BigMartas 3 - 4 Prasata (300541568)

The weather was pretty good, and a crowd of 50000 had shown up at BM ArenA for the match. Tristan Niemeyer was the appointed referee with assistance provided by David Boston and Per Bagger Frandsen. BigMartas started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players took the field: Alon - Lill, Robotka, Colle - Tessier, Jiménez, Meyringer, Pergler, Brucher - Zubov, Balakchiev.

A 3-5-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Prasata. Starters: Ruotanen - Murias, Grębosz, Behrman - Picazo, Finocchiaro, Přidal, Zerres, Horčička - Aeppli, Bãleanu.

A free kick aimed at the keeper's far post almost gave Prasata the lead 21 minutes in, but the ball just wasn't able to squirm its way through the defensive wall. Prasata's V. Horčička was shown a yellow card after 22 minutes for slicing down an opponent. S. Zerres came close to putting the visiting team one up 25 minutes into the match, following a solo raid down the middle, but B. Alon managed to tip the ball to a corner. A scuffle developed as players from both sides clashed following a tussle in the centre of the field 27 minutes into the match. After regaining order and consulting his linesman, the referee called Prasata's C. Bãleanu to one side and produced a red card for the player. O. Balakchiev really should have scored when he was chosen by fate to confront a wide open goal following a great play by U. Meyringer after a corner. 0 - 0 was the halftime score. Prasata claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 57 percent.

49 minutes into the game, X. Picazo almost gave the visitors the lead, as he clipped a delicate lob over the keeper, but the ball glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. 67 minutes into the match, Prasata's X. Picazo demonstrated his famed speed as he raced past his marker and passed the ball to S. Aeppli who chipped it in for 0 - 1. Almost all the way down to the corner flag, BigMartas's B. Brucher somehow managed to get a perfect pass into the middle, impossible to miss for V. Zubov, who struck for 1 - 1. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Prasata, with 59 percent of the ball.

As neither team had managed to win, extra time was called. The crowd groaned its disapproval when D. Jiménez missed a free kick that would have given BigMartas the lead after 97 minutes. A. Biet was called on to replace BigMartas's O. Balakchiev after 101 minutes following a nasty collision. This was a good period for the visitors, with several opportunities to take the lead, particularly when X. Picazo slipped through the defence on the right to come up alone against B. Alon, but the home side's keeper showed his lightning reflexes. There was concern in the stands when, at the 109 minute mark, Prasata's V. Horčička hit the ground hard, but he refused the attention of the trainer and rejoined his teammates on the pitch. After extra time, the game was still tied and a penalty shoot-out ensued.

BigMartas's B. Alon showed he has nerves of steel when it comes to penalties, easily changing the score to 2 - 1. Prasata's A. Přidal kept his cool as he faced down B. Alon. His composure paid off as he scored easily for 2 - 2. BigMartas's V. Zubov made no mistake. J. Ruotanen didn't have a chance. 3 - 2. Prasata's J. Murias was relaxed as he smoothly put the ball in the net. 3 - 3! BigMartas's J. Colle drove the ball hard to the corner but couldn't get it past the outstretched arm of J. Ruotanen. The score remains 3 - 3. Prasata's S. Aeppli coolly put the ball past B. Alon. 3 - 4. BigMartas's A. Tessier didn't hesitate but J. Ruotanen managed the save, resulting in an unchanged 3 - 4 score. A confident S. Zerres of Prasata put the ball right where he wanted, but B. Alon was right there for the save. No goal. BigMartas's V. Lill cockily booted the ball with a short-and-fast instep. The penalty, going just wide of the mark, didn't produce a goal. Prasata's L. Finocchiaro penalty shot was very well placed but B. Alon went the right way, blocking it spectacularly. The score was still 3 - 4. Most important BigMartas player was V. Zubov. A. Tessier was a disappointment, however. S. Aeppli performed admirably for Prasata. However, V. Horčička made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 3 - 4.