Palace Casuals

Palace Casuals had two home games today, and filled the stadium both times...

Cup Qualifying Round 1st Leg, home vs FC Avenger of Barcelona, Spain. Level 23, AQ -0.6
Having set up to counter the visitor's formation, the Management decided to use the match for order experimentation, today using defensive/counter tactics, and despite an early setback, the team decided that they liked it. One problem which was encountered as the teams entered the field, was that the visitors were wearing their 'home' strip, which was very similar to Palace Casuals' home strip:

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FC Avenger kicked off and before the dust had even settled, were one goal up, Mohammed Haji weaving through the home defence and slotting the ball past Mihaita Dragut. Having recovered from the shock, Casuals attacked, and after a foul by Kim, Omar Hansen had the chance to open his account for the season, and he obliged, blasting the free-kick through the defensive wall and past Larwan in the visitors goal. On 21 minutes, Claude Pinto latched onto a long clearance out of defence and his long pass through the Avenger defence found Charles Salami, and he slid the ball home. Five minutes later, another foul by the visitors was punished as Hansen's free-kick deceived the keeper into diving the wrong way as it bent round the defensive wall. In the second half, a Johan Shaqiri corner was followed by a push in the area by an Avenger defender and Hansen was given the task of slotting home a Penalty to complete his hat-trick, but Larwan guessed right and dived to palm the ball away. In the 66th minute, Michael Muscroft capped a Man-of-the-Match performance by slicing his way through the defence and shot past the keeper. The match finished a 4-1 win to the home side.

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A speculative 1T bid on a DC/DMC to provide a bit of cover... which was surprisingly successful!

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League Round 2, home vs BSC Oranke of Berlin, Germany. Level 22, AQ -1.4
Having escaped from being a goal down in three of the previous four games, it was only to be expected that this match would be no different. The defences of both sides were dominant until just after the half-hour when Malagon beat Zoltan Bieder in the home goal with a shot from outside the area. A foul by a Oranke player on the cusp of half-time gave Omar Hansen another free-kick opportunity and he scored his third direct free-kick in two games to send the sides into half-time on level terms. By now, the opposition should have been wary of giving Hansen a free-kick opportunity outside the Penalty box, but Toth obviously forgot that when he fouled Catalin Neagu and Hansen despatched another set-piece ball into the net. The only further action of note was the introduction of Jack McCaul in place of Ayman Gomaa in midfield. McCaul's first attempt at the ball was a foul tackle and he was the recipient of a yellow card barely 30 seconds from him coming onto the field. Despite the early foul which caused an injury to Paunovic, Casuals captain Anurak Arma obviously did enough to compensate and was awarded the Man-of-the-Match award.

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Busy day today so only able to view matches on mobile when signal permitted...

First match, Champions League Group Stage Round 2, away vs Rider FC. level 22, AQ -6.5
Palace Casuals appeared to make heavy weather of what looked like a relatively easy match. The visitors fell behind (again!!) to a 14th minute strike by Degano, but in the second half Andres Ramos glanced in a Johan Shaqiri corner for the equaliser. 1-1 final score.

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League Round 3, away vs FC Zvaba of Belgrade, Serbia. Level 22, AQ equal.
For only the second time this season, Casuals score the opening goal in the match, through Valentin Ndjengue, but the home side hit back through Boteanu, Larsson and Prandelli to record a 3-1 win and inflict Palace Casuals' first competitive defeat this season.

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This evening, Defender Ben De Wree became the target of a concerted Negotiation attack. Having ascertained that he was only 2 Skill points away from adding his Scout star, a late team training session was organised, which gave him one point, and he then undertook intensive individual training to obtain his second...

Tremendous efforts all round for the Palace Casuals squad, as they record two wins in a day...

Cup Qualifying Round 2nd Leg, away vs FC Avenger. Level 23, AQ -0.6
With a 4-1 advantage from the home leg, Palace Casuals could afford to shut up shop in this game and take it easy for 90 minutes. This resulted in a match where defences dominated and attacks were rare. Casuals midfielder Michael Muscroft walked a tightrope all game, having been cautioned in the 7th minute and only lectured after a foul which saw home striker Mosele injured, the Management were just preparing to replace him in the second half when he transgressed again and this time there was no saving him. In between, a rare Casuals counter-attack had seen defender Kevin Pigott dribble the ball a good way before launching a shot past the keeper for a fine debut goal in Palace colours. This knocked the fight out of the opposition and they meekly surrendered the game and the tie. Palace Casuals march into the next round 5-1 on aggregate.

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League Round 4, home v Boban FC. Level 22, AQ +1.2
A packed Selhurst Park-ish welcomed the victors in the earlier game and their visitors for a League game. The home side started out more tired than they would wish and this showed in a sluggish start. The fireworks for the visitors started in the 4th minute, when defensive midfielder Hardie was pulled up for a foul and was then given a straight red card for spitting. A quarter-hour in, Boban midfielder Fiorenza was booked for a foul that ended in home defender Kevin Pigott going off with a thigh injury, and Omar Hansen had his first chance at a direct free-kick, but the keeper Trainor pushed the ball round the post for a corner. A man down, the visitors understandably consolidated and Casuals' frequent attacks were repulsed by a resolute defence and a custodian with safe hands. Into the second half, and Fiorenza fouled again and was lectured by the referee, who took no further action. The resulting free-kick by Hansen was saved by the keeper. Just after the hour, Casuals made a tactical change and striker Andres Ramos replaced defender Freddy Jones and the home side started to attack in earnest. Catalin Neagu was adventurous, but the visitors defence was often rough in dispossessing him, and eventually Fiorenza offended once too often, and was awarded a second yellow card and the Order of the Early Bath. Hansen finally got a free-kick past Trainor, and the home side had the lead. Facing a side with 2 men short and with the encouragement of a goal, Casuals had their tails up and poured forwards in search of more plunder. A defensive clearance from a late attack by the visitors found its way to Hansen and he hit an unstoppable 30 yard shot past the Boban defence for the second goal.

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A couple of away games today as Palace Casuals continue their odyssey...

