Athletic 3 - 0 Ribera (382947189)

The 44882 fans in attendance at Juvi Stadium were roasting in the hot sun. Sirik Dikkops was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Francesco Debenedetti and Piere Rapp. Athletic had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Boutillier - Garreta, Shakeri, Arenys - Stjelja, Cand, Gorgulho, Thorstensson, Andrés - Carretero, Arfè.

Ribera started off with a 3-4-3 lineup. The following players took the field: Havaux - Baraya, Soler, Gotthardt-Senk - de Borst, Wellenberg, Győző, Imbalzano - Conill, Barrull, Elguezua.

21 minutes into the match, Ribera nearly took the lead, as O. Barrull broke through on the right. P. Boutillier made the save, however. The crowd gasped as S. Carretero of Athletic was flattened by an opponent after 22 minutes and had to be carried off. C. Irategui came in off the bench. S. Wellenberg came close to putting the visiting team one up 24 minutes into the match, following a solo raid down the middle, but P. Boutillier managed to tip the ball to a corner. E. Arfè finished off the counterattack of Athletic from the left rather easily, making the score 1 - 0. A great save by keeper L. Havaux after 31 minutes kept the visitors in the game after C. Irategui struck from the left with a real cannonball. Halftime score was 1 - 0. Possession was split evenly between the teams.

A. Soler wasn't much help defensively. His energy-consuming forward runs proved quite costly in the oppressive heat. Athletic's C. Irategui saw his fine effort strike the top of the bar following some good work up the middle by his teammates after 52 minutes. Athletic managed to extend their lead to 2 - 0 when J. Thorstensson cut in neatly from the left side and struck a fine shot past the away team's goalkeeper. R. Gorgulho increased Athletic's lead to 3 - 0 with a penalty spot cannonball. By now, the players in Athletic felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. B. Cand could have increased the lead after 72 minutes, but his shot hit the post after a nice combination in the middle of the park. Athletic enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 51 percent of possession.

E. Arfè performed admirably for Athletic. P. Boutillier on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Ribera player was without a doubt S. Wellenberg. On the other hand, A. Soler's play was disheartening. The match ends 3 - 0.