Sensei 2 - 3 FC Nibsc (379972869)

2263 spectators had found their way to San Ren Sei, despite the heavy rain. Alfredo Goñi was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Markus Nixon and Amihai Arad. A 5-4-1 alignment was the formation of choice for Sensei. The following players took the field: Hobai - Corona, Pero, Ulawski, Śnitko, Miraglia - Personne, Eichhorn, Brunori, Pascale - Atutxa.

FC Nibsc decided to use a 4-5-1 set up. The following players had been chosen: De la Rua - Varcaro, Mossop, Børgh, Franksen - Drząszcz, Kylmälahti, Natale, Urban, Wulfseck - Meekels.

With 6 minutes played, seemingly due to lack of experience, J. Urban needlessly tripped an opponent just outside the penalty area, but the free kick that followed didn't succeed. It was a bad day for the usually speedy B. Eichhorn. The mud seemed to slow him down. Sensei had a chance to take the lead after V. Atutxa's dazzling drive up the left, but the opportunity fizzled out as his shot went just over the bar after 26 minutes. F. Varcaro of FC Nibsc was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. The teams went for the halftime break at 0 - 0. Sensei claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 59 percent.

After 46 minutes, the Sensei coach wanted to see a new face on the pitch, waving L. Śnitko off the field. M. Quitarrà took his place. With the match clock at 46 minutes, FC Nibsc modified their style of play a little bit. The muddy pitch made the game a gritty affair, which seemed to suit P. Mossop just fine. Sensei mounted an inspired counterattack down the right wing after 71 minutes, but V. Corona was unable to convert from short range. Sensei's A. Pero was shown a yellow card after 74 minutes for slicing down an opponent. A loud groan was heard from the fans of FC Nibsc, as J. Urban left the pitch in too much pain to finish the match. J. Bagniewski took his place on the field. This was a good period for the visitors, with several opportunities to take the lead, particularly when W. Drząszcz slipped through the defence on the right to come up alone against M. Hobai, but the home side's keeper showed his lightning reflexes. Sensei enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 54 percent of possession.

Still tied after 90 minutes, the match continued into extra time. The game was close to savage at times, and Sensei's A. Pero received a second yellow card after 110 minutes; his ticket out of the game. Still tied after extra time, the crowd was buzzing as the teams prepared for a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.

Sensei's V. Corona looked like he knew exactly where he wanted to put the ball, but unfortunately his shot went wide of the left hand post. Still 0 - 0. FC Nibsc's F. Franksen kept his cool as he faced down M. Hobai. His composure paid off as he scored easily for 0 - 1. Sensei's M. Quitarrà coolly put the ball past N. De la Rua. 1 - 1. Clearly nervous from the start, FC Nibsc's T. Wulfseck took a long run up, but could only blast the ball over the bar. The score remains 1 - 1. Sensei's R. Miraglia didn't look like he was confident as he stepped up, and produced a badly struck penalty - right into the arms of N. De la Rua. The score remained 1 - 1. Oooh - how unlucky! FC Nibsc's W. Drząszcz attempt hit the underside of the bar, but rebounded down into the grateful arms of M. Hobai. The score stays 1 - 1. Sensei's P. Ulawski looked nervous even as he was putting the ball on the spot. He didn't take much of a run up, and his weak shot was easily saved by the keeper. FC Nibsc's N. De la Rua showed he has nerves of steel when it comes to penalties, easily changing the score to 1 - 2. Sensei's G. Pascale made no mistake. N. De la Rua didn't have a chance. 2 - 2. FC Nibsc's C. Natale was relaxed as he smoothly put the ball in the net. 2 - 3! L. Personne performed admirably for Sensei. V. Atutxa was a disappointment, however. FC Nibsc's top performer was clearly P. Mossop. C. Natale on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 3.