NERETUM 6 - 2 TOSTINA (366127955)

Clouds darkened the skies at comunale di nardò as 33233 spectators turned up for the match. Leo Luiz Loefen was the appointed referee with assistance provided by André Novais and Siegfried Bayerkuhnlein. NERETUM had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Starters: Podgornik - Weidert, Labee, Mostert - Baudin, Hoyos, Reche, Pavlovčič, Hermo - Esslinger, Krag Aabling.

TOSTINA decided to use a 2-5-3 set up. The following players had been chosen: Torrisi - Malheiro, Alexandersson - Consoli, Duffie, Pacifico, Bottero, Barrado - Vigiani, Ulisse, Ciube.

NERETUM took the lead 16 minutes in, as C. Hoyos broke through on the left and put the 1 - 0 shot just beyond the reach of the outstretched keeper. With 27 minutes gone, NERETUM had a free kick in a decent position. Despite this being a great chance for a shot, they tried a cheeky move intended to bypass the defence. However, Y. Labee did not manage to connect with it cleanly and the ball went out. After 33 minutes, R. Esslinger sent the corner kick right to Y. Labee who headed it sharply past the keeper. 2 - 0! With 37 minutes showing on the scoreboard clock, TOSTINA showed some good skill and were able to reduce the score to 2 - 1 when J. Barrado got past the home side's central defenders right in front of the goal. With 38 minutes played, R. Esslinger could have brought this one home for NERETUM as he charged up on the left, but his hooked ball went just a bit too high. 40 minutes into the game TOSTINA's D. Vigiani found a gap in the home side's central defence and scored with a fabulous shot, making it 2 - 2. TOSTINA's G. Duffie got himself booked for a foul. 2 - 2 was the score after the first half. NERETUM claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 55 percent.

The coach of TOSTINA wanted to try to change things around after 46 minutes, and gave new tactical instructions. After 67 minutes, M. Krag Aabling came in from the right, feinted, then sped past the off-balance defender to make the score 3 - 2, giving NERETUM the lead. S. Baudin increased the lead for NERETUM to 4 - 2, 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 72 minutes, TOSTINA switched A. Alexandersson with G. Monte, hoping for a quick impact on the pitch. The bench was restless, and with 77 minutes passed TOSTINA's coach gave A. Selzer the opportunity the player had been hoping for. T. Malheiro reluctantly left the field. The TOSTINA captaincy was handed to L. Consoli. A magnificent combination in the middle resulted in NERETUM's O. Hermo increasing the lead to 5 - 2. M. Ciube of TOSTINA was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. NERETUM solidified their lead at the 84 minute mark, as S. Baudin dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 6 - 2. At this point, it was obvious that the players of NERETUM lowered the tempo and became more defensively oriented. NERETUM had most of the ball, with 55 percent of possession.

NERETUM's best player was R. Esslinger. S. Baudin turned in a dismal performance, however. Most important TOSTINA player was M. Ciube. G. Torrisi was a disappointment, however. The match ends 6 - 2.