Friendly game or Wednesday June 6, 2000.
Friendly game between the A-League Toronto Lynx and Italian Serie 'A' Reggina Calcio played at Varsity Stadium at 7:30pm. Rules were International Friendly ie unlimited substitutions and no extra time.
Toronto Lynx (white socks, black shorts, names and numbers, white shirts with black slashes on right chest)
............................................22 Theo Zagar
...........2 Marco Reda (cpt)...6 Milan Kojic...3 Mauricio Vincelli
11 Lloyd Barker...9 Nikola Vignjevic...8 Brian Ashton...7 Lyndon Hooper...15 Adrian Serioux
..............................27 Francisco Dos Santos...20 Juan Arango
Subs:...1 Jim Larkin (gk)...10 Nebojsa Vignjevic (mid)...18 Chris Pozniak (def)...19 David DiPlacido (mid)...16 Aaron Benjamin (fwd)...21 Laryea Adjety (mid)...5 Lornco Sirio (fwd)
coach Peter Pinizzotto
Reggina Calcio (black socks and shorts, bergundy shirts, white numbers, 'Cafe Mauro' emblem on chests)
...............................................1 Emanuele Belardi
5 Lorenzo Stovini...3 Ezio Brevi...2 Joseph Dayo Oshaddean...4 Simone Giacchetta (cpt)
10 Francesco Cozza...7 Davide Possanzini...8 Andrea Bernini...6 Giovanni Morabito
...................................9 Gustavo Reggi...11 Erjon Bogdani
Subs:...12 Antonio Castelli (gk)...13 Paolo Foglio (def)...14 Alessandro Iannuzzi (fwd)...15 Giandomenico Mesto (def)...16 Wladimiro Sbaglia (mid)...17 Salvatore Vicari (mid).
coach Franco Colomba.
Game officials:...referee Manuel Orellano, referee's assistants Zoran Kristo and Neil Schofield, fourth official Steve Cahoon.
National anthems were sung by Rosario Galentro who turned the Italian anthem into a clap-a-long and Syvan Viaol for the Canadian anthem. At the end of this, balloons were released. Long time local broadcaster Johnny Lombardi and Mary Malo took the ceremonial kickoff.
1st Half:...start 7:52pm...Lynx defend north end.
2 min...RC Cozza 30 yard shot high right of net.
4 min...Lynx Serioux long throw-in from left, RC goalie injured on leap to catch ball, ball is bobbled by goalie but cleared by defender.
4 min...Lynx Kojic good head away to behind goal on cross into box. Lynx Nikola Vignjevic makes similar play on cornerkick from right.
7 min...RC Reggi redirects low 15 yard blast wide right from 15 yards.
8 min...RC Cozza good run on right, Lynx Vincelli forces shot out from 10 yards.
12 min...Lynx Ashton turns and fires 25 yard shot that goalie leaps to cover.
12 min...Lynx goalie runs out to scoop up loose ball.
14 min...RC Brevi 40 yard pass into box caught by charging goalie.
15 min...RC Bernini passes across box from left after good run.
20 min...Lynx Serioux long throw-in from right headed away almost resulting in RC break away.
22 min...Lynx Dos Santos 25 yard freekick into the RC wall.
23 min...RC corner from right palyed around in box.
26 min...RC Reggi 15 yard shot between sliding Lynx goalie's legs but is play is ruled offside before kick passed to him.
27 min...RC Bogdani gets away on right side but cross from right drifts well behind net.
29 min...RC Oshaddean injured at Lynx 35 yard line needs trainer.
30 min...RC GOAL Cozza...Cozza chips ball from 15 yards just over leaping goalie 7 yards off his line. A great pass from near center line by RC Reggi set this play up.
32 min...Lynx Barker cross from right, Lynx Arango 15 yard header just wide right.
33 min...RC Giacchetta steps into Lynx Arango shot from 20 yards resulting in corner.
34 min...Lynx Ashton pops 20 yard shot directly to goalie.
35 min...RC goalie slides out to grab loose ball.
