Fairly good weather for football at the stadium today. The following players took the field: Germanakos - Panigrahi, Keng Chuan - Ferzan, Thach, Teck Fu, An Keng, Parada - Tokarz, Ze Han, Reece.

They fielded: Gsödl - Öztan, Armbruster, Manglitz - Möllerbrant, Hösel, Tončev, Lerche - von der Osten, Ertunç, Schrammek.

The teams had chosen different formations for the match. The home team, Grilled Birds, went for a 2-5-3, while Stormarn Blackbirds has decided to play a 3-4-3 lineup. Grilled went for a narrow approach, using their titanic (15) ability to focus their attacks down the middle. Grilled broke through on the left after 6 minutes, with Egemen Dinçer Ferzan firing at an impossible angle to give the home side a 1 - 0 lead. The visitors didn't give in and, after 16 minutes, Henrik Hösel got through the home side's central line of defense, rolling in the leveling goal to make it 1 - 1. It was obvious that Grilled had instructions to attack in the middle when they directed a break on the wing into the center of the park. Many thought Joe Reece ought to have been awarded a penalty 18 minutes into the match, as he went down trying to beat Joerg Gsödl after an attack through the middle gave him the one-on-one opportunity. Maybe Karl von der Osten should join the aquatics team instead. He went down dramatically after 30 minutes, crying out with agony as he fell. The referee was not impressed, though, and showed him a yellow for diving. After 32 minutes, Blackbirds's Henrik Hösel made his way through the middle and nonchalantly placed the ball out of the keeper's reach, putting the visitors up 1 - 2. Blackbirds's Dietmar Armbruster received a ball slotted perfectly through the home side's central defense after 35 minutes, and chipped it past the helpless keeper to increase the lead to 1 - 3. The away fans won't regret traveling for this one! Grilled's Joe Reece was shown a yellow card for standing over the ball and blocking an opponent's quick free kick after 42 minutes. 1 - 3 was the halftime score. Looks like Nate Silver was right again - his prediction that Grilled would have 54 percent possession in this half was spot on!

Chad Thach of Grilled received a yellow card after 55 minutes for unsportsmanlike behavior. Given a free kick from an impossible angle, Blackbirds went for a play that loyal fans may recognize from training. A square ball surprised the defense and let Karl von der Osten slip through at goal. He hit it first time, making the score 1 - 4, 58 minutes into the game. After 60 minutes, the Grilled coach wanted to see a new face on the field, waving Bhavya Panigrahi off. Gilbert Webb took his place. Bhavya Panigrahi was coming off, and had taken his last free kick for the day. That meant Gilbert Webb got the chance to showcase his dead ball skills. 60 minutes into the match, the referee signaled for a Grilled substitution. Chia Kwang Tse came on for Chad Thach. 61 minutes into the match, the visitors put themselves ahead 1 - 5 as Karl von der Osten finished off an attack from the left with a spectacular bicycle kick. The away team's İsmet 'Izi' Öztan took advantage of a mistake on the home side's right after 65 minutes increasing Blackbirds's lead to 1 - 6. As the 80 minute mark approached, the Grilled manager decided it was time for a substitution. Egemen Dinçer Ferzan reluctantly made way for Enrique Baena. The referee decided to let play continue for an additional 2 beyond the regular 90 minutes. The match ends 1 - 6. Grilled did a good job holding on to the ball, with 54 percent of possession. We'll be back after these interminable commercial messages.

Chan Ze Han performed admirably for Grilled. You can tell it was nickel beer night yesterday at the local bar because Gilbert Webb seemed to stumble all over the pitch. Blackbirds's best player was Dimitrije Tončev. Good thing Guntrad Manglitz isn't a horse, because he'd surely be sent to the glue factory after that performance.