Sifts 5 - 3 MANDALAY (393149711)

The 3168 spectators at Sifts Star Republique were in for an afternoon of sunshine. Marinko Krk was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Juan den Rooijen and Ricardo Nuñez. Sifts tactics involved an interesting 3-4-3 combination. Starters: Navarro - Wohlwend, Hammer, Hallfeldt - van der Zijde, Talassaari, Toro Coronado, Reschken - Barry, Cunzuta, Rivas.

MANDALAY had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players took the field: Núñez - Segre, Ašič, Kendler - Rodríguez, Jaramillo, Álvarez, Zipaquirá, Bransão - Hincapié, Dobmaier.

The wings were the focus of most of Sifts's attacks today. It was an obvious ambition of MANDALAY to use their ability at attacking on the flanks. The suddenness of the Sifts's M. Hallfeldt's pass to R. Cunzuta after 10 minutes caught the opposition wrong-footed, and they could only watch as the ball sailed home for 1 - 0. M. Reschken's lightning pace was too much for F. Álvarez who could only look on as the Sifts player blasted one home. 2 - 0. Sifts's J. Toro Coronado struck his penalty well enough to beat the goalkeeper and extend the home team's lead to 3 - 0 after 20 minutes. MANDALAY's M. Segre was able to reply, after 22 minutes, making the score 3 - 1 with a well struck penalty. After 25 minutes, the away team failed to deal with a good exchange of passes on the right, and J. Toro Coronado gave the Sifts supporters even more to cheer about when he increased the lead to 4 - 1. Confident in their lead, Sifts's players relaxed and focused more on defending the lead than increasing it. The home crowd was silenced as M. Segre took a successful penalty shot 29 minutes into the game, reducing the home lead to 4 - 2. L. Jaramillo of MANDALAY was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. Having been awarded a free kick in an awkward position after 37 minutes, Sifts did not go for a shot but instead fired the ball hard into the 6 yard box. After a brief tussle with his marker, A. Hammer was able to power the ball past the keeper to make the score 5 - 2. R. Zipaquirá's technique was perfect on this sunny day and led to some breathtaking tricks that bamboozled the defence. S. Núñez was caught napping as J. Toro Coronado lifted a ball over him following a free kick, but the ball hit the bar, rebounding into the keeper's arms. The teams went for the halftime break at 5 - 2. Sifts had most of the ball, with 54 percent of possession.

Coming from the right, B. Rivas almost managed to score another goal for Sifts, but his header was tipped over the bar by the visitors' keeper. With 66 minutes gone, B. Rivas suddenly found himself completely free on the right wing when a counterattack by Sifts caught their opponents by surprise. Only a great save by the opposing keeper prevented him from scoring. 69 minutes in, an amazing pass from the left side resulted in a goal for the visitors, as R. Rodríguez anticipated the through ball and scored, reducing the deficit to 5 - 3. Possession of the ball saw an equal split between the teams during the forty-five minutes.

Sifts's top performer was clearly A. Hammer. B. Rivas turned in a dismal performance, however. MANDALAY's best player was T. Ašič. However, B. Kendler made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 5 - 3.