emili 2 - 0 -cuervo- (352153168)

The 8000 fans in attendance at venegas Arena were roasting in the hot sun. Christian Bessière was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Włodek Struniawski and Tim Breukers. emili started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. Starters: Bilbokas - Brulin, Altimiras, Tranquist, Tipou - Kozin, Oliva, Egiluz, Kozderka - Melhorato, Fierro.

-cuervo- had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Acker - Håkansson, Chorén, Nihti - Mendoza, Ordóñez, García de Lizasaín, Lancashire, Pedrola - Daumal, Migeltorena.

Pressing was the tactic of the day for emili. -cuervo- clearly preferred using their ability to attack in the middle. S. García de Lizasaín received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly 9 minutes into the match, probably out of lack of experience, and almost let an opponent score. The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 after 14 minutes courtesy of a breakthrough from S. Fierro, who scored with a stunning volley following a cross from the right wing. -cuervo- were determined to attack in the middle, even their wing attacks ended up centrally. The pressing tactics used by emili were successful as the ball remained close to the half way line at all times. Halftime score was 1 - 0. Neither team was controlling the possession at this point in the match, with the stats showing a 50:50 split.

After 67 minutes, L. Melhorato put emili ahead 2 - 0 when he rose to head in a cross from the right wing. By now, the players in emili felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. The home side's F. Oliva came close to extending the lead 69 minutes into the game. His shot came in from the right hand side but L. Acker managed to save it with an unbelievable reaction stop. L. Melhorato left the field with a smile on his face as he was substituted 71 minutes into the game, as his team was in the lead. A. Zare was the replacement. 75 minutes in, emili's J. Kozin received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. The emili players could smell victory in the air. A. Egiluz wasn't in a hurry to leave the field as he was substituted for J. Agámez after 79 minutes. emili put in a good effort on the right, but Z. Kozderka saw his volley fly wide of the mark 82 minutes into the game. At this time in the match, emili were using their skill at pressing to successfully stifle the game. -cuervo- claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 58 percent.

The most dominating emili player was without a doubt S. Fierro. J. Agámez was a disappointment, however. -cuervo-'s top performer was clearly J. Ordóñez. L. Acker on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 0.