Valentain 1 - 2 Pauzers (381505965)

The weather was pretty good, and a crowd of 26790 had shown up at Valentain Arena for the match. Wolfgang Schevenbarg was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Pierpaolo Brancato and Luis Alberto Paco. Everyone was excited about the upcoming Rīga derby and the crowd was divided evenly. Valentain tactics involved an interesting 5-4-1 combination. Starters: Mura - Krauze, Sniķeris, Glonti, Līdaka, Deinis - Lavrinenko, Schepens, Jutus, Nessgård - Ezinger.

Pauzers had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players took the field: Alado - Prettlack, Mölder, Bovinelli, Kulej - Vinhas, Argolo, Enquiries, Bergmanis - Néri, Marrone.

A mistake by the home side's central defence after 32 minutes allowed T. Mölder to score for Pauzers. The scoreboard now read 0 - 1. A foul called during a Pauzers counterattack resulted in a great chance to score, but P. Marrone's shot rattled off the post. 0 - 1 was the halftime score. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Valentain, with 54 percent of the ball.

J. Nessgård sailed high above the opponents as he headed in a corner kick from R. Ezinger after 53 minutes of play, making the score 1 - 1. With 63 minutes played, R. Deinis of Valentain fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee was unimpressed, and booked him for diving. There was concern in the stands when, at the 75 minute mark, Valentain's N. Mura hit the ground hard, but he refused the attention of the trainer and rejoined his teammates on the pitch. Pauzers's goal to make the score 1 - 2 came via a questionable penalty, but P. Marrone struck it home without a second thought. 79 minutes into the match, P. Marrone came through the middle and almost added to his team's lead, but the shot went wide. After 89 minutes, Valentain switched D. Schepens with G. Cucca, hoping for a quick impact on the pitch. Although the whole team were struggling to impress, Valentain's R. Ezinger was singled out as being the problem as he was called off the pitch after 89 minutes. J. Larsson was given a chance to change things around. With 89 minutes played, the Valentain coach decided a substitution may help turn the game around. A. Steinböck came on, J. Nessgård had to leave the fray. Pauzers enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 55 percent of possession.

Most important Valentain player was N. Mura. J. Larsson on the other hand, had a terrible day. M. Néri performed admirably for Pauzers. On the other hand, J. Prettlack's play was disheartening. The match ends 1 - 2.