savoia 1 - 4 Realfisioteam (381662781)

A scorching day at Giraud, where 57520 spectators were in place for today's match. Yefet Peres was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Maxim Cubreacov and Clément Ecomard. savoia started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players took the field: Rakocija - Fioretti, Pãcurar, Gallo - Wamsteeker, Tavana, Takasuo, Podobed, Kolber - Maciel Neto, Giovinco.

Realfisioteam decided to use a 2-5-3 set up. They fielded: Prates - Merriam, Schönstaedt - Callaghan, Naranjo, Bari, Cintra, Freixas - Želudevičius, Cahill, Haj-Shadi.

After 4 minutes, speedy H. Kolber dashed past his marker, making plenty of room for the second wave of attack. However, T. Maciel Neto failed to score. After 5 minutes, the home side was awarded a penalty. The visitors protested wildly but the referee was adamant. M. Takasuo easily put the ball away to give the lead to savoia. 1 - 0 Realfisioteam's A. Haj-Shadi had seen it all before, so he waited patiently for the right opportunity. He would get no better chance than the one he took, but his shot was deftly blocked by the keeper. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave O. Naranjo from Realfisioteam a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 34 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! In a fantastic display of determination, savoia's T. Maciel Neto forced himself to his feet, after an opponent viciously knocked him down. The home side failed to add to their score as M. Takasuo shot a penalty wide after 36 minutes. After 37 minutes, the visitors levelled the scores after E. Cintra made it through the middle and struck home to make it 1 - 1. 1 - 2 was the score with 38 minutes played, after E. Cintra cut through the central defence and chipped home a goal for Realfisioteam. Unhappy with the result so far in the game, the savoia manager used a brief break in play after 40 minutes to give the players new directives. The teams went for the halftime break at 1 - 2. Realfisioteam enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 53 percent of possession.

As the game started to slip away for savoia, the manager decided to change the tactical approach. After 52 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for A. Cahill who increased Realfisioteam's lead to 1 - 3. In the lead, Realfisioteam adjusted their style of play with 58 minutes gone. H. Kolber found it hard to catch his breath today in the stifling heat. With 60 minutes played, the savoia coach decided a substitution may help turn the game around. G. Virga came on, M. Takasuo had to leave the fray. M. Fioretti was handed the savoia captain's armband. In an effort to secure the lead, Realfisioteam changed their tactic after 65 minutes. The Realfisioteam players could smell victory in the air. A. Cahill wasn't in a hurry to leave the field as he was substituted for J. Segorbe after 66 minutes. After a short break after 66 minutes, Realfisioteam seemed to change their tactical approach a bit. The visitors' A. Želudevičius took advantage of a misunderstanding between the home side's goalie and centre backs 66 minutes into the match. 1 - 4 for Realfisioteam. The swift technical skills of A. Želudevičius were often too much for the tall but somewhat slow M. Fioretti who was humiliated after 69 minutes. He'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief after the final shot went wide. savoia had a brilliant opportunity to reply as M. Fioretti received a high ball from the right, striking the ball in the air. Only N. Prates's reflexes saved him. Neither team were able to dominate possession this half.

The most dominating savoia player was without a doubt T. Maciel Neto. However, H. Kolber made a disastrous appearance. A. Haj-Shadi performed admirably for Realfisioteam. À. Freixas was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 4.