UNITED2k4 1 - 3 BMZ (386157021)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 40415 at RYAN 'WINGKING' GIGGS today. Mariusz Biczak was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Francisco Valdivia Bravo and Edgar Gör. UNITED2k4 tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players took the field: Buelga - Cachola, Kaplinski, Maura - Pavlović, Ribera, Comparelli, Hasche, Pałach - Le Franc, Zabaleta.

BMZ started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Keskinarkaus - Peace, de Noronha, Russell - Stannard, Pugh, Sinding, Aagaard, Rãdulescu - Goedegebuure, Kopinich.

R. Buelga looked great 8 minutes into the match after stopping a shot from the middle of the penalty area from the visitors' O. Kopinich. UNITED2k4 had a good opportunity to take the lead as L. Le Franc came up the left side, but he struck the ball weakly and it went straight into the arms of J. Keskinarkaus. Proving his experience, A. Goedegebuure scored 0 - 1 for BMZ after putting some pressure on the opposing defence at a critical moment. After 20 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for A. Rãdulescu who increased BMZ's lead to 0 - 2. UNITED2k4 reduced the lead to 1 - 2 with 22 minutes on the clock when L. Le Franc got the best of a ball floated in from the left. BMZ had to make a substitution after 23 minutes. A. Goedegebuure limped off the field and was replaced by J. Liñán. 24 minutes into the match, L. Sinding came through the middle and almost added to his team's lead, but the shot went wide. D. Russell could have put his team up another goal 25 minutes into the game, after a rush down the left, but his closing shot hit the post. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave A. Hasche from UNITED2k4 a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 30 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! M. Aagaard increased BMZ's lead to 1 - 3 with a superb free kick strike that flew in just under the far top corner. 1 - 3 was the halftime score. BMZ claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 53 percent.

Content with how the game was proceeding, the BMZ coach let C. Ratinho replace A. Rãdulescu after 60 minutes. The home crowd cheered when, after 68 minutes, D. Peace's charge up the middle resulted in the keeper making one of his best saves of the day. After the ball was lifted in from the left, L. Sinding was on his own in the home side's penalty area and should have scored after 85 minutes, but missed, probably due to lack of concentration. UNITED2k4 were able to mount several counterattacks, such as the impressive one after 86 minutes, but M. Pavlović lofted a free kick over the crossbar. L. Maura challenged the visitors' central defence eagerly, producing a good chance 89 minutes into the game as he went for a through ball. But, as so many times before, the guests' defensive efforts got the best of it. BMZ had most of the ball, with 55 percent of possession.

The most dominating UNITED2k4 player was without a doubt L. Le Franc. A. Zabaleta on the other hand, had a terrible day. BMZ's best player was O. Kopinich. C. Ratinho was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 3.