with 58 percent of the ball.

As neither team had managed to win, extra time was called. After extra time, the game was still tied and a penalty shoot-out ensued.

Sporting's K. Pshaniszny kept his cool as he faced down L. Wasserman. His composure paid off as he scored easily for 2 - 1. HARTL's J. Green looked nervous even as he was putting the ball on the spot. He didn't take much of a run up, and his weak shot was easily saved by the keeper. Sporting's F. O'Hagan was relaxed as he smoothly put the ball in the net. 3 - 1! HARTL's H. Trinder looked like he knew exactly where he wanted to put the ball, but unfortunately his shot went wide of the left hand post. Still 3 - 1. Sporting's V. Pionnier coolly put the ball past L. Wasserman. 4 - 1. HARTL's F. Müllner didn't hesitate but F. O'Hagan managed the save, resulting in an unchanged 4 - 1 score. Sporting's G. Elejalde made no mistake. L. Wasserman didn't have a chance. 5 - 1. Clearly nervous from the start, HARTL's L. Wasserman took a long run up, but could only blast the ball over the bar. The score remains 5 - 1. The crowd was awed by P. Cervi's finely placed shot for Sporting making it 6 - 1. HARTL's M. Allgayer didn't look like he was confident as he stepped up, and produced a badly struck penalty - right into the arms of F. O'Hagan. The score remained 6 - 1. Most important Sporting player was E. Rijnsewijn. However, C. Burger made a disastrous appearance. HARTL's best player was M. Thauvin. J. Green turned in a dismal performance, however. The match ends 6 - 1.