Benin 3 - 2 rouges.FC (374590556)

Dark skies made the crowd of 12000 at Benin Unity Stadium a little nervous, but the rain held off. Hennie van Buuren was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Viktor Balogh and Pericle Lucia. Benin started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. Lineup: Toukourou - Boni, Ts'ehlo, Kotchoni, Agossi - Traore, Abou-Zakari, Dinalo, Santos - Behanzin, Hounsou.

rouges.FC had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. The following players took the field: Biaou - Siegrist, Muyama, Neva, Castellani, Dassoundo - Tawéma, Szerstak, Djalilou, Sènou - Messi.

11 minutes in, the referee awarded Benin a penalty. T. Boni coolly slotted it home for a 1 - 0 lead. After 21 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by H. Kotchoni might have resulted in another goal for Benin. However, B. Biaou made a spectacular save. rouges.FC's counterattacks were lethal to the opposing defence, allowing A. Sènou to score easily from the right flank for 1 - 1. The corner kick from K. Muyama was powerfully met by the head of A. Sènou to make the score 1 - 2. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave H. Kotchoni from Benin a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 30 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! Some fine passing in the middle of the pitch, carving open the away defence, should have led to a goal for Benin, but K. Hounsou's shot went over the bar. B. Agossi made a superb strike after 38 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. 1 - 2 was the score after the first half. Benin claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 73 percent.

Benin's S. Traore almost tied things up with 49 minutes played after breaking through on the right, but his shot deflected off the post. The crowd chanted their encouragement as Benin's L. Santos came in from the right after 60 minutes and put the ball in the net to level the score at 2 - 2. The rouges.FC coach adjusted their lineup with 64 minutes gone. E. Siegrist and A. Djalilou assumed each other's positions. 65 minutes into the game, rouges.FC seemed a little tentative in their play as their organization fell to inadequate. 71 minutes had elapsed when a great chance for Benin to take the lead after a good cross from the right found H. Kotchoni alone with the keeper, but he chipped it to the wrong side of the post. Benin fans held their breath as A. Behanzin scampered down the left side. He successfully avoided all challenges and cracked home the shot for 3 - 2! 74 minutes in, rouges.FC's Y. Tawéma received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Benin's K. Hounsou saw his fine effort strike the top of the bar following some good work up the middle by his teammates after 77 minutes. Benin enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 80 percent of possession.

The most dominating Benin player was without a doubt L. Santos. On the other hand, E. Toukourou's play was disheartening. P. Messi performed admirably for rouges.FC. However, E. Siegrist made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 3 - 2.