Champions League Group Stage Round 3, away vs Ko FC. level 22, AQ -3.2
Palace Casuals turned up at Ko FC hoping for a first win in the Champions League this term, and did not disappoint their travelling fans, packed into a small (77.5k) ground. The match started fairly evenly, with neither side gaining an advantage until the 35th minute, when Casuals' attacking midfielder Valentin Ndjengue fouled a Ko player at the edge of the box. Makris punished the transgression by neting the free-kick. The half-time team talk in the visiting dressing room had its effect at the start of the second period, when first Andres Ramos with a solo effort and Johan Shaqiri, from a Ndjengue corner, turned the game around in favour of the Casuals. After that it was back to business as usual and time ran out with a 2-1 win for Palace Casuals.

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The midfield performance woes continue as Jack McCaul produced another 5, so the Management decided that a replacement was in order. After a couple of efforts were fruitless, a new MC was picked up for $98.7M and 2T.

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With a new player safely in hand, The current players were evaluated and it was decided to release Ayman Gomaa, and he duly departed to Upton Rovers for $114M.

League Round 5, away vs FC Croatia. Level 22, AQ +0.4
A continuation of today's road trip, a short hop from Berlin to Zagreb, Croatia for this evening's League match. New recruit Suhail Kamal was drafted into the starting XI, and produced a sterling performance in a match which pitted a strong attack against a resolute defence. The first 20 minutes was all the home side, as Croatia surged forwards in search of an early goal and ran aground on the rocks of the Casuals defence. Zoltan Bieder in the goal was also in top form, which gave the defence added confidence. Having weathered the early storm, the visitors started to come back into the game, and the hosts gave Omar Hansen a couple of opportunities to open the scoring, but he seemed to have left his free-kick boots at home as neither were on target. Just after the half hour, however, Hansen did show that he could find the back of the net as he rifled a loose ball home from just outside the box, to send the travelling support into raptures. The rest of the match was more even, both sides having chances to score but both defences were solid and the scoreboard was not further troubled. Casuals Captain Anurak Arma picked up the MoM award.

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As the top two dropped points, Palace Casuals now take over at top spot:

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The League match was used as a second attempt to test DC/DMC Kevin Pigott in the defensive midfielder position and he acquitted himself well. The Management then decided to release DMC/DMR Charles Salami and he was signed by Haticesu FC for $98.6M.

Just a brief report of the two games played today as the Management is in a Premier Inn in Portsmouth prior to sailing for France tomorrow...

Cup Play-off Round 1st Leg, away at Modena FC of Modena Italy. Level 23, AQ +3.3
Set up to counter the home side's formation and with defend/counter orders, Palace Casuals more than matched their opponents in the first half, but fell foul of their recent tendency to concede a goal just before half-time, Shahdael poking a cross past the diving Zoltan Bieder in the final seconds before the break. One counterpart of the 'concede before the break' syndrome is the equaliser (and more) after it, and within 10 minutes of the restart, the team was happy that they had ensured that Omar Hansen had his set-piece boots with him. Johan Shaqiri was bundled over in the area, and Hansen took the chance with to equalise from the penalty spot. Final score 1-1, Palace Casuals take an away goal back to the second leg. Defender Ben De Wree played his 50th game for the Casuals in this match.

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League Round 6, home vs Graziano FC of Bari, Italy. Level 22, AQ +1.9
Palace Casuals stay at the top of the League courtesy of a 2-1 home win over Graziano FC. The visitors opened the scoring in the first half, but it didn't take long for Casuals to equalise, Johan Shaqiri's corner having been handled in the area and Omar Hansen doing the business from the resultant penalty. Shaqiri's exquisite corner kicking came into play again in the second half, Freddy Jones forcefully heading home to score the winner. Midfielder Michael Muscroft celebrated his 50th appearance in a Casuals shirt...

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Further reports will be sketchy and brief until the Management returns from his holiday on 19th June...

...catches up on progress, even though has been keeping in touch occasionally through mobile data...

Day 9 - Champions League Group Stage Round 4 home vs Ko FC - a narrow win keeps top spot... but Defender Freddy Jones blots copybook with double yellow...

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Day 9 - League Round 7 away vs San Donato FC - heaviest defeat for 2 seasons knocks Casuals off top spot - and it could have been worse if home striker had netted late penalty... Andres Ramos plays 100th match for club but 'not in mood for celebration'...

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Day 10 - League Round 8 home vs Izmir SK - Disappointing draw at 'Fortress Selhurst'...

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Day 10 - Cup Play-off Round 2nd Leg home vs Modena FC - Goalless draw enough for Palace to win on away goals against superior opponent...

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Day 10 - Player news - Shock move for Jack McCaul as Goforit FC bid $148M and 8T for stuttering midfielder...

Day 11 - Player News - McCaul offer accepted as Casuals find $96.9M and 2T for Midfielder Mike Christie from Boom FC...

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Day 11 - Champions League Group Stage Round 5 away vs Sherif FC - 'Flying Wingers' finally click to give Casuals qualification with one game in hand - Second hat-trick for Omar Hansen this season... Goalkeeper Zoltan Bieder plays 50th game for the Casuals...

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Day 11 - League Round 9 away vs Ciclon de Tarija - Late, late show as Johan Shaqiri and Hansen give Casuals the win and send them back to top spot...

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Day 12 - Cup 'Top 16' Round 1st Leg away vs Ragheb FC - Defenders star in honourable defeat which leaves Casuals all to play for in second leg...

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Day 12 - League Round 10 home vs FC Brandenburg - Striker Catalin Neagu back on form with solo goal to keep Casuals at the top...

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Day 13 - Champions League Group Stage Round 6 home vs Rider FC - Weakened team fielded, Casuals lose unbeaten record in CL Group Stage - Pinto and Ndjengue score for home side in 2-3 defeat, but Casuals still top of Group...

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Day 13 - League Round 11 home vs Levski - Opposition score first but Casuals win game with goals in the last 20 minutes - Neagu finds net again, Hansen chips in with late winner - Pigott injury a worry for the home team...

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Day 14 - League Round 12 away vs Daniel FC - Shaqiri opens the scoring, Neagu puts away side in front again; Pigott with late one as Casuals increase lead at top of League to six points...

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Day 14 - Cup Top 16 Round 2nd Leg home vs Ragheb FC - Casuals crash out of Cup as Muscroft red card shame hinders home side's efforts - Hansen free-kick score in vain as team loses tie 3-6 on aggregate - Team Captain Anurak Arma's 100th game celebrations on hold...

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...reviews progress of team.

Day 15 - League Round 13 home vs Ahmed FC - first home League defeat of the season, Muscroft goal welcome but in vain...

