Merkava 0 - 4 Krendes (382886756)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 50007 at Merkava Arena today. Matthijs Becq was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Pravoslav Osika and Urs Pritt. Merkava decided to use a 3-4-3 set up. The following players took the field: Quijano - Gay, Bécares, Montalvo - Barberà, Castaneo, Culleredo, Balboa - Garau, Collel, Romeu.

A 3-4-3 alignment was the formation of choice for Krendes. Starters: Irun - Prieto, Pitz, Magalhães Sousa - Cambra, Trobo, Deferm, Bolívar - Bayón Mohino, Vanzeir, da Pobra.

Merkava clearly had decided to counter-attack when they could. F. da Pobra's speed is always a threat when he gets a little room to move, and 29 minutes into the match was no different as he broke free of his man to send a delightful through ball to R. Bayón Mohino who knocked it in for Krendes. 0 - 1! M. Cambra sailed high above the opponents as he headed in a corner kick from K. Pitz after 37 minutes of play, making the score 0 - 2. B. Deferm 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 F. Quijano but overcooked it and hit the bar instead. Halftime score was 0 - 2. Merkava claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 54 percent.

E. Culleredo dispatched a majestic long shot 49 minutes into the match, but missed the goal by a few metres. S. Bécares got left behind when Krendes's F. da Pobra made a sudden run forward after 59 minutes, finishing off with a neat strike. 0 - 3! After 60 minutes, an incisive pass through the middle gave J. Bolívar a chance to increase the lead for Krendes, and he did not disappoint. The score was then 0 - 4. 68 minutes into the match, F. da Pobra came through the middle and almost added to his team's lead, but the shot went wide. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Merkava, with 54 percent of the ball.

Merkava's best player was R. Castaneo. D. Gay was a disappointment, however. Most important Krendes player was F. da Pobra. However, P. Irun made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 0 - 4.