deportivo 3 - 2 orasport (382023850)

Dark skies made the crowd of 11490 at takamaz stadium a little nervous, but the rain held off. Viljo Graaff was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Roland Holzgräber and Abraham Portoles. deportivo tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Mbeng - Charret, Eizaguirre, Bratosin - Dell'Anna, dos Ramos, Cenini, Popov, Ozeri - David, Putto.

orasport had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. Lineup: Merhaut - Kleszczyński, Vilarnau, Arce, Vahl - Rajos, Opdal, Sælen, Roulet - Linares Torras, Zander.

deportivo were mostly trying to use their skill at attacking on the flanks. A. Ozeri's early cross saw the defenders caught out of position and the alert H. David was able to pounce and roll the ball past the hapless goalkeeper to score for deportivo. 1 - 0. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave J. Linares Torras from orasport a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 19 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! It was obvious that deportivo had instructions to attack on the wings instead of in the middle. A great save by keeper M. Merhaut after 24 minutes kept the visitors in the game after S. dos Ramos struck from the left with a real cannonball. M. Cenini struck a 30 metre free kick home 30 minutes into the match. 2 - 0 for the home team. In an effort to secure the lead, deportivo changed their tactic after 30 minutes. With 31 minutes played, O. Rajos of orasport fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee was unimpressed, and booked him for diving. deportivo managed to extend their lead to 3 - 0 when M. Eizaguirre cut in neatly from the left side and struck a fine shot past the away team's goalkeeper. Confident in their lead, deportivo's players relaxed and focused more on defending the lead than increasing it. R. Putto dispatched a majestic long shot 40 minutes into the match, but missed the goal by a few metres. Halftime score was 3 - 0. deportivo had most of the ball, with 65 percent of possession.

Maybe due to the uphill battle the team was facing, the orasport manager looked to change things around. After 46 minutes, R. Zander and J. Linares Torras swapped positions on the field. The home team's fans were upset when, after 48 minutes, the visiting K. Sælen broke through the central defence and kicked the ball past the keeper. 3 - 1 was the score. orasport's A. Arce got himself booked for a foul. R. Putto should probably have put his team up another goal after 69 minutes, but some great goalkeeping by M. Merhaut kept the visitors in the game. orasport needed a fresh pair of legs on the field, and after 70 minutes N. Vilarnau made way for M. García Carrión. orasport's O. Roulet was able to reply, after 73 minutes, making the score 3 - 2 with a well struck penalty. Although the whole team were struggling to impress, orasport's K. Sælen was singled out as being the problem as he was called off the pitch after 75 minutes. D. Chrétien was given a chance to change things around. orasport's D. Opdal was shown a yellow card for standing over the ball and blocking an opponent's quick free kick after 79 minutes. The deportivo players could smell victory in the air. H. David wasn't in a hurry to leave the field as he was substituted for P. Benavides after 80 minutes. The bench was restless, and with 86 minutes passed orasport's coach gave G. Bovone the opportunity the player had been hoping for. J. Linares Torras reluctantly left the field. Possession in this half belonged to deportivo, who controlled the ball 65 percent of the time.

Most important deportivo player was V. Popov. However, M. Cenini made a disastrous appearance. R. Zander performed admirably for orasport. M. Merhaut was a disappointment, however. The match ends 3 - 2.