Emsworth 2 - 0 Steaua (374451925)

It had rained all day, but 51308 hardy fans still made it out to Stadium of Blue. Francesco Cattaneo was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Alcadio Martín and Eldert Tetteroo. Emsworth decided to use a 4-4-2 set up. They fielded: Zubarev - Altieri, Darvey, Applegarth, Aldini - Bresci, Huzzard, Chalmers, Powell - Payén, Haugan.

A 4-5-1 alignment was the formation of choice for Steaua. The following players had been chosen: Kuusijoki - Osorio, Tournade, Ervello, Zarembski - Beniers, Straum, Alinari, Heitman, Ruiz - Boffi.

T. Haugan caused the crowd to go mental with his goal up the middle after 24 minutes. This gave Emsworth the 1 - 0 lead. Emsworth solidified their lead at the 29 minute mark, as A. Darvey dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 2 - 0. At this point, it was obvious that the players of Emsworth lowered the tempo and became more defensively oriented. Steaua's A. Beniers set up a perfect opportunity for G. Boffi, but the latter failed to score. R. Chalmers could have increased the lead after 43 minutes, but his shot hit the post after a nice combination in the middle of the park. Halftime score was 2 - 0. Possession in this half belonged to Emsworth, who controlled the ball 57 percent of the time.

N. Aldini slipped and slithered in the wet grass. His usual rapid runs were nowhere to be seen today. C. Ruiz of Steaua received a yellow card after 89 minutes for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Steaua's J. Osorio was shown a yellow card after 89 minutes for slicing down an opponent. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Emsworth, with 57 percent of the ball.

Emsworth's best player was E. Payén. On the other hand, N. Aldini's play was disheartening. Steaua's top performer was clearly Y. Heitman. G. Tournade was a disappointment, however. The match ends 2 - 0.