Nirvana 1 - 1 Casita (392100208)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 30500 at Monumental Kurt Cobain today. Ruben Raposo was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Enrique Elizalde and Bruno Nsereko. Nirvana started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. Starters: Cilindź - Coll, Pirttioja, Bosvelt - Calabrese, Botarelli, Gual, Gioutsos, Pazgrat - Trišić, Ledru.

Casita tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Portas - Jimeno, Hochadel, Okanao, Chocano - Mantari, Yotov, Espeteira, Hennies - Cardenal, Melgarejo.

Counter-attacking seemed to be the preferred strategy of Casita. Some great play up the middle by Nirvana led to a chance for J. Gual to score after 11 minutes, but the shot hit the crossbar. Making his way up the middle 29 minutes into the match, P. Ledru almost managed to squeeze a goal past the visitors' keeper, but the alert R. Portas blocked it to keep the score level. 30 minutes in, Casita appeared unsure on how to play and their organisation was only passable. The celebrations in the stands could only mean one thing - S. Pazgrat's free kick had found the back of the net and put Nirvana ahead 1 - 0! 41 minutes into the game, Casita seemed a little tentative in their play as their organization fell to inadequate. Coming from the right, J. Gual almost managed to score another goal for Nirvana, but his header was tipped over the bar by the visitors' keeper. With the clock showing 43 minutes played, a great pass from the defensive line of Casita resulted in a counterattack that was smoothly brought under control by O. Jimeno in the centre of the opposition's penalty area, but his finish went high. J. Trišić had a fantastic opportunity to put Nirvana up another goal 44 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar. Halftime score was 1 - 0. Nirvana enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 71 percent of possession.

Despite his frustration resulting in the smashing of a few teacups, the coach of Casita was able to get his message across, and raised Casita's organisation to solid. K. Gioutsos could have put Nirvana up one more, but he fired into the side netting after breaking free on the left after 48 minutes. 53 minutes into the game, Casita had difficulty finding their positions and their organisation dropped to solid. Nirvana's P. Ledru was shown a yellow card after 67 minutes for slicing down an opponent. The Nirvana players could smell victory in the air. P. Ledru wasn't in a hurry to leave the field as he was substituted for B. Vereker after 70 minutes. The Nirvana coach was visibly pleased with the score so far, but still ordered a few tactical changes 70 minutes into the game. Casita bypassed the midfield with their counterattack, leading to a free kick goal by A. Yotov for 1 - 1. As the 84 minute mark approached, the Nirvana coach decided it was time for a substitution. S. Pazgrat reluctantly made way for A. de la Fuente on the pitch. Nirvana had a chance to take the lead after B. Vereker's dazzling drive up the left, but the opportunity fizzled out as his shot went just over the bar after 85 minutes. Nirvana had most of the ball, with 70 percent of possession.

J. Trišić performed admirably for Nirvana. On the other hand, A. Cilindź's play was disheartening. Casita's top performer was clearly A. Cardenal. H. Okanao turned in a dismal performance, however. The match ends 1 - 1.