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Result of the Friday August 24th, 2007 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and North York Astros played at The Hershey Centre in Mississauga at 8:30pm.
Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)
...................21 Roy Blanche
16 Halberto Harris...6 Mario Kulis...4 Domagoj Sain (cpt)...3 Ante Brkic
11 Mario Pupic...5 Jonathan Bustamante...23 Boris Tomac...19 Robert Grnja
..................9 Tihomir Maletic...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams
Subs:...12 Marko Zuljak (gk)...2 Robert Fran (def)...7 Tomislav Ples (fwd)...15 Mario Beljo (mid)...22 Hugo Herrera (fwd)...30 Tomy Granic (mid)
team officials:...assistant coach Tom Granic...manager Vlado Manjerovic...trainer/physio Milan Krljan...team official Kruno Zuljak
North York Astros (white socks and trim, navy shorts and shirts, yellow numbers)
..................12 Haidar Al Shaibain
6 Marco Pacione...14 Kurt Ramsey...2 Frank Iaizzo...5 Brian Carbaral
21 Julio Vazquez...15 Gil Vainshtein...4 David DiPlacido...22 Paulo Astorga
.............9 Selvin Lammie...7 Umberto Benedito
Subs:...1 Ratko Ivanovic (gk)...3 Jorge Calzato (def)...10 Diego Maradona (mid)...11 Jose Perez (fwd)...13 Omar Samuels (mid)...19 David Antonczyk (def)
team officials:...head coach Rafael Carbajal...assistant coach Raul Solas...equipment manager Maru Atia...trainer/physio Mark Espinoza...team official Bruno Ierullo
Game officials:...referee Steve Cahoon...referee's assistants Ricky Zomparelli and Mike Lambert...fourth official Andreas Helmer...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)
1st Half:...game starts 8:36pm...TC defend south end on this hot and humid night. It was dark by gametime. As there is no scoreboard, all times are converted from my wristwatch.
4 min...TC Maletic charges to head cross from left up middle 15 yards bounces to goalie.
6 min...Astros Benedito 35 yard chipped freekick up middle has defenders pop up and head away.
7 min…Croatia Tihomir Maletic GOAL…Maletic receives long pass from left sent in by TC Robert Grnja. Maletic at about 18 yards waits for defender to run by him and he cuts in 12 yard shot into short right side of goal behind diving goalie Haidar Al Shaibain.
12 min...Astros Pacione injured near center line.
13 min...Astros player's freekick 35 yard freekick from right has flying Astros Astorga head wide right from 18 yards.
14 min...TC Harris injured when TC goalie clears ball from edge of box into his stomach.
15 min...TC Maletic gets third recross chipped from 15 yards on right and leaping TC Fitzwilliams head ball wide left of net from 7 yards.
16 min...Astros DiPlacido in middle passes to left and Astros Benedito cross from 15 yards on left that's caught by goalie.
18 min...Astros Astorga 40 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
19 min...Astros Astorga runs up middle, holds off defenders and has 20 yard shot deflected for cornerkick.
20 min...Astros Benedito cornerkick from left is cleared by defenders.
23 min...TC goalie catches 50yard cross from right.
24 min...Astros goalie catches TC Brkic 50 yard cross from left on right side of box.
27 min...Astros DiPlacido 40 yard blast up middle over crowd wide right.
29 min...TC Fitzwilliams gets break on left but pushes ball too far forward but cross from end line deflected for cornerkick.
30 min...TC player's cornekick from left has goalie palm ball right and defender clear.
31 min...TC Maletic 30 yard cross from right bends for Astros goalie to catch over TC player.
33 min...Astros Lammie injured at TC 30 yards.
33 min...Astros Benedito center taps freekick from 30 yards on left. Astros Vainshtein pushes ball forward and defender clears on edge of box.
34 min...TC Tomac rolls cross from left, TC Maletic 15 yard shot rolled wide right of net.
36 min...TC Tomac gets chipped pass up middle but chips 18 yard shot for goalie to catch.
37 min...Astros goalie catches ball on second effort as TC Maletic gets behind him.
38 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right is knocked away.
39 min...Astros goalie charges out of box to check ball at 25 yards and dribble out to clear.
40 min...Astros goalie runs again out of box to clear ball.
41 min...Astros Astorga 22 yard freekick from left has Astros Lammie head down but defender clear.
42 min...Astros Carbaral 50 yard freekick has defender knock away on edge of box.
43 min...Astros Benedito blasts 40 yard freekick from right is well over net.
44 min...TC Kulis injured in collision at TC 30 yard line.
46 min...Astros Astroga 35 yard freekick up middle blast is just high and wide of top left corner of net.
46 min...half ends 9:22pm.
2nd Half:...starts 9:39pm.