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Day 15 - Champions League 'Top-16' Round 1st Leg away vs Albstadt FC; Level 22, AQ -4.7 - Sparkling Casuals light way to next round with superb 3-0 win - Pinto celebrates 100th game for Casuals with opener, Garcia and Hansen add second-half goals...

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Day 16 - League Round 14 home vs Sturm Juniors - Palace Casuals storm away at the top of the League, please packed home crowd with 3-0 win - Muscroft, Jones and Neagu on target...

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Day 17 - Champions League 'Top-16' Round 2nd Leg home vs Albstadt FC; Level 22, AQ -4.8 - Bench-warmers given a chance in 'dead rubber' leg, Hansen double puts Casuals through to the Quarter-Finals 5-0 on aggregate...

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Day 17 - League Round 15 away vs BSC Oranke - Casuals make heavy weather of visit to bottom team, home team down to 10 men but Kamal and Hansen save Casuals' blushes - Kamal later injured to give League leaders a problem...

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Day 18 - Friendly home vs Mourinho FC - Time for light relief as Casuals host friendly with star-studded team - two goals enough for visitors to take home spoils...

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Day 18 - League Round 16 home vs FC Zvaba - Neagu early goal settles home side's nerves, defence dominates as visitors attack - late goals by Christie and De Wree make game safe...

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Day 19 - Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg away vs Prayong FC; Level 22, AQ -7.3 - early visit to Thailand and Casuals do enough to give them a chance of progressing - always behind the play, goals by Hansen and Kamal give two precious away goals...

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Day 19 - League Round 17 away vs Boban FC - goals each side of half-time give hosts the lead - Muscroft continues recent scoring spree but in vain as side drifts to defeat...

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Day 20 - League Round 18 home vs FC Croatia - Hansen scores one, misses a penalty as Palace struggle - Shaqiri scores second equaliser before Kamal gets late, late winner...

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Current League Table:
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Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg, home vs Prayong FC, Thailand. Level 22, AQ -6.3
Palace Casuals looked to build on a workmanlike 2-2 draw in the first leg away at their visitors, and the packed stadium was not disappointed. The first half was all about defence, both sides working well but no breakthroughs. Casuals midfielder Suhail Kamal was cautioned for a tackle which caused the substitution of Aura-ngam through injury, and half-time was reached with the score still goalless. The home side came out in the second half all blood-and-thunder attack, and in the first ten minutes scored two goals, through Michael Muscroft, and Juan Sebastian Garcia, a header from a Johan Shaqiri corner. The Management were just preparing to replace Kamal when he transgressed again, and the Order of the Early Bath resulted. Catalin Neagu has been on-and-off scoring form recently, and this was definitely an off-day, but it didn't stop him from providing the cross from which Muscroft scored his second of the match, and the 'Flying Wingers' combined well for the fourth goal, Omar Hanson netting from a Shaqiri cross. Mike Christie replaced Kevin Pigott as the midfield was shuffled after the Kamal dismissal, and Garcia scored at with literally the last play of the match as he forcefully headed in a Shaqiri corner to make the final score 5-0. Palace Casuals march onto the Semi-Finals 7-2 on aggregate.

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League Round 19, away at Graziano FC, of Bari, Italy. Level 22, AQ +1.5
A tired-looking Palace Casuals team travelled to Italy for this League game and came home pointless and even more exhausted. Despite having greater possession and better statistics in most categories, the result on the pitch was too-many sub-par performances and the home side won through goals from Babak and Sadikov. A series of late substitutions failed to put a spark in the visitors and the game drifted away from them.

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With the ongoing series of poor performance ratings from goalkeeper Zoltan Bieder, the Management decided give him a few days' rest and looked to the market for a temporary replacement. A potentially useful 1T purchase followed:

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Existing second-string keeper Mihaita Dragut and new recruit Tran Cong Vinh will share keeping responsibilities for a while with the hope that Bieder will benefit from the rest.

...just a League game

League Round 20, home vs San Donato FC of Turin, Italy. Level 22, AQ -0.8
Palace Casuals kept their top spot in the League with this tough victory over their mid-table opponents. Omar Hansen scored a breakaway goal in the 15th minute and the rest was left to the defence, Ben De Wree the standout player and deservedly MoM. New 'keeper Tran Cong Vinh made an effective debut.

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Champions league Semi-Final 1st Leg, away at Diptesh FC of Kolkata, India. level 22, AQ -4.8
Palace Casuals travelled to the sub-continent with high hopes of a favourable result to take home for the 2nd Leg, but ended up the wrong side of a 5-goal thriller. Midfielder Michael Muscroft opened the scoring with the only goal of the first-half, weaving through the home defence and netting past the despairing dive of the 'keeper. Three minutes after the break, the hosts equalised through McKay, but the Casuals forward duo liaised well, Andres Ramos providing Claude Pinto with the simplest of tap-ins. McKay restored parity again with a solo effort before Shamov, who had been a thorn in the side of the visitors' defence all game, put them ahead for the first time from a free-kick. Despite late pressure, Casuals couldn't force an equaliser themselves, so take a one goal deficit, but two away goals, to the home leg. Mike Christie and Freddy Jones both picked up cautions, the one for Jones being more serious as this means he misses the next game.

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Player News: After offering him to the market a couple of time without success, the club finally got an offer for out-of-favour goalkeeper Mihaita Dragut and he left for KKOOII for $89M.

League Round 21, away at Izmir SK of Izmir, Turkey. Level 22, AQ +0.2
Palace Casuals made heavy work of a game against a team in the lower part of the League Table, and only a late consolation goal stopped the score being totally embarrassing. The Hosts were playing a modified 4-4-2, and the visitors had a puzzle to sort out an effective counter. Starting with 3N-4-1-2, no headway was made, and after conceding a second goal after 54 minutes, the management decided to make a change, removing the attacking midfielder and second striker in favour of a switch to 4-5-1V. The team were just settling down when Bach added to the first two goals from Corunha and Kalouris and Casuals found themselves in deeper trouble. The switch did enable the visitors to curb the home side's attacks and enabled counter breaks themselves, but the Izmir defence was solid, and it was only when Omar Hansen was given the chance from a dead-ball situation did the breakthrough come. Arabaci tripped striker Catalin Neagu and it was left to this season's leading scorer to blast the ball through the defensive wall and past the stranded 'keeper to open Casuals' account. It was too little too late, however, despite late pressure no further opportunities arose and the game ended in a 3-1 victory for the hosts.

