Cristiano 3 - 0 Merc (381387472)

Due to an all-day shower, 25937 paying spectators got to see a match on a pitch-turned-bog at Ronaldo's Arena. İlhan Gözay was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Rudolf Steinhauser and Pau Rubí. Cristiano started off with a 2-5-3 lineup. Lineup: Barrio Nuevo - Wache, Cordero - Strambini, Biduido, Damoni, Sánchez García, Ainikkamäki - Vrhovčević, Greco, Silva Palafox.

A 5-4-1 alignment was the formation of choice for Merc. Starters: Alas - Poncin, Eijmael, Ekholm, Sorgun, Chytil - Fagerling, Mabille, Mar Bravo, Cervantes - Hansen.

Using their counter-attacking abilities was the strategy of choice for Merc. G. Strambini spent most of the time in a heap on the ground today, his normally rapid movement hindered by the slippery pitch. Cristiano's M. Vrhovčević tried to break through in the middle repeatedly, but couldn't get past the visitors' defenders. M. Vrhovčević acted with superior experience when, 29 minutes into the match, he predicted a pass, intercepted it and then finished off with a goal. 1 - 0 for Cristiano! Things were going to get worse for the visitors. F. Wache squirmed through their central defence after 33 minutes, increasing the lead to 2 - 0. 2 - 0 was the halftime score. Possession in this half belonged to Cristiano, who controlled the ball 59 percent of the time.

A great save by keeper J. Alas after 51 minutes kept the visitors in the game after M. Vrhovčević struck from the left with a real cannonball. Cristiano's A. Greco swung in a good chance from the left, but the visitors' defence were able to clear the ball. With 61 minutes gone, a long pass from the defence of Merc resulted in a counterattack that set N. Sorgun free through the middle, but the keeper made a spectacular diving save. The cannonball from 35 metres by L. Biduido of Cristiano was an impressive sight, but didn't make it into the net. Merc's S. Eijmael got himself booked for a foul. Things were deteriorating for the away team as Cristiano scored another to make it 3 - 0 after a left side attack resulted in a goal for L. Damoni after 82 minutes. Cristiano had most of the ball, with 61 percent of possession.

A. Greco performed admirably for Cristiano. However, G. Sánchez García made a disastrous appearance. Merc's best player was J. Hansen. S. Eijmael was a disappointment, however. The match ends 3 - 0.