O2H 0 - 2 Spartak (390837213)

The crowd of 45462 turning up at O2H Center today were greeted with some nasty showers of rain. Anthony Meyer was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Carlo Douwes and Matthäus Neuhofer. O2H started off with a 3-4-3 lineup. Lineup: Sánchez Salinas - Demian, Pizzarro, Rivas - Sanchez, Berninsone, Leyendeker, Bokovin - Reckziegel, Castillo, Kaplan.

Spartak had chosen a strategic 4-5-1 formation. The following players took the field: Segatto - Čiudakovas, Schiochet, Goulart, Apak - Jalín, Zubalburu, Ortasca, Featron, Robles - Pereyra.

It was obvious that Spartak were using their pressing skill as their primary tactic. A penalty was given after 33 minutes, allowing the visitors to gain the lead: 0 - 1. C. Jalín was the scorer. O2H's A. Sanchez made use of his speed to get free of the defence, but he still couldn't get a shot off 42 minutes into the match. The rain made it hard for players like M. Berninsone to show their technical control of the ball on this soggy day. R. Reckziegel, who often relies on his speed, had a rotten day on the drenched grass. Halftime score was 0 - 1. Possession in this half belonged to O2H, who controlled the ball 52 percent of the time.

At this time in the match, Spartak were using their skill at pressing to successfully stifle the game. Content with how the game was proceeding, the Spartak coach let S. Langmaack replace J. Robles after 59 minutes. S. Langmaack was handed the Spartak captain's armband. O2H's V. Bokovin got himself booked for a foul. The muddy pitch made the game a gritty affair, which seemed to suit W. Rivas just fine. Spartak's ability to press all over the field frequently paid dividends. C. Kaplan was just a finger's breadth away from an equaliser for O2H with a strike from the left, but M. Segatto managed to ward the shot off for a corner. M. Goulart sailed high above the opponents as he headed in a corner kick from C. Jalín after 77 minutes of play, making the score 0 - 2. The pressing tactics used by Spartak were successful as the ball remained close to the half way line at all times. With the clock showing 84 minutes played, a great pass from the defensive line of O2H resulted in a counterattack that was smoothly brought under control by A. Sanchez in the centre of the opposition's penalty area, but his finish went high. O2H enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 52 percent of possession.

O2H's top performer was clearly C. Kaplan. P. Leyendeker turned in a dismal performance, however. Spartak's best player was M. Segatto. S. Langmaack was a disappointment, however. The match ends 0 - 2.