Blau 4 - 1 Steamboat (384298123)

Clouds darkened the skies at Denkmalstadion as 27807 spectators turned up for the match. Gian Carlo Bassini was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Mattias Klintgren and Rod Ridgeway. Blau decided to use a 3-5-2 set up. Starters: Krauth - Gaßner, Reinwald, Gretschmann - Gardas, Charlot, Utriainen, Harscher, Lakomý - Fischer, Dias.

Steamboat had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. The following players had been chosen: Mouillard - Vereshchagin, Schork, Tveit, Islas, Lantschik - Dale, Gussner, Abraham, Andreev - Blauensteiner.

Steamboat were clearly looking ahead to the next match rather than focusing on the one at hand. Using their counter-attacking abilities was the strategy of choice for Steamboat. After 36 minutes of play, A. Dias gave the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right. A penalty 37 minutes into the game gave the home side a chance at adding to the score, but an overconfident K. Charlot shot the ball wide trying to put it away in the top corner. After 42 minutes, there was a bit of a mixup on the field as Steamboat found themselves out of position and their organisation level dropped to passable. K. Gaßner had a fantastic opportunity to put Blau up another goal 43 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar. Good work by the Steamboat defensive line after 44 minutes produced a good counterattack chance, which cut elegantly down the middle of the pitch and found S. Abraham alone in front of the goal, but his shot whistled just wide. 1 - 0 was the score after the first half. Blau claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 66 percent.

After the half time break, Steamboat returned to the pitch without the complacent attitude they demonstrated during first half. A review of the gameplan helped Steamboat get back to a solid organisation when the referee blew his whistle again. After 60 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by O. Gretschmann might have resulted in another goal for Blau. However, G. Mouillard made a spectacular save. A quick counter attack by Steamboat forced the opponent's defender to give away a freekick. D. Lantschik was allowed to take it quickly by the referee, much to the dismay of the goalkeeper who wasn't prepared. 1 - 1! They were singing the praises of S. Fischer 62 minutes into the match after his speculative chip from the middle of the penalty box found its way over the visitors' keeper to make the score 2 - 1 to Blau. Cheers filled the stadium as H. Harscher broke through the visitors' central defence to put away the ball to increase the lead to 3 - 1 to Blau. A counterattack by Steamboat after 80 minutes could have resulted in a goal, but D. Vereshchagin, coming in on the left, couldn't get the shot off. After 83 minutes, Steamboat were awarded a free kick. Rather than shooting straight at goal, the taker went for an indirect variant which seemed to take his team mates a bit by surprise. T. Tveit did attempt a finish, but from an awkward position, sending the ball into the away fans. A speedy charge from the left side of the field increased the lead of Blau to 4 - 1 as K. Charlot finished it off competently, firing in from an acute angle. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave G. Islas from Steamboat a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 85 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! 87 minutes into the game, Steamboat seemed to suffer a certain amount of confusion and they fell to a passable level of organisation. Blau had most of the ball, with 67 percent of possession.

Blau's best player was A. Dias. J. Gardas turned in a dismal performance, however. Steamboat's top performer was clearly N. Blauensteiner. On the other hand, G. Islas's play was disheartening. The match ends 4 - 1.