gladiadores 7 - 0 Ascenso (375353329)

Dark skies made the crowd of 9366 at El Redondel a little nervous, but the rain held off. Alexander Kielmayer was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Tillmann Afteuben and Angel Popivanov. gladiadores started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. Starters: Perez de Eulate - Fabri, Brentjes, Fraiz, Basaldella - Oude Middendorp, D´Etigny, Fredriksson, Cojocaru - Romano, Günberk.

Ascenso had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. Lineup: Cangele - Pasarelli, Gómez, Fornero, Menéndez - Gefen, Bonifatti, Guillon, Barion - Olave, Torres.

Pressing was the tactic of the day for gladiadores. With 6 minutes played, seemingly due to lack of experience, E. Fornero needlessly tripped an opponent just outside the penalty area, but the free kick that followed didn't succeed. The pressing tactics used by gladiadores were successful as the ball remained close to the half way line at all times. R. Valda was called on to replace gladiadores's P. Cojocaru after 15 minutes following a nasty collision. R. Günberk gave gladiadores the lead as he successfully challenged the guests' central defenders, then slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the keeper no chance. 1 - 0 A magnificent combination in the middle resulted in gladiadores's C. Romano increasing the lead to 2 - 0. Given a free kick close to the byline, gladiadores tried a move that loyal fans may recognise from training. A pass to the side pulled the defence out of position which let D. D´Etigny slip through on goal. He didn't have to break his stride, and slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 3 - 0, 36 minutes into the game. By now, the players in gladiadores felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. gladiadores's ability to press all over the field frequently paid dividends. After 39 minutes Ascenso's M. Torres limped slightly after a late challenge, but he was able to continue. gladiadores solidified their lead at the 41 minute mark, as C. Romano dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 4 - 0. 4 - 0 was the score after the first half. Possession in this half belonged to gladiadores, who controlled the ball 80 percent of the time.

After 67 minutes, Ascenso's D. Menéndez fell awkwardly, but was determined to stay in the match. That's the spirit! gladiadores's talent at pressing frustrated the spectators as the game became a dire midfield struggle. Things were going to get worse for the visitors. G. Fredriksson squirmed through their central defence after 77 minutes, increasing the lead to 5 - 0. The home side's R. Brentjes curled a free kick home after 82 minutes, putting gladiadores ahead 6 - 0. D. Fabri had a fantastic opportunity to put gladiadores up another goal 83 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar. C. Romano increased the lead for gladiadores to 7 - 0, getting a head onto a hooked ball from the right. The ball looked to have taken a deflection on the way in, but he's claiming it! That made three goals for C. Romano and he was marked down for the hat trick. gladiadores claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 83 percent.

Most important gladiadores player was C. Romano. D. Fabri on the other hand, had a terrible day. Ascenso's best player was O. Olave. On the other hand, G. Cangele's play was disheartening. The match ends 7 - 0.