ImPaCt 1 - 2 Athletic (318016430)

It was an exceptionally sunny day for the crowd of 11253 that came out to DaNcE Arena. Jaron Dronkert was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Giuseppe Bonfiglio and Göran Tjäderskog. ImPaCt tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. Starters: Gascon - Grigore, Ghitti, Duca, Mărcuţ - Hurmuzache, Nan, Janković, Oprea - Kiszely, Guşan.

Athletic had chosen a strategic 3-4-3 formation. Lineup: Kopuz - Thérin, Cunha, Bedlan - Dogandžić, Blümig, Koivuharju, Othman - Mazzucchi, Chelariu, Swolfs.

ImPaCt were relying on their ability to counter-attack. E. Blümig delivered a good free kick from an excellent position 14 minutes into the game, but luck wasn't on Athletic's side this time and the ball went wide. The coach of ImPaCt wanted to try to change things around after 16 minutes, and gave new tactical instructions. ImPaCt's P. Grigore got himself booked for a foul. The guests almost went up by a goal after 34 minutes when A. Mazzucchi came through and shot from the right. The ball bounced harmlessly off the post, though. 35 minutes in, ImPaCt's S. Duca received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. A crazy pass by S. Duca towards his own keeper almost caused a goal for Athletic, but S. Dogandžić didn't get the finish right. Some great play up the middle by ImPaCt led to a chance for P. Grigore to score after 38 minutes, but the shot hit the crossbar. The ImPaCt free kick 42 minutes into the match seemed wasted, as the shot was both short and off target. But was this actually a plan? The ball landed at the feet of C. Mărcuţ, who was completely unmarked in the box. That's 1 - 0! It was 1 - 0 at the break. Neither team were able to dominate possession this half.

Given a free kick close to the byline, Athletic tried a move that loyal fans may recognise from training. A pass to the side pulled the defence out of position which let F. Thérin slip through on goal. He didn't have to break his stride, and slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 1 - 1, 55 minutes into the game. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave A. Mazzucchi from Athletic a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 67 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! Some good play on the left wing created an opportunity for the visitors 74 minutes into the match, and F. Thérin wasn't about to let it go by. He got past the defenders and fired a shot that the keeper just missed. 1 - 2 for the visitors. ImPaCt's E. Ghitti was shown a yellow card after 76 minutes for slicing down an opponent. ImPaCt's G. Kiszely put his head to a high ball coming in from the right after 77 minutes, but the ball went wide. S. Dogandžić of Athletic received a yellow card after 78 minutes for unsportsmanlike behaviour. ImPaCt had to make a substitution after 79 minutes. V. Hurmuzache limped off the field and was replaced by D. Teodorescu. G. Kiszely made a superb strike after 82 minutes with a shot straight in front of the goal after a long ball through the middle, but one of the visitors' defenders got a foot in at the last second and warded it off for a corner. P. Grigore remonstrated furiously with the referee after ImPaCt had another decision go against them. The referee had no alternative but to show him another yellow card and send him from the pitch. ImPaCt had most of the ball, with 53 percent of possession.

ImPaCt's top performer was clearly G. Kiszely. On the other hand, E. Nan's play was disheartening. Athletic's best player was M. Swolfs. However, F. Thérin made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 1 - 2.