Group 3: Maine men safely through
Sunday, September 29, 2002
Article summary
French side Ligue du Maine Amateur have qualified for the finals of the 2002/03 UEFA Regions' Cup after winning a desperately tight qualifying round group.
Article body
French side Ligue du Maine Amateur have qualified for the finals of the 2002/03 UEFA Regions' Cup after winning a desperately tight qualifying round group.
Croatian hosts
The Group 3 mini-tournament was staged between 25 and 29 September in Slavonija, close to the Bosnia-Herzegovnian border in the eastern part of Croatia.
Opening games
In the opening game, the hosts Slavonija and Baranja Amateur took on Luxembourg Amateur in Osijek. Slavonija/Baranja utilised their advantages in speed and skill to win 3-0. In the other opener Maine took an early lead against Bulgarian side Veliko Tarnovo Amateur thanks to a Jonas Missaye goal. After the French side doubled their lead the game looked won but Chokarov and Radomir scored in the 73rd and 89th minutes respectively to secure an unlikely 2-2 draw for the Bulgarians.
New venue
Due to rain the second round of games had to be moved to two stadiums in the outskirts of Vinkovci in order to provide players with the best possible pitch conditions. Luxembourg had a good first half and were holding Veliko at the break but they collapsed after half-time as the Bulgarians ran in four goals. Meanwhile, Maine once again threw away a good lead as they conceded a last-minute penalty against Slavonija/Baranja. Mario Ravlic duly converted to rescue a 2-2 draw for his side.
Complicated scenario
On the last day of the competition the calculations began to get complicated, as three teams jostled for top spot. Veliko and Slavonija/Baranja's 1-1 draw took them both on to five points and Maine ran in five goals against Luxembourg, including three for mini-tournament top scorer Jonas Missaye, to also finish on five. However the French side's superior goalscoring record saw them through to next June's final tournament.
Professional attitude
During the five days, all four teams, players and staff included, showed a professional attitude on and off the pitch and it is worth noting that Luxembourg won the Fair Play trophy in a competition which is intended to help forge friendships.