Sporting 2 - 2 ZenaRedBlu (347192553)

It had rained all day, but 860 hardy fans still made it out to Sporting P. Arena. Adalbert Lahstein was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Severino Maraví and Mika Elo. Sporting tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Soragna - Solinas, Fiel, Pennoni - Mapelli, Lundon, Seghieri, Volovšek, Wellauer - Pamparana, Ciglione.

ZenaRedBlu decided to use a 3-5-2 set up. Starters: Spreafico - Cunego, Maisano, Floßmann - Melick, Grimm, Bagnato, Canà, Roso - Baldoni, Di Paola.

Sporting broke through on the left 17 minutes into the game, with M. Pennoni firing in from an acute angle to give the home side a 1 - 0 lead. The rain made it hard for players like M. Canà to show their technical control of the ball on this soggy day. The home side's M. Lundon came close to extending the lead 29 minutes into the game. His shot came in from the right hand side but I. Spreafico managed to save it with an unbelievable reaction stop. After 34 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by P. Pamparana might have resulted in another goal for Sporting. However, I. Spreafico made a spectacular save. 1 - 0 was the score after the first half. Possession in this half belonged to Sporting, who controlled the ball 61 percent of the time.

Against a lesser team, Sporting could very well have succeeded with their smart indirect free kick routine after 57 minutes. A trio of passes took the ball all the way past the defenders, but by then the intended recipient was already blocked off and the keeper could make a leisurely save. P. Pamparana unleashed a swerving effort from the right that the visitors' keeper did well to tip wide. After 63 minutes, M. Canà sent the corner kick right to E. Melick who headed it sharply past the keeper. 1 - 1! 67 minutes into the match, the referee signalled for a Sporting substitution. D. Faro came on for M. Lundon. ZenaRedBlu made it 1 - 2 as D. Bagnato got a touch to the floated corner kick and flicked the ball to E. Melick who whipped a low drive in off the far post. Some fine passing in the middle of the pitch, carving open the away defence, should have led to a goal for Sporting, but S. Solinas's shot went over the bar. The crowd was on its feet 84 minutes into the match, as Sporting's G. Wellauer found himself unmarked in front of the goal after a dash up the left side. He calmly put away the 2 - 2 equaliser. Sporting claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 65 percent.

Sporting's best player was D. Faro. O. Mapelli was a disappointment, however. E. Melick performed admirably for ZenaRedBlu. M. Canà on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 2.