October 21, 2012 CSL SemiFinal--Toronto Croatia vs Serbian White Eagles (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday October 21st, 2012 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Serbian White Eagles played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:00pm. This was a one game semi-final game for a berth in next Saturday's CSL League Championship.

Toronto Croatia (black socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)

...................12 Antonio Ilic
3 Josip Keran...4 Sven Arapovic...6 Josip Bonacin...15 Aisley Deer
7 Halberto Harris...19 Petar Mingon...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams...23 Tonci Pirija
...........10 Tihomir Maletic (cpt)...24 Marin Vucemilovic Grgic

Subs:...1 Penagiotis Koumoulas (gk)...11 Boris Tomac (mid)...14 Andelo Srzentic (mid)...18 Bozenko Lesina (fwd)...20 Dino Buljan (mid)
...21 Daniel Niksic (mid)...22 Josip Roso (def)
team officials:...assistant coach Miodrag Akmadzic...manager Ivan Kulis...assistant manager Perica Arapovic...physio Michael Robinson

Serbian White Eagles (white socks and shirts, blue shorts, red numbers)

.....................1 Milos Durkovic
27 Nino Velimirovic...5 Goran Vlaski (cpt)...3 Vilomar Jelic...11 Misel Klisara
45 Sasa Vukoje...10 Ramon Bailey...34 Ivan Stankovic...7 Kiril Dimiltrov
............8 Ricahrd West...28 Zoran Rajovic

Subs:...50 Patryk Zapotoczny (gk)...13 Andre Orlando (mid)...14 Aleksandar Milkovic (mid)...22 Milan Beader (fwd)...30 Stefan Popovic (mid)
...38 Djorjije Strunjas (mid)...44 Nikola Miodrag (mid)
team officials:...head coach Uros Stamatovic...assistant coach Sasa Vukovic...manager Predrag Milkovic...physio Karolina Bujak...director Dragan Bokoc

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee's assistants Armando Perreau and Richard Oliveira...fourth official Justin Tasev...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:08pm...TC defends south end.
6 min...TC goalie takes ball off SWE West on long cross from 30 yards on left before he can control it at 10 yards near left end line.
9 min...SWE Rajovic cornerkick from left has defender head ball away. SWE Bailey cross from 20 yards on right has defender head ball away for cornerkick.
10 min...SWE Rajovic cornerkick from right has ball fly over to left. SWE Bailey cross from 15 yards on left has SWE Vukoje head 10 yarder from right directly to goalie.
12 min...TC Mingon after a run up the right sideline crosses from 25 yards and TC Maletic pushes the ball forward from 12 yards over to the right and his shot from 6 yards deflects off the foot of SWE Vlaski for a cornerkick.
12 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right is caught by goalie in crowd of players.
13 min...SWE Dimitrov low cross from 15 yards on left end line is cleared by defender in box.
18 min...TC Josip Keran GOAL...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic takes short cornerkick from left that TC Tonci Pirija taps back to him and he crosses into box where TC Josip Bonacin heads ball off bar from 8 yards. TC Sven Arapovic takes shot from 6 yards that's saved point blank by goalie Milos Durkovic and ball pops up. Keran flies over from right and heads 8 yarder through crowd of players into low left side of net.
22 min...SWE Vukoje cross is offside after throw-in near right cornerflag.
24 min...SWE Rajovic cornerkick from left has defender head ball away.
25 min...SWE Dimitrov cornerkick from left has TC Bonacin head ball away and he falls over with leg injured on right side of box.
28 min...SWE YELLOW card...Jelic earns it for tripping TC Maletic at TC 40 yards.
29 min...TC Maletic flick header from 20 yards on long chip bounces ball to goalie.
32 min...TC sub...Srzentic replaces still limping Bonacin.
33 min...SWE goalie rushes to edge of box to catch bouncer up middle.
33 min...SWE Stankovic blasts 30 yarder over crowd of players and over net down middle.
38 min...SWE Rajovic cross from 30 yards on left has SWE West knock down ball, turn, and shoot 15 yard ball up middle and off bar. The goalie now surrounded by defenders gets up and picks up ball at 5 yards that bounced back into play. As West had fallen over at 10 yards and he was not able to get at rebound.
41 min...TC Pirija shoots 35 yarder down middle high and right of net.
42 min...TC YELLOW card...Vucemilovic Grgic earns it for pushing over SWE player jumping for header at SWE 50 yards.
43 min...TC goalie rushes to edge of box to head away through ball into middle crossed over from right.
45 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 28 yards on left has goalie catch in front of charging TC Maletic at 12 yards in middle.
46 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic pass to middle has TC Pirija shot blocked on edge of box.
46 min...SWE West threads a through pass up the middle for SWE Zoran Rajovic to rush in on left and his low 12 yard shot from the far left is saved by the sprawling goalie. Retreating TC Harris had poked ball forward on sliding tackle forcing ball further upfield and making Rajovic's shot from a tougher angle. Rajovic gets rebound deflected to him but by that time he's over end line.
47 min...half ends 8:55pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:11pm.
halftime sub:...SWE Strunjas replaces Vukoje.
46 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic after run down right crosses from 20 yards over the box and bounces for throw-in.
48 min...SWE Klisara 35 yard freekick from left has defender head away. SWE West off balance shot from 12 yards on left drifts behind net.
49 min...SWE Rajovic pushes ball up middle from 22 yards and goalie dives on it at 12 yards just step ahead of charging SWE West.
50 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC goalie Antonio Ilic punts ball upfield that bounces forward and TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic at SWE 35 yards in middle and he passes to left for TC Hayden Fitzwilliams who runs forward and crosses from 15 yards and Maletic in middle of box kicks in ball from 5 yards into left side of net.
53 min...TC sub...Tomac replaces Mingon.
53 min...SWE YELLOW card...Dimitrov earns it for tripping TC Tomac at SWE 40 yards.
54 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic freekick from 45 yards near left sideline has Maletic run from middle to left side of box and one-touch midair shot from 12 yards is into short left side of net.
56 min...SWE Klisara 45 yard freekick from left has TC Fitzwilliams head pop up from 18 yards wide right of net.
56 min...SWE Rajovic cornerkick from right has goalie punch ball forward in crowd of players.
57 min...SWE West in crowd of players on left blasts 30 yarder over net.
59 min...SWE Klisara 35 yard freekick down middle has SWE West head ball down middle over net from 15 yards.
61 min...TC Maletic 25 yard freekick from far right has goalie knock ball down on left and play is whistled down when he's bumped.
62 min...SWE Dimitrov low cross from right has SWE West get foot out to deflect over net from 7 yards on right.
62 min...TC Tomac is injured at TC 50 yards.
64 min...SWE Rajovic freekick near right cornerflag has goalie leap to palm ball to left over two SWE players waiting to head in at 6 yards. The ball bounces for cornerkick.
64 min...SWE player's work out short cornerkick from left but SWE player's shot from 30 yards on left deflects off defender and pops up that goalie can't keep from going over end line.
65 min...SWE Klisara cornerkick from left has SWE Jelic head over net from 8 yards on short left side.
66 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic turns and blasts one-touch 35 yarder down middle that goalie flies over to left to bar wide of post.
67 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic shoots 35 yard roller from left wide left of net.
68 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right that goalie punches up on left and defenders clear on left.
69 min...SWE YELLOW card...Rajovic earns it for holding Vucemilovic Grgic breaking out at TC 30 yards.
70 min...SWE West beats defender to round him on right but pushes ball over end line.
71 min...TC sub...Lesina replaces Tomac.
71 min...TC YELLOW card...Arapovic earns it for sliding tackle on SWE Strunjas on sideline.
72 min...SWE Klisara 25 yard freekick from left sideline is headed away.
72 min...TC Pirija passes from 60 yards on right that finds TC Fitzwilliams at 30 yards on right and he shanks shot well wide left.
74 min...TC Vucemilovic rush down left beating defenders but rolls 20 yard shot across right of box unplayed.
76 min...SWE sub...Orlando replaces Velimirovic.
79 min...SWE West pass from right to SWE Strunjas who takes 20 yard shot from left that's caught by goalie.
80 min...SWE West rolls 18 yard shot wide right when he cuts low shot down middle.
83 min...SWE sub...Miodrag replaces Klisara.
85 min...TC sub...Buljan replaces Maletic who gives captain's armband to Pirija.
86 min...TC Andelo Srzentic GOAL...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic takes 30 yard shot from left that was over flying goalie and hits right post and ball bounces into middle of box where Srzentic shoots 12 yarder over fallen goalie into middle of net.
88 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cornerkick from left has TC Lesina try to twist ball into short left corner but it's wide left into outside webbing of net.
90 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic is injured at SWE 35 yards with foot injury and needs help off the field then collapses.
92 min...TC sub...Niksic replaces injured Vucemilovic Grgic before play resumes.
93:46 min...game ends 9:59pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Croatia........4...........Serbian White Eagles..........0...........

