Rummukkala 2 - 1 Pliers (385485323)

It had rained all day, but 40429 hardy fans still made it out to FC Rummukkala Arena. Mark Palmer was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Noel Swärdmo and Tim Yngvesson. Fans of both teams had been eagerly awaiting this Pohjois-Savo derby and were doing their best to outshout their opponents. A 3-5-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Rummukkala. The following players took the field: Monteiro Alves - de Bruin, Soguel, Dam Jensen - Ciaccasassi, Paur, Kuśpit, Rautinen, Dukulis - Vertua, Shevelev.

Pliers tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. Starters: Köhler - Kinanen, Sairanen, Valkeakari, Suojanen - Hasko, Turunen, Malahov, Bumbar - Jaakkonen, Retva.

Thighs bulging, A. Ciaccasassi charged past the weaker players, seemingly oblivious to the rain. A well placed corner kick from E. de Bruin was followed by M. Vertua's hard but accurate header. The well executed routine resulted in a goal for Rummukkala, the score now 1 - 0. T. Rautinen of Rummukkala was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. The teams went for the halftime break at 1 - 0. Pliers had most of the ball, with 53 percent of possession.

Pliers levelled the score after 51 minutes to make it 1 - 1, as V. Hasko struck home after a fine midfield combination through the centre, which left him completely unmarked. With 64 minutes played T. Rautinen almost put the home team one ahead on a cross coming in from the right, but the shot went just wide. With 68 minutes played, R. Soguel of Rummukkala fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee was unimpressed, and booked him for diving. 75 minutes had elapsed when a great chance for Rummukkala to take the lead after a good cross from the right found K. Shevelev alone with the keeper, but he chipped it to the wrong side of the post. After 81 minutes of play, A. Dukulis gave the home team a 2 - 1 lead after an attack coming in from the right. Possession of the ball saw an equal split between the teams during the forty-five minutes.

Most important Rummukkala player was M. Vertua. A. Dukulis on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Pliers player was without a doubt J. Malahov. T. Sairanen turned in a dismal performance, however. The match ends 2 - 1.