Gunners 1 - 3 RIESEN (384293013)

25870 spectators had come to Gunners Arena this cloudy day. Boe Heding was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Peter Falkbratt and Gerjan Frenkens. Gunners tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Herrero - Padoin, Oelze, Erlkönig, Endl - Cillekens, Kindermann, Dulce, Hapke - Gaspar, Kemser.

RIESEN decided to use a 5-2-3 set up. Lineup: Francini - Smeets, Aguirre, Gama Santos, Offenberg, Nedelea - Boosten, Almer - Fernaz, Buer Marl, Wilkes.

Using their counter-attacking abilities was the strategy of choice for RIESEN. Making his way up the middle 7 minutes into the match, J. Gaspar almost managed to squeeze a goal past the visitors' keeper, but the alert F. Francini blocked it to keep the score level. A swift counterattack by RIESEN resulted in a free kick that U. Almer elegantly twisted into the goal - 0 - 1! Gunners put pressure on the visitors' central defence 27 minutes into the game, but J. Gaspar couldn't find an opening. RIESEN showed their counterattack skill 28 minutes into the match by breaking through the middle, with R. Wilkes scoring uncontested for 0 - 2. Gunners needed a fresh pair of legs on the field, and after 35 minutes H. Erlkönig made way for I. Matias. Halftime score was 0 - 2. Possession in this half belonged to Gunners, who controlled the ball 77 percent of the time.

After 54 minutes, the defensive line of RIESEN created a counterattack through the middle that gave S. Smeets a good look at the goal, but his shot glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. As the game started to slip away for Gunners, the manager decided to change the tactical approach. RIESEN's L. Gama Santos was shown a yellow card for standing over the ball and blocking an opponent's quick free kick after 59 minutes. Unhappy with the result so far in the game, the Gunners manager used a brief break in play after 60 minutes to give the players new directives. A well placed corner kick from U. Almer was followed by M. Nedelea's hard but accurate header. The well executed routine resulted in a goal for RIESEN, the score now 0 - 3. By now, the players in RIESEN felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. With 68 minutes gone, a long pass from the defence of RIESEN resulted in a counterattack that set H. Buer Marl free through the middle, but the keeper made a spectacular diving save. After 78 minutes, Gunners switched T. Cillekens with L. Exler, hoping for a quick impact on the pitch. L. Exler became the new Gunners captain. Gunners refused to be intimidated and, breaking through the middle, I. Matias managed to slip the ball home for 1 - 3. 86 minutes into the game, RIESEN had difficulty finding their positions and their organisation dropped to solid. Gunners enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 77 percent of possession.

Most important Gunners player was U. Endl. M. Hapke on the other hand, had a terrible day. RIESEN's best player was S. Fernaz. On the other hand, F. Francini's play was disheartening. The match ends 1 - 3.