Boozehill 0 - 2 Rijfas

The 12000 spectators at BZHL Arena were in for an afternoon of sunshine. Kevin Mészáros was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Cristi Cristea and Sipke Gilliam. The intense heat made it hard for players relying on strength or speed to shine. On the other hand, it provided perfect conditions for the more technical players. Lineup: Saarimäki - Leinonen, Laureins, Lenkkeri, Eppert, Kiiskinen - Kalervo, Lindqvist, Partinen, Vuorio - Loppukaarre.

The following players had been chosen: Långström - Villafanes, Kulju, Pulkkinen - Lohiniva, Tähkävuori, Raikaa, Cajander, Kuhanen - Kuusisto, Inberg.

FC Boozehill entered the field in a 5-4-1 formation. The visitors, FC Rijfas, chose to start the game with a 3-5-2 lineup. For their match strategy, Boozehill had decided to use their world class ability to counter-attack whenever possible. Rijfas's Tatu Inberg gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead after 10 minutes with a superb strike from the right. After 19 minutes, Ville Loppukaarre strained his groin quite severely and had to be helped off the field by the physio. The player that took his place was Anssi Tutti. With Ville Loppukaarre no longer on the pitch, Pol Laureins took over free kick duty. Boozehill's counterattacks created a good chance for Risto Kalervo on the right after 21 minutes, but he could only look on with dismay as his strike rebounded off the crossbar. Rijfas's Nestori Kuusisto was shown a yellow card for standing over the ball and blocking an opponent's quick free kick after 22 minutes. After 27 minutes, Rijfas sent a free kick in high over the penalty box. In what looked like a well-rehearsed move, the ball was headed backwards and reached Jesse Raikaa, who had plenty of space to place a well aimed shot - 0 - 2. After 37 minutes, Into Lindqvist sprinted between the opposing defenders and squared the ball, but the keeper deflected Anssi Tutti's shot. 0 - 2 was the score after the first half. Rijfas claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 61 percent.

With 50 minutes played, Valtteri Partinen was very close to reducing the score for Boozehill with a low drive from the left, but a defender stuck his foot out just in the nick of time, blocking the shot to a corner. Tatu Kulju's lack of experience almost gave Boozehill a goal after 56 minutes, but the shot went right into the keeper's arms. Tatu Inberg was unable to continue, following a slight injury to his left knee after 57 minutes. Hannes Rauhaniemi tried to hide a smile as he entered the field. He had not expected to get a chance this day. Boozehill's Jan Eppert was shown a yellow card after 67 minutes for slicing down an opponent. Pablo Villafanes went down after twisting his right ankle in minute 67, but was able to continue the match none the less. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave Risto Kalervo from Boozehill a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 72 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! Jan Eppert twisted his arm after 73 minutes, forcing Boozehill to make a substitution. The replacement for the injured player was Juuso Luoma-aho. The referee decided to let play continue for an additional 4 minutes beyond the regular 90 minutes. The match ends 0 - 2. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Rijfas, with 62 percent of the ball.

Boozehill's best player was Jani Vuorio. Anssi Tutti was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Rijfas player was without a doubt Turo Cajander. Hannes Rauhaniemi turned in a dismal performance, however.