Halftime sub:...Astros Calzato replaces Vazquez.
46 min...Astros Benedito blasts roller through crowd of players from 20 yards just wide right of net.
48 min...TC Harris cross from right 20 yards, TC Grnja blasts partially cleared ball from 20 yards that diving goalie pushes left. TC Fitzwilliams cross from left is over box.
49 min...TC Fitzwilliams taps pass to TC Maletic and 18 yard shot up middle partially blocked so trickles to goalie.
51 min...TC Maletic cross from 20 yards on left is caught by goalie.
53 min...TC sub...Ples replaces Fitzwilliams.
54 min...Astros Lemmie holds off defender while cutting to net but rolls 15 yarder to goalie.
55 min...Astros goalie grabs low cross from left.
56 min...TC YELLOW card...Brkic for booting ball over back fence after he was called for offside flag.
57 min...Astros player's cornerkick from left has defender block and clear.
58 min...TC player's cross from 30 yards on right has goalie catch on left side of box.
59 min...Astros Astorga 40 yard cross from right is caught by charging goalie.
60 min...TC Kulis chips pass through middle from 50 yards. TC Ples rush in from 30 yards and goalie makes point blank sliding save from shot from 18 yards.
62 min...Astros Carbaral 25 yard freekick from right is just over bar.
63 min...Astros Carbaral cornerkick from left has TC Sain pop up header and TC Grnja clear.
66 min...Astros Calzato 30 yard freekick from left is well over net.
66 min...TC Bustamante good dribbling but defender rides him wide and goalie dives on ball.
67 min…Astros Diego Maradona GOAL…Astros Gil Vainshtein cross from right has ball partially cleared and goalie Roy Blanche caught out of his net. Maradona lasers 20 yard shot from right into top left corner of net bending it in although defender was guarding that post.
73 min...TC goalie grabs ball a step ahead of charging Astros Perez (how long had he been in game?) on cross from left.
77min...Astros Vainshtein wastes freekick from 20 yards with too quick kick that rolls to goalie.
77 min...TC Maletic rolls centering cross and TC Tomac tripped up for freekick from 18 yards.
78 min...TC Bustamante chips 7 yarder over goalie but wide left of open net!
79 min...TC sub...Herrera replaces Bustamante.
80 min...TC goalie out of net to clear through ball out for throw-in.
81 min…Croatia Tihomir Maletic GOAL…TC Mario Pupic on left side of box near end line rolls ball to center and Maletic 12 yard shot just inside right post with goalie out of play guarding Pupic.
82 min...Astros Vainshtein cross after receiving short cornerkick from right is over players in box.
85 min…Astros Selvin Lammie GOAL…Lammie gets to deflected Astros player’s 30 yard freekick from left and takes blast from 18 yards that pinballed off defender and drops into net.
86 min...Astros players can't redirect header on left and keep popping up ball but win cornerkick.
86 min...The rain now gets harder!
87 min...Astros Perez injured at center.
88 min...TC Maletic gets shot in box deflected and cleared.
89 min...TC goalie catches bouncer on edge of box in front of two Astros forwards.
90 min...TC Maletic 25 yard freekick blast hits player wall and he's tripped for another freekick when he gets to rebound.
91 min...TC Maletic taps freekick from 22 yards and TC Tomac blasts low shot that sprawling goalie blocks.
91 min...Astros Ramsey injured in own box.
92 min...game ends 10:26pm.
Final Score:……..Toronto Croatia……2……….North York Astros…….2……….
Attendance was about 80 on this hot, humid night (as it is now dark at 8:30pm at this time of year). Fans were in a hurry to leave once the game ended as the rain was getting stronger and resulted in a real downpour for a few hours. There was always the threat of rain earlier but during the game only a few drops fell.
Roy Blanche was the starting goalie for Toronto Croatia tonight as regular goalie George Azcurra took the game off to spend time with his son Ashton George Azcurra who was born yesterday morning. Blanche was the starter for in most of the Brampton Stallions games when they were in the league last year. He played very conservative in the first half with him staying inside his box for the first half (while Astros goalie Haidar Al Shaibain would venture out to clear through balls) but as the Astros took over in the second half with more ball control and periods where Croatia had trouble clearing the ball out of their own half Blanche came well out of his box and had to clear a few for throw-ins when he was pressured.
Maradona’s goal was one of the best of the year. There didn’t seem to be enough space for the ball to squeeze into the net.
The game wasn’t rough and the only Yellow card I noticed was when referee Steve Cahoon gave one to Croatia’s Ante Brkic for kicking the ball over the back fence after he was called on an offside flag.
Croatia remains undefeated in league play this year but is quite a few points out of first place because they’ve tied too many times this year.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Astros starters
Croatia starters
Croatia ready to kick off the second half.
Astros make a substitution.
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