siktiritu 1 - 3 Bench (393453046)

The crowd of 1712 turning up at Maidan Arena today were greeted with some nasty showers of rain. Marcin Zgutka was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Joaquin Caballé and Rowan Kraak. siktiritu decided to use a 5-4-1 set up. They fielded: Ungureanu - Carabulea, Dragalina, Dănilă, Ciolan, Tudoraş - Bărbărie, Popescu, Mihai, Mora - Corbu.

Bench started off with a 4-5-1 lineup. The following players took the field: Blanch - Araque Blázquez, Anari, Mägerlein, Van Overstraeten - Szalai, Mercier, Ürpek, Vilas, Farkas - Estrada.

Using their counter-attacking abilities was the strategy of choice for Bench. 2 minutes in, Bench appeared unsure on how to play and their organisation was only passable. Good work by the Bench defensive line after 7 minutes produced a good counterattack chance, which cut elegantly down the middle of the pitch and found V. Farkas alone in front of the goal, but his shot whistled just wide. The muddy pitch made the game a gritty affair, which seemed to suit K. Anari just fine. siktiritu broke through on the left 40 minutes into the game, with M. Corbu firing in from an acute angle to give the home side a 1 - 0 lead. Halftime score was 1 - 0. siktiritu had most of the ball, with 52 percent of possession.

The Bench players spent the break getting a rerun of the team's tactical organisation and regained a solid organisation when the game started again. Bench managed, after 59 minutes, to even the score at 1 - 1 with a lucky free kick by O. Van Overstraeten. Somehow the ball squirmed its way through the defensive wall! As the 60 minute mark approached, the Bench coach decided it was time for a substitution. P. Mercier reluctantly made way for S. Kokavecz on the pitch. Bench's I. Araque Blázquez gave the visitors a 1 - 2 lead after 72 minutes with a superb strike from the right. With 73 minutes played, the siktiritu coach decided a substitution may help turn the game around. A. América came on, M. Corbu had to leave the fray. Although the whole team were struggling to impress, siktiritu's L. Mora was singled out as being the problem as he was called off the pitch after 80 minutes. L. Ferreira was given a chance to change things around. A. América was handed the siktiritu captain's armband. After 84 minutes, there was a bit of a mixup on the field as Bench found themselves out of position and their organisation level dropped to passable. The corner kick from O. Van Overstraeten was powerfully met by the head of L. Szalai to make the score 1 - 3. A. Tudoraş challenged the visitors' central defence eagerly, producing a good chance 86 minutes into the game as he went for a through ball. But, as so many times before, the guests' defensive efforts got the best of it. With 88 minutes gone, a long pass from the defence of Bench resulted in a counterattack that set K. Anari free through the middle, but the keeper made a spectacular diving save. siktiritu's F. Bărbărie refused to leave the field after injuring his achilles tendon after 89 minutes. Possession in this half belonged to siktiritu, who controlled the ball 52 percent of the time.

The most dominating siktiritu player was without a doubt T. Ciolan. F. Ungureanu was a disappointment, however. Bench's best player was K. Anari. O. Van Overstraeten on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 1 - 3.