National cup

National Stadium
Spectators: 1029 (Terracing: 772, Seating: 237, VIP seats: 20) If Neville Burmeister had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 3rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 7 minutes into the match, U21 Australia's Pearce Hines sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Arboleda Espinoso narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Arboleda Espinoso showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Lucas Tongs in the 8th minute of the match. 10 minutes into the game, Ponce Noya threw the ball into play from the sideline. U21 Australia's Brett Crapp quickly snatched the ball and retained possesion. U21 Australia's Steve Panetta played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Danny de la Rosa in the 19th minute of play. Pearce Hines recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 26th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Arboleda Espinoso took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Justin Alwege, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. An unexpectedly hard shot by Neville Burmeister in the 39th minute of play forced U21 Ecuador's goalkeeper Arboleda Espinoso to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 44 minutes into the game, Danny de la Rosa cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 1-2. Steve Panetta was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Bart Turner hit a great freekick 46 minutes into the match. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 1-2.

In the 51st minute, Pearce Hines made a precise shot to the right of Arboleda Espinoso. U21 Ecuador's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-2. Steve Panetta showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Danny de la Rosa, who was totally free with the ball in the 59th minute. Neville Burmeister scored 3-2 in the 61st match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Arboleda Espinoso, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. Arboleda Espinoso made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Neville Burmeister in the 64th minute of play. Neville Burmeister hit a great freekick 65 minutes into the match. U21 Ecuador made a substitution. Enrique Domingo replaced Fabrizio de la Rosa. U21 Ecuador's Espinola Junyent was substituted for Danny de la Rosa. The supporters of U21 Ecuador booed when U21 Australia was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 67 match minutes in a wonderful position. Neville Burmeister didn't get a good kick on the ball. The audience thought a goal was coming when Eduard Guerrero got free with Steve Panetta in the 73rd minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 77th minute Pearce Hines shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Arboleda Espinoso saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 78th minute, Pearce Hines made a precise shot to the right of Arboleda Espinoso. U21 Ecuador's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 4-3. U21 Australia made a substitution. Arneil Boyce replaced Neville Burmeister. 82 minutes into the game, Espinola Junyent was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. U21 Ecuador's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave U21 Australia the free kick. In the 82nd minute, Espinola Junyent hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Arneil Boyce received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 85th minute. Arboleda Espinoso tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Arboleda Espinoso showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Pearce Hines, who was totally free with the ball in the 88th minute. After a defensive mix-up in U21 Ecuador's zone, Lucas Tongs stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Arboleda Espinoso came out of the goal and Lucas Tongs tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Mateo Pucci charged in rather forcefully in the 92nd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Mateo Pucci the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. A collision led to U21 Ecuador getting a freekick after 92 minutes play. Mateo Pucci hit a great ball. Arboleda Espinoso showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Pearce Hines in the 95th minute of the match. There were very few away supporters still in the ground by the end of the match. Most of them had left early, disgusted by the way their team had been torn apart. U21 Australia fully deserved thier win.