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League Round 22, home vs Ciclon de Tarija of Tarija, Bolivia. Level 22, AQ -1.4
With the knowledge that the team at the top of the table had registered a home draw in their game today, Palace Casuals had ample incentive to capitalise and knew that a win would move them to points parity. Most of the first half-hour was an out-and-out attack fest, in which the defences showed that nothing would pass. In the 27th minute, however, Omar Hansen got the first chance to register on the scoreboard when awarded a free-kick well within striking distance. Formalities over, and Casuals had the lead, which they held until half-time. After the break, the hosts gained an ascendancy over their visitors and more attacks were being hastily repelled. Another Hansen free-kick was brilliantly saved by Ciclon 'keeper Struiken, and moments later, another attack resulted in a corner. Johan Shaqiri swung it into the centre of the box and Catalin Neagu glanced it into the corner and the lead was extended. Two minutes later, the visitors broke and scored the only goal in the match from open play, Drew netting from a Zahana-Oni cross. Another corner for the home side, Shaquiri found Suhail Kamal and his glancing header ended up in the same place as his team-mate's ten minutes earlier. With three minutes to go, Pigott was fouled on the left wing and Hansen spurned the direct route, dropped the free-kick in the centre of the box and Neagu leapt up and headed past Struiken. Final score 4-1, Palace Casuals now second in the table, but only on goal difference.

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Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg, home vs Diptesh FC of Kolkata, India. Level 22, AQ -5.3
Palace Casuals' interest in the Champions League has been snuffed out on the back of a 2nd leg draw against a very defensive opponent who wanted to hold on to his 3-2 1st leg advantage. With nothing to lose, Casuals threw the kitchen sink at the Diptesh's back 5 in a bid to get the one goal that would be needed to draw on aggregate and win on away goals, but the breakthrough only came in the 76th minute when ST Ramos arrived late in the area and headed a Shaqiri corner off the bar into the net. However, the answering roar from the capacity crowd was silenced a few minutes later when the visitors had the temerity to venture across the half-way line and score an equaliser...

"So now we concentrate on the league," said the exhausted Casuals Management. "We'll PM the Semi-Final games when the dust has settled and see what lessons we need to learn about dealing with an opponent who clearly doesn't want to make a game of it..."

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League Round 23, away at FC Brandenburg in Berlin, Germany. Level 22, AQ -1.6
Having lost the chance of the Champions League earlier, Palace Casuals turned their sights on the League. Away at FC Brandenburg, again the might of the Casuals attack fell on resilient defence, and only a long-range shot in the 77th minute by the home side found the net. So the League looks like slipping away as well, as apart from an early injury to MC Christie, ST Neagu and left winger Hansen both picked up bookings, which mean they miss the next match, which is against the league leaders...

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A dull morning yielded to full sunshine as this lunchtime kick-off pitted the two top sides against each other in League Round 24. Palace Casuals away at Levski, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Level 22, AQ +0.3
With two players under suspension, the Palace Casuals Management spent a few hours in head-scratching contemplation before deciding to pit everything in this all-or-nothing confrontation to a 3N-5-2V formation against a Narrow Diamond. Club Captain Anurak Arma was the unfortunate defender to be left on the bench, Zoltan Beider being restored between the posts after his 4 days' rest and on this occasion being nominated Captain-of-the-Day. Attacking midfielder Valentin Ndjengue and striker Andres Ramos replaced the suspended Omar Hansen and Catalin Neagu, respectively, and striker Claude Pinto came in as second forward in place of Arma, restoring the famous Level 20 season striking partnership that claimed 40 goals between them. Hansen's free-kick duties were assigned to midfielder Suhail Kamal, a interesting experiment in light of the fact that Ramos has free-kick special ability.
Having sprung the formation surprise, the expectation that Casuals would operate an all-out attack was fulfilled, and the home side were forced onto the back foot for most of the first quarter-hour. A corner from the left in the 17th minute by Ndjengue found the head of Kamal and the opening goal was in the net. Levski countered immediately and Di Chiro beat Bieder with a long range shot to level the scores a mere 5 minutes after the opener. He would have claimed the lead for his side a few minutes later but Bieder this time was wise to the play and pushed the ball over the bar, and then made a confident catch from the resulting corner. Later on in the half, midfielder Michael Muscroft announced his presence in the game with a 30 yard shot which beat home 'keeper Abderazzak, to restore the visitors' lead. In the second half, home striker Biton committed a foul while assisting his defence and Kamal had his chance. A couple of free-kicks in the first half had been his 'sighters', both narrowly missing the target, but this time he was on target and the 'keeper did well to save and concede the corner. Ndjengue did the honours again, this time finding the late-arriving Kevin Pigott and he nodded the ball into the net. It would seem that the old strike force had been kept quiet by the defence for too long, and Ramos finally broke the shackles by taking the ball all the way and forcing it past Adberazzak for the fourth and final goal.
Palace Casuals go back to level points with Levski but are second on goal difference, the goals difference now considerably reduced. If they are to win the Championship they must produce another two performances like this and hope that other results go their way...

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League Round 25, home vs Daniel FC of Cartes, Spain. Level 22, AQ -0.1
Palace Casuals' last home game of the season was an evenly-matched affair with a team whose position in the table belied their AQ, thanks to a mid-season slump that they are having difficulty recovering from. Again facing a Narrow Diamond formation, the Management decided to stick with what worked yesterday, but restored the now-eligible left winger Omar Hansen and striker Catalin Neagu to their positions, in place of Valentin Ndjengue and Claude Pinto, respectively. Suspended Freddy Jones was replaced by club captain Anurak Arma.
The first half was all Casuals attack, but the visitors' defence repelled all efforts to find a breakthrough and one had the feeling that it wasn't going to go to plan, particularly when the usually reliable Hansen was given a chance from a set piece, but completely missed the target with the free kick. At the other end, Vukasovic was given a similar opportunity and was only thwarted by a brilliant save by Zoltan Bieder. From the resulting corner, however, Sifonios beat the home defence to Cygal's kick and Daniel had the lead. Despite all efforts in the remainder of the match, Casuals could not find the back of the net and suffered their second home defeat of the season.
The deep disappointment felt by the team and fans in the stadium at the missed chance at the League Championship was turned to restored wild hope when the results of the matches of the other two challengers were revealed to be defeats and that Palace Casuals had not lost ground at all; indeed the other defeats were worse and the goal differentials between the sides were more in Casuals favour.

