Monkeys 6 - 5 Caerphilly (188251800)

Due to an all-day shower, 54000 paying spectators got to see a match on a pitch-turned-bog at Cheeky Monkeys FC Arena. Valerio Lenoci was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Anders Tullerberg and Juan Vigneri. A 3-5-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Monkeys. Starters: Oldfield - Neergard, de Sá Couto, Lapainis - Luther, Raposo, Jackson, Phillips, Root - Eyre, Ivanovic.

Caerphilly started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Pickering - Doyle, Debets, Claesson - McKinnon, Bowman, Parkin, Arvanitis, Goedvolk - Duffy, Fisk.

R. Eyre gave Monkeys the lead as he successfully challenged the guests' central defenders, then slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the keeper no chance. 1 - 0 After 12 minutes, Monkeys's M. Ivanovic fell awkwardly, but was determined to stay in the match. That's the spirit! B. Arvanitis made a good effort at breaking through on the right, but the home team's left defence cleared the ball to a corner. B. Duffy tied the game at 1 - 1 after 15 minutes, when he converted an incredible pass from the right. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave P. McKinnon from Caerphilly a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 28 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! M. Oldfield's knee will be throbbing for days, but thankfully for Monkeys, he bravely continued in the match. The referee signaled a penalty for the home side after 29 minutes, amid vocal protests from the visitors. Monkeys fans erupted in celebration as D. Lapainis rifled the ball into the the top corner. 2 - 1! Caerphilly's B. Arvanitis was shown a yellow card after 31 minutes for slicing down an opponent. The teams went for the halftime break at 2 - 1. Monkeys had most of the ball, with 58 percent of possession.

61 minutes into the match, the visitors' central line of defence had to look on as S. Jackson broke through, making the score 3 - 1 for Monkeys. Morale on the visitors' bench was greatly improved when their O. Doyle reduced the lead to make it 3 - 2 after 69 minutes, following a pass from the right. R. Eyre hit the ball perfectly after 72 minutes to score for Monkeys with a fabulous long shot. 4 - 2. B. Duffy had a couple of good opportunities to reply, but the home team's keeper M. Oldfield was simply unbeatable. Caerphilly managed to reduce the score to 4 - 3 as B. Duffy finished off a well-played combination from the left, easily carving through the defence. W. Fisk tied the game at 4 - 4 after 81 minutes, when he converted an incredible pass from the right. Monkeys's A. de Sá Couto got himself booked for a foul. Monkeys enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 61 percent of possession.

With the scores being level after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time. Caerphilly's P. Claesson was shown a yellow card for standing over the ball and blocking an opponent's quick free kick after 94 minutes. Monkeys created a good opportunity to score 102 minutes into the match when R. Eyre's hooked ball from the left created a scuffle in front of the goal, and the visitors' defenders had a hard time clearing the ball. The referee showed Monkeys's S. Jackson the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The player down was O. Doyle. The Caerphilly bench looked worried for a while, but in the end he managed to get up. With the score still deadlocked after extra time, the teams took to the field for a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.

Monkeys's D. Lapainis coolly put the ball past M. Pickering. 5 - 4. Caerphilly's B. Duffy drove the ball hard to the corner but couldn't get it past the outstretched arm of M. Oldfield. The score remains 5 - 4. Monkeys's A. de Sá Couto cockily booted the ball with a short-and-fast instep. The penalty, going just wide of the mark, didn't produce a goal. Caerphilly's B. Arvanitis drove the ball hard to the corner but couldn't get it past the outstretched arm of M. Oldfield. The score remains 5 - 4. Monkeys's D. Phillips penalty shot was very well placed but M. Pickering went the right way, blocking it spectacularly. The score was still 5 - 4. Caerphilly's F. Parkin didn't hesitate but M. Oldfield managed the save, resulting in an unchanged 5 - 4 score. Monkeys's M. Oldfield cockily booted the ball with a short-and-fast instep. The penalty, going just wide of the mark, didn't produce a goal. Caerphilly's P. Claesson showed he has nerves of steel when it comes to penalties, easily changing the score to 5 - 5. Monkeys's G. Root cockily booted the ball with a short-and-fast instep. The penalty, going just wide of the mark, didn't produce a goal. Caerphilly's C. Bowman looked like he knew exactly where he wanted to put the ball, but unfortunately his shot went wide of the left hand post. Still 5 - 5. Monkeys's R. Eyre kept his cool as he faced down M. Pickering. His composure paid off as he scored easily for 6 - 5. Caerphilly's P. McKinnon penalty shot was very well placed but M. Oldfield went the right way, blocking it spectacularly. The score was still 6 - 5. The most dominating Monkeys player was without a doubt M. Oldfield. On the other hand, O. Neergard's play was disheartening. Caerphilly's best player was M. Pickering. P. Claesson on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 6 - 5.