Valmo 5 - 1 Gouwe (374639172)

51636 fans braved the pouring rain at Valmoborg. Richard Walch was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Harry Isometsä and Stefano Burren. Valmo had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Starters: Areosa - Derman, Bardill, Sira - Alsoy, Atanasov, Salas Guzmán, Botzen, Viitalähde - Rautio, Vagrande.

Gouwe tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: van Ooijen - Stewart, Dokoza, Medori - Pita Caños, Ferentheil, Orsi, Filimonov, Rinkinen - Martí, van Weel.

It was an obvious ambition of Valmo to use their ability at attacking on the flanks. After 12 minutes, C. Botzen came in from the right, feinted, then sped past the off-balance defender to make the score 1 - 0, giving Valmo the lead. The boggy pitch disrupted the game, especially for technical players like R. Rautio. D. van Weel finished off a quick charge from the left of the field by chipping the ball just past the home side's keeper, making the score 1 - 1 21 minutes into the match. A well placed corner kick from R. Rautio was followed by S. Bardill's hard but accurate header. The well executed routine resulted in a goal for Valmo, the score now 2 - 1. Valmo increased the lead as R. Rautio struck to make the score 3 - 1 after an attack from the left left him unmarked in front of the keeper. By now, the players in Valmo felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. Halftime score was 3 - 1. Valmo enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 57 percent of possession.

After 46 minutes, Gouwe switched A. Orsi with T. Babadishev, hoping for a quick impact on the pitch. It was obvious that Valmo had instructions to attack on the wings instead of in the middle. Valmo put in a good effort on the right, but R. Rautio saw his volley fly wide of the mark 57 minutes into the game. Attacking on the wings was the choice for Valmo, and they were successfully passing the ball from the middle to the wings to attack. With 59 minutes played, Valmo put themselves up 4 - 1 when the visiting defenders lost the ball to R. Rautio, who came up from the left and proceeded to coolly round the keeper and knock the ball home. R. Martí spent most of the time in a heap on the ground today, his normally rapid movement hindered by the slippery pitch. Valmo managed to extend their lead to 5 - 1 when C. Botzen cut in neatly from the left side and struck a fine shot past the away team's goalkeeper. The referee showed Valmo's B. Derman the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Gouwe breathed new life into the game with an opportunity to reduce the score after 78 minutes, but the home side's defenders cleared the ball on the line, after a long shot coming in from the left rebounded off the crossbar. Gouwe had to make a substitution after 80 minutes. K. Filimonov limped off the field and was replaced by G. Toet. Possession in this half belonged to Valmo, who controlled the ball 58 percent of the time.

Valmo's best player was A. Vagrande. S. Bardill was a disappointment, however. Gouwe's top performer was clearly D. van Weel. J. Rinkinen on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 5 - 1.