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Palace Casuals' Annual Dinner and Awards were held after the match, and the following players nominated for Player of the Year:

Left winger Omar Hansen (44 matches, 3 MoM, 25 goals (4 penalties), 3 assists)
Central defender Ben De Wree (37, 4, 1, 0)
Right back Juan Sebastian Garcia (44, 3, 4, 0)

With a season that relied heavily on defence and with important contributions from all other outfield players, it is not surprising that two of the nominees were defenders, and the other the really standout player of the rest. Both the defenders have made important contributions to the stingiest defence in the League in terms of goals conceded, and Hansen (the current PoY holder) has taken the vast majority of the on-field set pieces, and has stats to prove it. The great pity is that the main strike force has not been as potent as in previous seasons, and when this is the case then over-reliance on one man distorts the analysis one can make of the team overall. So it came down to stats or contribution and the committee debated long and hard before deciding on Juan Sebastian Garcia as the Player of the Year.

League Round 26, away vs Ahmed FC in aa(?), Germany. Level 22, AQ -3.0
Of the three matches that involved the three competitors for the Championship, this one was the most difficult as it also involved a team who needed a win to have a chance of Championship League football next season. Palace Casuals made a slight formation change, Mike Christie coming into a three-man central midfield in place of Kevin Pigott in the defensive midfield position. Ahmed FC attacked from the off, and in the first twenty minutes or so the Casuals defence showed the grit and resolve needed to repel all boarders. When Suhail Kamal conceded a free-kick goalkeeper Zoltan Bieder was equal to the task, making the first of a string of saves that kept the score goalless. In a brief respite, Visser gave Omar Hansen a chance from a set-piece, but the free kick just skimmed the crossbar. Another chance on the half-hour and although on target, the Nunez finger-tipped the ball away for a corner. Score at half-time, 0-0. The second half was more of the same, and on 77 minutes, the Casuals Management made a striker substitution, Andres Ramos coming on for the largely anonymous Catalin Neagu. Immediately afterwards, a long-range shot was beaten out for a corner by Bieder, and he also defected out a header from the resulting corner. He was to be unlucky with the second corner, though, as Birtalan sneaked in at the far side of the box and headed the home side ahead. Despite a late rally by the visitors, they could not open their account and the game ended in a 1-0 win for Ahmed.

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Again, unknown to the team, the Nordeus Gods were working their mischief, and the other two games ended in a goalless draw for Levski and a home defeat for FC Zvaba. So a little more luck and who knows what might have been?

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League: At the outset, Palace Casuals' AQ was 8th out of the 14 in the League, and bearing in mind that they were to be left mostly on their own during the middle two weeks of the season due to the Management taking a well-earned holiday, there was not a lot of emphasis on competing for the Championship this season. Early on, the decision was taken to replace where necessary and pare the squad down to 14-16 players, and this was done by the end of the first week of the season. In fact, only five players were purchased during the season and 9 released, adding a net $575M to the Club Finances, and the squad ran to 16 players for the last three weeks of the season. This reduced squad was to be well used during the season, and to a large extent belied their AQ deficiency such that they topped the table for 14 days during the season. The strike force, to be blunt, was largely absent during most of the season, but with a strong defence that conceded the least number of goals in the League and a left-winger/free-kick specialist who early on was scoring with monotonous regularity, the lack of end-product from the strikers was largely overcome. In the end, it was a 5 match winless away run at the end of the season which proved the team's downfall, and two losses at the very end of the season when wins would have been sufficient to take the Championship meant that the team had to settle for second place for the third season running. At least they were able to bask in the semi-glory of doing the double over the eventual Champions, the 4-1 away victory with two key players suspended was a particular highlight.

Champions League: After a smooth transit through the Group Stage, where qualification was achieved with a game to spare, and large aggregate wins in the 'Top 16' and Quarter-Final Rounds, The Semi-Final was a different scenario. A narrow defeat in the away leg was followed by a 2nd Leg where the visitors came to defend, and at all costs. A draw was insufficient and the Casuals went out with one round to go.

Cup: Again playing with teams of higher levels, Palace Casuals had a modicum of success, progressing to the 'Top 16' round, where a home 2nd leg defeat ended their participation.

Playing Squad: The team played 46 competitive matches this season. The players statistics are below, along with their Palace Casuals career statistics.

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Season 24 for Palace Casuals

Palace Casuals start their 24th season in Level 23 with an AQ of 129.1. Last season they finished 2nd in the League and have a 3rd place shield for the Champions League.

Cup: drawn in Preliminary Round against FSM1453 FC, from Annecy, France (Level 24, AQ -1.0) - 1st Leg at home.
Champions League: Drawn in Group H again. Opponents in Group stage are:
jcm cf, of Madrid, Spain. Level 23, AQ 126.5. 2nd in League last season.
Raikko5 FC, of of Terengganu, Malaysia. Level 23, AQ 128.0. 3rd in League, Champions League Runner-up last season. Friend.
iNtiKaMm FC of AMEDDD, Brazil. Level 23, AQ 127.1. 4th in League last season.

Playing squad is the same as the end of last season, at the moment. Arma and Neagu have been re-signed after their contracts ended at the end of last season. Of course, everyone has lost a star so the squad is a 5*/4* mixture, with a couple of 3* strikers who will be replaced in due course.

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...or not, as the case may be.

Cup Preliminary Round 1st Leg, home vs FSM1453 FC of Annecy, France, Level 23, AQ -1.0
The excitement of the first competitive game of a new season was quickly tempered by the realisation, early on, that this match was not going to live up to its billing. Palace Casuals started brightly enough, putting pressure on the visitors defence for almost the entire first 20 minutes of the match, but as Catalin Neagu(2) and Andres Ramos both spurned chances and the usually-reliable Omar Hansen missed badly from a free-kick, the atmosphere got a little more subdued. The visitors eventually got back into the game, and the defence was its usual efficient self, and when called-upon, Zoltan Bieder made confident saves and generally gave a performance that belied his final Performance Rating. Just before half-time, De Miguel fired FSM1453 into the lead, but Casuals reacted immediately and Valentin Ndjengue beat Aite-Ouakrim in the visitors goal in identical fashion. After the break, midfielder Michael Muscroft picked up a booking for a foul, and he was substituted soon after by Mike Christie, but not before FSM1453 took the lead again through Prieto. Claude Pinto replaced Ramos late on in an effort to kick-start the attack, but to no avail and the match petered out into a home defeat.

