U23 World League

San Giorgio
Spectators: 7713 (Terracing: 5796, Seating: 1777, VIP seats: 140) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Claudio Mattioli started the match with the kick off. 6 minutes into the match, forsal FC's goal looked a bit too open when Quintin Redd came free, but Huang Hao Chuan reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. An unexpectedly hard shot by Ivan Ţopescu in the 8th minute of play forced forsal FC's goalkeeper Huang Hao Chuan to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 11 minutes into the match, Ivan Ţopescu notched a goal, 0-1, to the right of forsal FC's Huang Hao Chuan. Huang Hao Chuan was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. In the 14th match minute, Cosmos Soccer Club was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Jesse Shannon to maneuver through the defense. A collision led to Cosmos Soccer Club getting a freekick after 15 minutes play. Jesse Shannon hit a great ball. After 17 minutes, Ivan Ţopescu made it 0-2 with a short kick to the right side. forsal FC's Huang Hao Chuan tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. An unexpectedly hard shot by Quintin Redd in the 22nd minute of play forced forsal FC's goalkeeper Huang Hao Chuan to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. An unexpectedly hard shot by Claudio Mattioli in the 24th minute of play forced Cosmos Soccer Club's goalkeeper Dan Gheară to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ivan Ţopescu charged in rather forcefully in the 36th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Ivan Ţopescu the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 36 played minutes Cosmos Soccer Club got a freekick which was hit by Ivan Ţopescu. After having played for 42 minutes, Claudio Mattioli managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. forsal FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Claudio Mattioli was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. When Iago Aspas came up free with the goalie in the 45th minute, the Cosmos Soccer Club fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Iago Aspas couldn't finish the play. The supporters of Cosmos Soccer Club booed when forsal FC was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 46 match minutes in a wonderful position. Claudio Iachini didn't get a good kick on the ball. Huang Hao Chuan showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Ivan Ţopescu, who was totally free with the ball in the 48th minute. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 0-3 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

The wind increased when 姜永洲 made the kick off in the second half. In the 56th minute, Cosmos Soccer Club's 姜永洲 ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Huang Hao Chuan. Huang Hao Chuan yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 0-4. Dan Gheară showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Enrico Lorenzi, who was totally free with the ball in the 60th minute. Ivan Ţopescu could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 65th minute of the match, but Huang Hao Chuan made a huge save. In the 69th minute, Aurelio Piola hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Ivan Ţopescu sent away a hard shot on goal in the 70th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to Cosmos Soccer Club getting a freekick after 71 minutes play. Waldo Bean hit a great ball. After 72 played minutes, forsal FC's Enrico Lorenzi shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Dan Gheară came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in forsal FC reached it. Cosmos Soccer Club's Dan Gheară played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Alberto Ascani in the 79th minute of play. 姜永洲 sent away a hard shot on goal in the 80th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Thanks to some nice moves Ivan Ţopescu could shoot a difficult shot in the 80th minute, which Huang Hao Chuan however easily saved by the left post. When forsal FC's Aurelio Piola in the 83rd minute got a chance for a shot 83rd didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Cosmos Soccer Club's goalie prevented a goal. 84 minutes into the match, 姜永洲 dribbled the ball past the defender and swiftly kicked the ball to the left of Huang Hao Chuan, 0-5. After some careless play in the Cosmos Soccer Club defense, Alberto Ascani kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Dan Gheară. The Cosmos Soccer Club fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Dan Gheară should have stopped the shot. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. Cosmos Soccer Club had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.