S.L.Matarraque 5 - 4 Yaco (386282538)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 27713 at Matarraque Stadium today. Attila Hajszán was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Noah Ringenberg and Danny Mønsted. S.L.Matarraque started off with a 5-3-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Lami - Nunes, Ciocârlan, Sousa Cruz, Regier, Suret - Mengano, Suurkuukka, Söderstrand - Negri, Eke.

Yaco tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Starters: Hürol - Apolinário, Bringuier, Becerra - Correia Magalhães, Carrapato, Kachlík, Goldmann, Bodega - Smaal, Kıyla.

Yaco seemed to prefer attacking in the middle. S.L.Matarraque fans held their breath as G. Negri scampered down the left side. He successfully avoided all challenges and cracked home the shot for 1 - 0! It was obvious that team Yaco had instructions to attack in the middle instead of on the wings. 26 minutes into the match, the visitors' central line of defence had to look on as A. Nunes broke through, making the score 2 - 0 for S.L.Matarraque. Having been awarded a free kick in an awkward position after 35 minutes, S.L.Matarraque did not go for a shot but instead fired the ball hard into the 6 yard box. After a brief tussle with his marker, G. Ciocârlan was able to power the ball past the keeper to make the score 3 - 0. Confident in their lead, S.L.Matarraque's players relaxed and focused more on defending the lead than increasing it. After 37 minutes, L. Bringuier chose the right corner while taking his penalty, humiliating the home keeper, who dived in the wrong direction. The goal reduced the home lead to 3 - 1. S.L.Matarraque solidified their lead at the 40 minute mark, as K. Suurkuukka dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 4 - 1. Yaco managed to reduce the score to 4 - 2 as F. Carrapato finished off a well-played combination from the left, easily carving through the defence. Yaco reduced the deficit to 4 - 3 with a penalty placed perfectly beside the left post by L. Bringuier. It was 4 - 3 at the break. Possession was split evenly between the teams.

A magnificent combination in the middle resulted in S.L.Matarraque's A. Mengano increasing the lead to 5 - 3. Central attacks were the recipe of the day for Yaco, as they moved the ball from the wings to the middle with startling regularity. 68 minutes into the game, L. Correia Magalhães had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came A. Rebocho. Yaco were desperate to get a goal back and pushed forward through the middle 70 minutes into the game. After a scramble in the box, the ball dropped to M. Kıyla, who smashed it home to make the score 5 - 4. S.L.Matarraque's A. Mengano left the field after 71 minutes because of a nasty blow to the shin. His replacement was G. Podolinskis. G. Negri could have increased the lead after 72 minutes, but his shot hit the post after a nice combination in the middle of the park. Possession in this half belonged to Yaco, who controlled the ball 51 percent of the time.

S.L.Matarraque's best player was G. Negri. A. Nunes was a disappointment, however. Most important Yaco player was B. Goldmann. However, C. Apolinário made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 5 - 4.