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After the game, the Management decided that they really had to do something about the striker situation, and after a couple of failed attempts in the open market, they turned to the Scout and he unearthed a striker who, after a few tokens were scraped up was signed for $107M/49T.

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One in, one out (at the moment) - Claude Pinto's 13 minute cameo was his last in a Casuals shirt as he was offered to the market, and after a lengthy bidding war, departed to Remax Team for $114M. Pinto had been with Palace Casuals for nearly 4 seasons and had 104 appearances, scored 60 goals with 31 assists.

Cup Preliminary Round 2nd Leg, away at FSM1453 FC in Annecy, France, Level 23, AQ -2.0
Palace Casuals gave a debut slot to new striker signing Reda Mourad as the only change in the team from the 1st Leg. Trailing from the home 1st Leg, the Casuals gave an improved performance overall, defended well as usual, but failed to find the net as the match ended in a 0-0 draw. So Palace Casuals exit the Cup at the first hurdle, 1-2 on aggregate. Central midfielder Suhail Kamal picked up a Knee Cartilage tear injury and will be out for 6 days.

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Earlier in the day, the Casuals Management made an approach to Psycho SV for their central midfielder Emrah Topalan. after a wait, the $136M/6T offer was accepted.

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Champions League Group Stage Round 1, home vs Intikamm FC of AMEDDD, Brazil. Level 23, AQ -0.7
A poor performance marred Palace Casuals start into this season's Champions League. Two goals down after 20 minutes, a third goal just after half-time sealed the hosts' fate.

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League draw has been done, Palace Casuals find themselves in a League without any of their friends and no other familiar teams.

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League Round 1, away at Lolo FC in Paris, France. Level 23, AQ -3.5
An 89th minute winner for the home side marred a much improved display which saw two excellent performances ill-served by the vagaries of chance. Playing in a more-familiar 4-5-1V formation, Anurak Arma and Kevin Pigott returned to the side in place of Suhail Kamal and Catalin Neagu; as Arma will be concentrating more on the Champions League side from now on, Ben De Wree has been handed the Captain's armband for the League side this season. Opening the match brightly, the visitors put pressure on the home defence and it eventually succeeded as Pigott and Arma combined for the latter to shoot home for his first goal for over a season. There should have been more goals for the Casuals but a combination of profligate shooting and desperate home defending kept them at bay. Into the second half, the home side came back into the game, and Murawski equalised on 53 minutes with a long-range shot. From then on the game was more equal, and the visitors were hanging on for a point when Yakup was given a chance with a set piece and scored the winner.

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Hope from next game you will have only winning streak :)

League Round 2, home vs Jimmy's Eleven, of London, England. level 23, AQ -2.5
New striker Reda Mourad has taken a while to settle in, but it took a set-piece opportunity to break the ice and now things are looking up. After being bundled off the ball in the area, Mourad scored from the spot to open the scoring, and Omar Hansen opened his account with a 30 yard thunderbolt a few minutes later. In the second half, Mourad scored again, and then the visitors upped their game and the next 15 minutes was all Casuals defence with Captain Ben De Wree in particularly good form, and he ended all resistance from the visitors on 65 minutes when he copied his left-winger and blasted a ball past the 'keeper for the fourth goal. Late bookings for Anurak Arma and Freddy Jones gave Eleven's set-piece experts a chance at a consolation goal, but Casuals 'keeper Tran Cong Vinh had taken confidence from his defence and smothered both chances. First win of the season for Palace Casuals, and it was a good one, 4-0. Ben De Wree gets Casuals' first 10 Performance Score.

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Juan Sebastian Garcia made his 50th appearance for the Casuals.

4 Juan Sebastian Garcia App: 50 Goals: 4 Assists: 0

Player news - Casuals signed a new defender today from Thierry FC:

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Champions League Group H Round 2, away at Raikko5 FC in Terengganu, Malaysia. Level 23, AQ -1.1
After an evenly-matched first half, Raikko5 gained an advantage after the break and along with it, two goals. Casuals attempts to get back into the game were repulsed until the very last minute, when Johan Shaqiri scored a fine solo goal. Two defeats now in the Champions League and Casuals will need to up their game in the next few matches in order to progress.

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League Round 3, home vs Juventus FC of Brunico, Italy. Level 23, AQ -0.5
New signing David Zhelev was drafted into the squad for this game in place of Anurak Arma, but more substantial changes were made to counteract the heavy attacking formation of the visitors, which meant a tryout for the Narrow Diamond, the 'Flying Wingers' Omar Hansen and Johan Shaqiri making way for attacking midfielder Valentin Ndjengue and striker Catalin Neagu, making his 100th appearance in a Casuals shirt. Neagu had clearly benefitted from a few games' rest, as the first half was the Neagu and Pigott show. Twice in the first 28 minutes Neagu made runs through the Juventus defence, and his final pass found Kevin Pigott both times, and both opportunities were not spurned. With the home side 2-0 up at the break, Juventus decided a change of formation and personnel was warranted, and these bore fruit early in the second half when Harboe scored to reduce the arrears. The Palace Management decided to match those changes and the 'Flying Wingers' were sent on in place of Ndjengue and striker Reda Mourad in a switch to 3-5-2V. The change brought results immediately, as Shaqiri's first corner hung invitingly for Neagu the head into the net. Juventus then decided to revert to a previous formation and Casuals were preparing to make a corresponding change when Michael Muscroft was injured and Suhail Kamal was sent on to replace him instead and the existing players shuffled to counteract the Juventus formation. With no further scoring the match ended 3-1 and Neagu picked up the MoM award as well as the Club's present for his 100th match.

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21 Catalin Neagu - App: 100, Goals: 49, Assists: 26

Day 6 - League Round 4, away at Lilly Whites, in Wigan, England. Level 23, AQ +0.2
Heaviest defeat ever for the Casuals, Neagu's 50th goal only highlight - enough said...

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Day 7 - Champions League Group H Round 3, away at JCM CF, in Madrid, Spain. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Disappointing defeat continues Champions league woes. Hansen free-kick only highlight of note for Casuals - Freddy Jones 100th match (100-10-0) one to forget...

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League Round 5, home vs PFDGJ, of Kayseri, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Home is best for Casuals as they continue good form at home. Mourad and Hansen (2) goalscorers - Johan Shaqiri celebrates 100th match (100-18-35) with assist for first goal...

