Balttels 0 - 4 Raimondi (381509628)

Fairly good weather for football had drawn a crowd of 38392 to Balttels Arena. Mattia Menichetti was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Erik Harberg and Bogusław Bieniasz. Balttels had chosen a strategic 3-4-3 formation. The following players had been chosen: Suprun - Wille-Wagner, Vojvoda, Mitrev - Molarinho, Oswald, Akarsa, Bachs - Querelle, Campelo, Eschmarke.

Raimondi started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. Starters: De Falco - Pablo, Guandalini, Regli, Jungreuthmayer - Barbu, Allen, Sem-Jacobsen, Kende - Schlemmer, Vartiala.

Balttels used their ability to concentrate their attacks in the middle of the pitch, rather than on the wings. The wings were the focus of most of Raimondi's attacks today. Balttels had a good opportunity to take the lead as E. Oswald came up the left side, but he struck the ball weakly and it went straight into the arms of R. De Falco. 0 - 1 was the score with 29 minutes played, after R. Regli cut through the central defence and chipped home a goal for Raimondi. A. Pablo increased Raimondi's lead to 0 - 2 with a superb free kick strike that flew in just under the far top corner. After 33 minutes M. Vojvoda could have reduced the lead with a blistering strike from the left wing, had it not been for an excellent block by the visitors' keeper. After 34 minutes, the defensive line of Raimondi created a counterattack through the middle that gave S. Vartiala a good look at the goal, but his shot glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. Balttels had to make a substitution after 37 minutes. Ş. Akarsa limped off the field and was replaced by O. Vache. S. Vartiala came close to extending the visitors' lead when he found himself completely unmarked in front of the goal after a pass through the middle. He tried to lift the ball over A. Suprun but overcooked it and hit the bar instead. Halftime score was 0 - 2. Possession in this half belonged to Raimondi, who controlled the ball 56 percent of the time.

S. Vartiala could have put his team up another goal 62 minutes into the game, after a rush down the left, but his closing shot hit the post. Some fine movement on the left led to a Raimondi goal after 74 minutes, making it 0 - 3. N. Kende was noted down as the scorer. M. Wille-Wagner challenged the visitors' central defence eagerly, producing a good chance 76 minutes into the game as he went for a through ball. But, as so many times before, the guests' defensive efforts got the best of it. Raimondi were determined to attack on the wing and their central attempts were constantly abandoned in favour of the wings. With 77 minutes played, a quick exchange of passes on the left wing freed E. Allen of Raimondi to slip through the defence and score another goal for the visitors. That made the score 0 - 4. Raimondi claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 58 percent.

The most dominating Balttels player was without a doubt R. Campelo. O. Vache on the other hand, had a terrible day. Most important Raimondi player was E. Allen. On the other hand, R. De Falco's play was disheartening. The match ends 0 - 4.