pippogol 5 - 0 Hammerhans (392557404)

Fairly good weather for football had drawn a crowd of 1693 to Arena Utopica. Sergi Cabanes was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Luigi Ameri and Willy Loohuis. pippogol decided to use a 3-4-3 set up. The following players had been chosen: Nocera - Rancourt, Merlo, Bugani - Geinsheim, Bella, Cuxart, Addison - Bogdalski, Ituarte, Pryjma.

A 3-3-3 alignment was the formation of choice for Hammerhans. They fielded: Aldekoa - Lips, Naschberger, Horber - Knick, Tietz, Nittmann - Kettenburg, Quesada, Füssen.

pippogol's F. Bogdalski left the field after 17 minutes because of a nasty blow to the shin. His replacement was S. Volden. pippogol's P. Merlo tried to break through in the middle repeatedly, but couldn't get past the visitors' defenders. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave S. Volden from pippogol a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 34 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! In a fantastic display of determination, Hammerhans's T. Tietz forced himself to his feet, after an opponent viciously knocked him down. 39 minutes in, Hammerhans appeared unsure on how to play and their organisation was only passable. With 41 minutes played, the home side managed to get a 1 - 0 lead as L. Ituarte flipped the ball in after a cross from the right. Unfortunately for Hammerhans, H. Naschberger suffered a concussion after 42 minutes and had to be taken for tests. The coach had his head in his hands after realising he could not send a replacement onto the pitch, and the team had to continue a man short. The teams went for the halftime break at 1 - 0. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by pippogol, with 60 percent of the ball.

The Hammerhans players spent the break getting a rerun of the team's tactical organisation and regained a solid organisation when the game started again. The pippogol free kick 49 minutes into the match seemed wasted, as the shot was both short and off target. But was this actually a plan? The ball landed at the feet of S. Volden, who was completely unmarked in the box. That's 2 - 0! pippogol solidified their lead at the 55 minute mark, as S. Volden dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 3 - 0. After 57 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by L. Ituarte might have resulted in another goal for pippogol. However, B. Aldekoa made a spectacular save. N. Bella left the field with a smile on his face as he was substituted 59 minutes into the game, as his team was in the lead. K. Karlshafen was the replacement. pippogol put themselves up 4 - 0 when S. Volden broke through on the right, leaving the entire defence trailing in his wake. That made three goals for S. Volden and he was marked down for the hat trick. By now, the players in pippogol felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. Encouraged by their lead, after 63 minutes the pippogol coach asked F. Cuxart to change positions with T. Addison. Hammerhans's H. Knick got himself booked for a foul. 67 minutes into the game, Hammerhans had difficulty finding their positions and their organisation dropped to poor. P. Merlo increased the lead for pippogol to 5 - 0, getting a head onto a hooked ball from the right. The ball looked to have taken a deflection on the way in, but he's claiming it! After 71 minutes, pippogol's P. Nocera fell awkwardly, but was determined to stay in the match. That's the spirit! pippogol had most of the ball, with 74 percent of possession.

pippogol's best player was P. Merlo. F. Cuxart turned in a dismal performance, however. Hammerhans's top performer was clearly V. Quesada. However, D. Nittmann made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 5 - 0.