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Day 8 - League Round 6, away at Sefer FC, in Duzce, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -1.9
Improved away form but Casuals can't beat bottom team - Omar Hansen's 100th game (100-53-14), assists Ndjengue for second goal after Topalan put Casuals ahead in first half...

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Lilly Whites, I remember a team with this name in my server that was wining CL's in lower levels when I started with Bayern München, then dissappeared and now I think that don't exist's. lol

Champions League Group H Round 4, home vs JCM CF of Madrid, Spain. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Palace Casuals interest in Champions League ended by home draw - Jones header from Hansen free-kick open scoring - injury to Muscroft upsets midfield balance, opponents equalise late on...

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League Round 7, home vs Alderson FC of Woombye, Australia. Level 23, AQ -2.0
Casuals keep in touch with leaders with 1-0 win - Shaqiri crosses for De Wree to score just before half-time - lots of effort in second half but home side's efforts thwarted by visiting 'keeper...

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Palace Casuals injury stats: 3 injuries, 14 days.

League Round 8, away at ForzaGS FC in Istanbul, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -0.3
Palace Casuals were at last successful in achieving an away victory in this closely fought League match. Forza opened the scoring in the 18th minute, the Casuals defence successfully stopping home attacks, but only at the expense of corners, from the second of which Bratu headed home. The visitors themselves had a couple of chances from the corner, and a direct free-kick well saved, at the end of the first half, but the hosts went in to the break one goal ahead. Casuals half-time team talk obviously had an effect, as the first 10 minutes of the second half were all attack for the visitors. A couple more corners later, and Reda Mourad got into prime position to equalise with a powerful header. Forza then reversed their half-time formation change and put two forwards back on the field and the game levelled, with the Casuals defence certainly the best of the two and more than capable of containing the rampant home attack. As the home side tired later in the game, Casuals became more attack-minded, and a series of set-pieces ended with defender Freddy Jones converting another corner from Man-of-the-Match Johan Shaqiri to score an 89th minute winner.

Michael Muscroft returned to the side after his recent injury, but Casuals had another injury victim in fellow midfielder Emrah Topalan, out for 4 days with a Hamstring pull.

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Palace Casuals injury stats: 4 injuries (all to MCs), 18 days.

Champions League Group H Round 5, away at Intikamm FC in Amedd, Brazil. Level 23, AQ -1.7
With no chance of qualifying from their Champions League Group, Palace Casuals rested most of their 'big guns' for the closely following League match. Playing a defensive formation, the Casuals limited their opponents to two goals in a 0-2 defeat.

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League Round 9, home vs Ngoc Duc FC of Ha Noi, Vietnam. Level 23, AQ -3.0
Having endured the best efforts of the medical team, Emrah Topalan passed his late fitness test and took his place in the centre of a three man midfield in this League match. The first notable action of the game was in the 10th minute, when Team Captain Ben De Wree offended in the box and conceded a penalty, which Baumann duly converted for the visitors. Casuals fell further behind in the 25th minute, through Owel, but immediately hit back when Michael Muscroft passed to Juan Sebastian Garcia, who scored from close range. Just before half-time, Johan Shaqiri made a run through the defence and netted past the diving 'keeper for the equaliser which took the game into the break at 2-2. 12 minutes into the second half, Omar Hansen got a set-piece opportunity but instead of shooting direct, popped the ball into the area where Man-of-the-Match Shaqiri was waiting to head in his second goal of the match. There endeth the scoring, Palace Casuals come back from two goals down to win 3-2.

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League Round 10, away at YOLCU FC in Gaziantep, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -0.1
Palace Casuals earn their fourth League win on the trot, a 2-0 away win at YOLCU FC. Defenders Freddy Jones passed and Juan Sebastian Garcia scored to put the Casuals in front with the crowd still taking their seats, and in the second half a 20 yard piledriver from midfielder Emrah Topalan left the 'keeper stranded as it flew into the net. With previous leaders Lilly Whites suffering their second defeat in a row, Casuals take over at the top of the table...

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Champions League Group H Round 6, home vs Raikko5 FC of Terrenganu, Malaysia. Level 23, AQ -0.3
Palace Casuals finish their Champions League participation this season with a 2-1 win in their final home Group match against Raikko5 FC. Both sides couldn't progress, so at least Casuals had a scratch team on the pitch. Valentin Ndjengue headed in an Anurak Arma cross after a short free-kick to open the scoring in the first half, and 9 minutes later Kevin Pigott waltzed through the visitors' defence and planted one in the roof of the net. That was it, apart from an injury on the stroke of half-time to MC Christie, until Raikko5 finally got through the Casuals defence and scored a consolation goal 5 minutes from time through Istrate.

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League Round 11, home vs San Siro FC of Thai Binh, Vietnam. Level 23, AQ +0.5
Palace Casuals lost their 100% home record in the League as they crashed to a 2-3 defeat to San Siro FC. Plusses were the return to scoring form of striker Reda Mourad, who ripped through the visitors' defence to score a fine solo goal, and winger Omar Hansen remembered his scoring boots as he challenged the 'keeper with direct free kicks, putting 3 of 3 on target but evading the 'keeper's grasp only once. The defence, for once went AWOL at times, and conceded three at home for the first time in a long while...

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League Round 12, away at Cipopo CF, in Alur Limbat, Malaysia. Level 23, AQ -3.2
Palace Casuals learned that life after Champions League is equally tough - visiting the second-from-bottom team, found themselves facing a defensive, man-to-man marking squad, which somewhat snuffed out their ambitions. Having fallen behind in the 15th minute, Casuals continued their exertions fruitlessly, until the home right-back Mohammadi fouled left-winger Omar Hansen once too often and found himself back in the changing room. Thus unshackled, Hansen immediately set about the home defence, and in the space of ten minutes had more shots on goal than in the previous 60. It was a right-wing corner, however, which was to be the home side's undoing, and Hansen rose unmarked to head home Johan Shaqiri's corner kick to send the Casuals away with a share of the spoils...

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League Round 13, home vs Cam Lam VIP FC, a Spanish team from London, England. Level 23, AQ -5.0
Palace Casuals returned to form with a 5-2 home win over visitors Cam Lam VIP FC. Having exchanged goals in an equally-matched first 20 minutes, Casuals went on to dominate the game. Late first half goals from striker Reda Mourad (2, 1 pen) and right winger Johan Shaqiri added to the early strike by midfielder Suhail Kamal. Omar Hanson added the fifth in the second half with a direct free kick before the visitors got a late consolation goal. Despite their recent dodgy results, Palace Casuals still top the table by 2 points.