36 min...RC Bernini pass to RC Cozza whose 30 yard shot from right caught by sliding goalie.
37 min...Lynx Reda prevents RC 2 on 1 pass with header to goalie.
38 min...Lynx Hooper 25 yard shot after Lynx Serioux pass from left caught by diving goalie on right.
39 min...RC Morabito long cross from left, RC Cozza charging heads over bar from 10 yards.
41 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic pass to Lynx Arango on far right whose cross is into short side of net.
42 min...RC Stovini 70 yard shot into box caught by charging goalie.
42 min...Lynx goalie catches high ball in box after ball popped up after RC Possanzini charged and crossed from right line.
44 min...RC sub...Vicari replaces Brevi.
45 min...Lynx goalie smothers low 25 yard shot from RC Bernini from left.
46 min...half ends 8:38pm.
2nd Half:...starts 8:56pm.
halftime Lynx sub...Larkin replaces Zagar as goalie.
50 min...Lynx Serioux misses kick on edge of box.
53 min...RC Bogdani cross on right to RC Reggi too high for header although he almost connected with a 'hand of God'.
55 min...Lynx Kojic races back and sliding scissor kick strips RC player of ball on breakaway.
57 min...Lynx Vincello and RC Reggi both injured when their heads bang together in Lynx box.
61 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic freekick from 35 yards on right, RC goalie saves Lynx Kojic header from 7 yards on right.
62 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic pass to Lynx Hooper passes to Lynx Dos Santos near left post but ball kicked into left side of netting from impossible angle.
63 min...RC Giacchetta backpasses but RC goalie misses ball and falls also missing grabbing ball as ball rolls towards net, RC goalie recovers to kick ball off line.
64 min...Lynx goalie catches high popped up shot on goalline.
65 min...RC YELLOW card...Oshaddean for grabbing Lynx Ashton while Ashton was on a 1 on 4 rush.
66 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 40 yard freekick on left goes untouched through box.
66 min...RC sub...Iannuzzi replaces Oshaddean.
69 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Serioux for tangling with RC player at center line.
73 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Ashton for tripping RC player cutting left along edge of Lynx box.
74 min...RC Cozza freekick pass off to RC Morabito whose blast around wall blocked by Lynx goalie.
76 min...RC Cozza freekick from 20 yards blasted into wall.
77 min...RC Cozza trips up Lynx Ashton on edge of RC box.
78 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 20 yard freekick from left of box low to left wide into netting.
79 min...Lynx sub...Pozniak replaces Barker.
................Lynx sub...Adjety replaces Serioux.
79 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 25 yard shot through middle directly to goalie for easy catch.
82 min...Lynx sub...Benjamin replaces Arango.
84 min...Lynx Adjety receives long pass on edge of box.
84 min...RC goalie catches Lynx player's cross from right.
85 min...RC Cozza hits right post after ball headed along left on 5 yard shot from right.
88 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Benjamin for elbowing RC Stovini in head as both player jumped for ball in center circle. This was Benjamin's 2nd Yellow card of the evening so the referee quickly changed it into a RED card and he was sent off.
90 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic blast 40 yard freekick well over net.
91 min...RC GOAL Bogdani...Bogdani intercepts pass at midfield and sprints in pursued by two Lynx players and lobs 15 yard shot into net over sliding goalie.
92 min...game ends 9:43pm.
Final Score:.............Toronto Lynx...............0.............Reggina Calcio.............2...........
Attendance was announced as 6737 which is a record for a home game of the Toronto Lynx.
The media got to choose one MVP player from each team. I chose Francesco Cozza and Nikola Vignjevic but overall Cozza and Brian Ashton were chosen. Nothing wrong with that, I just throught Ashton's yellow card worked against him.
The Lynx had a few chances. Reggina only subbed two players but the Lynx subbed four by the
end of the game so their teenagers could say they played a Serie A team. This was no Parma vs CNSL All Stars from 1995. The different calibre of international and Canadian soccer is narrowing.
I don't know if the Reggina players were regulars. The Lynx used a regular lineup that has kept them undefeated this season in A-League play.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
.
.