Attendance was about 750 on this cool night. Where were these fans earlier in the year? A chance to bring out the 'old country' colours and sing and chant. The fans separated themselves without any security. No flares lit. The only laws broken were city bylaws against smoking on city property.

Antonio Ilic earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia. The TC goalies have now only allowed 13 goals in 24 games (regular season and playoffs). He had to make some important saves while the game was still close.

Referee David Barrie had control of this game and gave out five Yellow cards that I counted--three to SWE.

Best non-scoring chances were at 10 minutes when SWE Sasa Vukoje took a cornerkick from the right that had the ball fly over to the left and SWE Sasa Vukoje headed a 10 yarder from right that the goalie caught. 12 minutes had TC Petar Mingon after a run up the right sideline cross from 25 yards and TC Tihomir Maletic pushed the ball forward from 12 yards over to the right and his shot from 6 yards deflected off the foot of SWE Goran Vlaski for a cornerkick. 38 minutes had SWE Zoran Rajovic cross from 30 yards on left that had has SWE Richard West knock down ball, turn, and shoot 15 yarder ball up middle and off bar. The goalie now surrounded by defenders gets up and picks up ball at 5 yards that bounced back into play. First half injury time had SWE Richard West thread a through pass up the middle for SWE Rajovic to rush in on left and his low 12 yard shot from the far left was saved by the sprawling goalie. 49 minutes had SWE Rajovic push a ball up the middle from 22 yards and the goalie dove on it at 12 yards just a step ahead of the charging SWE West. (Note: The goalie then punted the ball upfield setting up the goal at 50 minutes which turned the game around).

Croatia had some injury worries. Defender Josip Bonacin was hurt at 25 minutes when he headed away a cornerkick and he fell over injured. He hung in the game for another 6 minutes until he could be subbed. 90 minutes had Marin Vucemilovic Grgic have to be subbed for some kind of ankle injury. He was helped off the field and collapsed on the sideline and was worked on by the trainer.

The CSL final has now been set as earlier in the day we found out that Montreal Impact Academy had beaten York Region Shooters 3-1 which makes 11 wins in a row for Montreal. The game will be played this Saturday at 3:00pm at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Croatia starters