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League Round 14, home vs LoloFC, of Paris, France. Level 23, AQ -2.6
Todays game started the reverse fixtures for this season, and Palace Casuals were itching to get revenge for a loss at the beginning of the season against this French side. In a hard-fought game, Casuals just had the edge and this was emphasised by utility defender David Zhelev earning his first MoM by scoring his first goal in Palace Casuals colours, unleashing a pile driver past the visitor's custodian in the 25th minute. Casuals remain top of the table, two points clear. Defender Ben De Wree (100-3-0) and midfielder Michael Muscroft (100-14-3) both celebrated their 100th appearance in a Palace Casuals shirt.

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Day 17 - League Round 15, away at Jimmy's Eleven, in London, England. Level 23, AQ -1.4
Unexpected and unhelpful defeat on the road - Juan Sebastian Garcia with early goal in first half, home side reply with two before half-time - late injury to Freddy Jones...

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Day 18 - League Round 16, away at Juventus FC in Turin, Italy. Level 23, AQ +0.1
Second defeat in two games - good performance keeps League leaders at bay until 81st minute - Casuals now 4th in table...

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Palace Casuals injury stats - 6 injuries, 23 days.

League Round 17, home vs Lilly Whites, of Wigan, England. Level 23, AQ +0.5
Palace Casuals went into this game looking for revenge for the earlier heavy defeat inflicted by Lilly Whites, and to a certain extent, they succeeded. Anurak Arma opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a fine solo goal, and Omar Hansen increased the lead three minutes before the half-time. Immediately after the break, Hansen added a third goal with a 30 yard screamer, and Casuals were well on top. As the second-half went on, however, the visitors gradually came back into the game, and goals by Mascherano and Born left the home side successfully hanging onto a slender lead for the last four minutes. Goalkeeper Zoltan Bieder suffered a Hamstring injury and is battling to be fit for tomorrow's game.

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Palace Casuals injury stats - 7 injuries, 27 days.

League Round 18, away at PFDGJ in Kayseri, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -3.2
Palace Casuals had a tricky away match against a lower-table team, PFDGJ, but emerged victorious 3-1. Using the 'hit 'em quick, hit 'em hard' philosophy, left winger Omar Hansen found himself on the right wing for a change and sprinted past the home left midfielder and crossed for striker Reda Mourad to head home after only 2 minutes. The match from there on was fairly evenly matched until the start of the second-half, when Casuals upped the tempo a notch. A Hansen free-kick was nodded in by right-winger Johan Shaqiri in the 53rd minute and in the 71st minute Hansen helped himself to a goal, a shot which caught the home 'keeper on the wrong foot. Despite a consolation goal scored by the hosts 15 minutes from time, Casuals coasted home. An injury to utility defender David Zhelev in the dying seconds of the game took some of the gloss off the win, though. Suhail Kamal made his 50th appearance for Palace Casuals (50-7-0). After waiting on the late game, Palace Casuals are now in 2nd place in the table.

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Palace Casuals injury stats - 8 injuries, 33 days.

League Round 19, home vs Sefer FC of Dulce, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -3.5
Sefer FC were lying 10th in the table and enjoying a mini-revival, which Casuals nipped in the bud, but only just. After a goal-less first-half, in which the only event of note was another injury to home 'keeper Zoltan Bieder (second in three days!), things got very interesting in the second-half. Barely had substitute 'keeper Tran Cong Vinh taken his place and with the crowd just resuming their seats, and right-winger Johan Shaqiri sliced through the visitors' defence and scored to put the home side in the lead. Just three minutes later, however, and the match had turned on its head as Sefer scored two goals, through Yavuz and Ibrahimovic, to put them in the lead for the first time. Shaqiri and left-winger Omar Hansen scored two in two minutes to put Casuals back in front again, before the Ibrahimovic scored another equaliser to bring the score to 3-3. After a couple of wasted chances, the Casuals Management made one of those inspired changes which are seen in hindsight as a miracle-worker. Bringing on Catalin Neagu for fellow-striker Reda Mourad, the sub immediately made a run through the defence, his shot being parried out for a corner by the Sefer 'keeper, Schmitt. Neagu then got his head to the ensuing kick from Shaqiri, and he found the back of the net for a 4-3 lead, which Casuals kept to the end.

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In evening training, 'keeper Tran Cong Vinh suffered an ankle strain, thus both Casuals shot-stoppers are out of action...

Palace Casuals injury stats - 10 injuries, 41 days.

League Round 20, away at Alderson FC, in Woombye, Australia. Level 23, AQ -2.0
Palace Casuals' longest journey of the season took them to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, and they left wishing they had more time to enjoy it. Playing 4-5-1V against 4-4-2C, the first-half was heavy going for the visitors. Look for the double digit minutes ending '7' - 17th minute, Alderson take the lead through Rios - 27th minute, Johan Shaqiri nods in a Reda Mourad cross to equalise - 37th minute, the hosts take the lead again through Garcia. It was obvious that attacking wasn't working, so the Management decided to lock it down for the second-half and went defensive/counter, and the tables turned. Omar Hansen comes into the game, turning in a Shaqiri cross for the equaliser in the 51st minute and then putting Casuals in the lead for the first time with a 30 yard pile driver. Over to the defence, and the back four put in a sterling performance in keeping the home strike force at bay and preserve the lead. Late on, Anurak Arma picks up a yellow card, the first of any sort for the Casuals for 11 games, and will miss the next game.

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League Round 21, home vs ForzaGS FC, of Istanbul, Turkey. Level 23, AQ -2.2
With all games of the teams immediately below them played for today, Palace Casuals knew that even a defeat would mean that they kept their top spot in the League. ForzaGS had given Casuals a run for their money in earlier in the season, and continued in that vein as they tried to keep in the promotion zone themselves. It wasn't until the second half that Casuals opened the scoring, five minutes after a striker substitution. Striker Catalin Neagu had made a couple of runs since coming on and it was third time lucky as he carved a way through the visitor's defence and squared the ball for midfielder Emrah Topalan to fire home from short range. ForzaGS kept on plugging away at the home defence, and finally got through two minutes from time through Zschusschen, making the final score 1-1.

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