VIVA WORLD CUP 2010

DRAMATIC WIN PUTS KURDISTAN IN THE SEMI FINAL,

Regno delle Due Sicilie qualify without playing

  Kurdistan made sure of a place in the semi-final with their second win in the group stage from their match against Provence.  The victory for the favourites was more difficult than expected.  They seemed overconfident and were forced to make a recovery midway through the first half to turn the result in their favour.  Kurdistan suffered badly after the break and only managed to end the group stage with maximum goal thanks to goal that arrived deep into stoppage time when Provence were all out to regain the lead.  Provence were more motivated.  They needed to make up for the defeat conceded in their previous match against Regno Delle Due Sicilie and also needed a victory to win the second spot on the table and a place in the semi-final.  The French squad had good deployment and produced pressure over Kurdistan particularly in the last stages of the match.  However, their strikers lacked sharpness in front of goal and ended up conceding a goal in the dying moments which left them without a point from two matches.

  With this result Regno Delle Due Silicie ended at the second place of Group 2 and therefore qualified to the semi-finals.  The southern Italians will face northern Italians Padania in a derby which will decide one of the finalists to contend the title.

  Kuristan tried to put pressure over their opponents from the very beginning especially through moves on the flanks through Qarman and Rahman.  Provence took some time to settle down but in the meantime they maintained good positioning and kept danger away from their area.  The French side surprised Kurdistan on 19 minutes.  The defense failed to clear a cross from the left flank and the ball arrived to an unmarked Yann Liset.  The latter crossed immediately and Bruno Borghesi headed easily past goalie Othman from close distance.  Kurdistan had an immediate reaction and were unlucky two minutes later when a close ranged strike by Karzan Abdullah from a cross by Deyar Rahman hit the crossbar.  The ball bounced on the line and the defense managed to clear the danger. 

  However, Kurdistan leveled the score one minute after the half hour of play.  Karzan Abdullah headed towards Hydar Qaraman and the latter fired in goal from an angled position.  Kurdistan also turned the result in their favour four minutes later.  On this occasion it was Qaraman who entered the area following a fast break and from his pass Deyar Rahman placed easily in goal.  Provence replied one minute later through a low shot by Yann Liset that was neutralized by goalie Othman and on 39 minutes the French recovered the one-goal deficit.  Once again it was Bruno Borghesi who surprised the Kurdistan rearguard and deposited into an open goal as Othman came out in an attempt to block the danger.

  Provence pressed forward during the second period in an attempt to take the lead and earn a place in the semi-final.  Kurdistan were forced to defend their area for long stretches but created the first serious action of the second period on the hour of play when a strike by substitute Hardee Nooruldeen was saved with difficulty by goalie Larsonnier.  Six minutes later Provence had a goal by Yann Liset disallowed for a foul by the same player and on 79 minute a long ranged strike by Stephane Juan ended just wide.  Provence pressed their opponents in their area in the final stages of the match and went very close to scoring on more than one occasion. 

  On 86 minutes the Kurdistan goalkeeper Otham made two consecutive saves to defend his goal from a shot by Kamel Bourqua following a melee in the area.  The same Bourqua and Benattar had two consecutive shots from close distance in the second minute of stoppage time incredibly blocked by the rearguard with the goalkeeper beaten and one minute later a goal by Bourqua was disallowed for an offside infringement.  Kursdistan clinch the winner with a goal that arrived in the fifth minute of stoppage time.  Hydar Qaraman won a tussle with the goalkeeper in the midfield and placed into an empty goal from long distance.  In the following action Kurdistan could have added another goal when Ayad entered the area in a fast break but had his shot partially saved by the goalkeeper and from the rebound Rahman concluded incredibly wide with an open goal at his mercy.

Referee: Antonio Guida (Italia)

Asst. Referees: 1^st Aaron Fenech (Malta), 2^nd Joe Bajada (Gozo)

4^th Official: Mario Mazzoleni (Italia)

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