Balkan Boyz - Matchday 16 (Sz.5 - lvl5)
HEADLINE: T11 CUP Quarter-finals - Orchard Utd 1 - 3 Balkan Boyz, Manager -Ljepoje- hails historic win!
CUP: Orchard Utd (Q51) Formation: 4-2N-2W-2 >> 1 - 3 << Balkan Boyz (Q50,5) Formation: 3N-2W-2N-2W-1/4-2N-2W-2
SCORERS: K.Harding (21min), S.Jovetić (57min.ass:E.Džeko), E.Džeko (64min) and (H.Salihamidžić.ass:E.Džeko)
SUBS: D.Srna < > S.Jovetić A.Ljajić < > S.Sušić
MOTM: Edin Džeko (rate:9)
The Balkan Boyz claimed a stunning 1 - 3 win and overcame their biggest opponent, Orchard Utd in the 1th leg of the T11 CUP Quarter-finals at "YNWA" stadium this Monday afternoon. The win was the Balkan Boyz first in the two meetings between the two sides, with the hosts leading throughout before putting the foot down to finish with a flourish 3 goal show and therefore keeping their semi-finals hopes alive. “We all knew that this would be a tough game, perhaps the toughest game as far as having to face Orchard Utd in the quarter-finals since they are a highly respectable opponent. This is probably one of the most important win in the Balkan Boyz T11 CUP history,” Manager -Ljepoje- said during a press conference this evening.
But it was Orchard Utd who went into halftime with a 1 - 0 lead before Stevan Jovetić equalized for the Balkan Boyz in the 57th minute. A couple of minutes later, Edin Džeko managed to put The Balkan Boyz ahead after a superb free-kick before assisting Hasan Salihamidžić to his 1 - 3 goal. Balkan Boyz had a great opportunity to equalize in the 39th minute to 1 - 1 when they were awarded a penalty kick, but GK Reina saved Salihamidžić's shoot. The home team were slightly better in the 1th half, as they managed to put The Balkan Boyz under considerable pressure. But an early tactical change and a substitution in the 2nd half changed the game completely, and The Balkan Boyz overtook the game more and more, creating goal-scoring opportunities that finally paid off.
Manager -Ljepoje- seemed satisfied with the performance of his team and in a short post-game interview he said,"Overall, I am quite satisfied with the way we played and won this important game. We played offensively attractive football and scored 3 goals, despite the flat performance the first 45 minutes. All of our players performed exceptionally well, both offensivly and defensivly. And our GK Asmir Begović did a splendid job and made two grat saves as they pushed forward the last quarter. I think we should be satisfied with what we accomplished, as a 1 - 3 result is more then a good result and I hope we can repeat the same game and performance as we did tonight on Wednesdays return.".
In other news, Balkan Boyz managed to beat the English team "London Hotspur" with 0 - 6 after goals by Edin Džeko (x1), Stevan Jovetić (x2), Lorik Cana (x1) and Mario Mandžukić (x2). A game in which Stevan Jovetić was declared as MoM (rate:9).The win means that Balkan Boyz holds onto first place with 39 points and are now 4points clear in front of the Israeli team "Iztik Yan" (34points) who managed to draw against "Scally United FC" (0-0) this evening. FC Kula hangs on at a 3rd place (33points) and Vanspor FC at a 4th place (26points). Balkan Boyz will play their rivals from Sarajevo tomorrow, "FC Kula" at home, the kickoff is set at 14:45CET. Later on that evening, Balkan Boyz are set to play the 2nd leg in the CL final-eight against the English team "AFC Powerlifting" at home. A game which has no big impact since The Balkan Boyz took a comfortably 1 - 8 win in the 1th leg and therefore secured a quarter-final spot. The kickoff is set at 20:36CET.
Over&Out!