The unpredictability of football and the uniqueness of its protagonists made today’s game one where bookmakers had heaven and hell: they could have either become rich or defaulted. A couple experienced the latter, filing for bankruptcy as they were complacent after the first half result. They should have known better: some of the Colours’ players would have not gone down without leaving their own mark on the game.

The two teams looked very balanced for the first 10’. All three keepers answered the call of duty with Paride opting for an outside role as attacking defender, specialised on aerial raids from set pieces in the Colours’ ranks. Then suddenly an unstoppable Jonathan R (JR) sprung to life dominating a midfield crowded with star players. As if that was not enough JR opened the score for Orange with a formidable shot from the distance terminating its run just under the bar. As his amazing momentum was both sustained and progressing at one point few opposition players took it easy in the conviction that JR would test positive at the post match drug check and Colours would be handed a default 3-0 victory.

Well, that was a major mistake from the Colours as anyway Orange were not only JR dependent but they could count on a team rock solid in each department able to connect with speed and precision resulting in a fluency that pleased spectators’ eyes.Hossam, Federico and Bijian erected a defensive wall which was not easy to either climb or go around. Digging was not an option. And when Colours made it through, guardian Tony was there to deny the ultimate access.

In midfield Orange were spoilt for choice: Hussein was dictating the tempo as well as freeing strikers with straight, penetrating passes which cut through Colours’ defence like knife into butter. Julien, Davide, Forteza and Smayan provided the rest: a mix of tenacity, liveliness, assists as well as clinical finalisation. The young and lively Artman was always available on the left flank to provide optionality growing in stature game after game, requiring a dedicated marking.

Such an efficient set up would go and add, after JR’s opener, other four goals by Davide ( scoring in back to back games) Bijian, Forteza and Edo own goal as the whole Colours’ defence had to cope with massive pressure.

At 5-0 down Colours decided they’d enough: under Hannes’ leadership defence steadied: Andre’ on the right flank hardly put a foot wrong while Edo on the left one grew in confidence and shut the door to the Orange assaults which lost ferocity throughout the game. Colours’ midfield started functioning both in protecting defence and, more importantly, feeding constantly striker in what looked an unlikely remuntada. But the belief grew along with the goals, with three winning headers in succession by Aurian, Jonathan L (JL) and Paride complemented by a brace from Johannes and a strike by Andrea so that at 11.45 the score went from 0-5 to 6-5 for the Colours who succeeded in one of the best, if not the best, remuntada on records.

The vigour and intensity of the game was such that it took a toll in terms of injuries: first Orange were deprived of their talisman, Hussein, then there in-form JR but equally opposition had to cope without Paride and then Edo.

Colours had gone from a certain, disastrous defeat that would have consigned them to the hall of shame to an unbelievable, nails biting ‘Remuntada’ for a prominent place in the hall of fame and now there were faced with the possibility of a glorious comprehensive victory if they scored, cherry on the cake, the magical golden goal.

Not only they did that but the goal was such that only a restricted bunch of past champions like Maradona, Beckham, Rooney and Xabi Alonso scored it in such a fashion.

Jonathan L received an innocuous ball from Giancarlo just inside his own half and, back to the goal, sensing that the goalkeeper might have been off his line, with the killing instinct of a born striker turned and suddenly sent a diabolical, long shot into the goal. When the ball inflated the net the crowd erupted giving JL a bipartisan standing ovation, grateful that such goals can only be seen them on a Saturday morning at the FDs Kensington Gardens Arena where miracles are performed on a weekly basis. This is a goal only few players can score: those with an intimate, if not privileged relationship with the ball. JL has officially entered such a list.

Exceptionally the goal was filmed live (see below) by Paride and consigned to future generations

At three quarter of the game the Man of the Match award was a sure property of JR but then events turned Colours from villains to heroes with JL scoring twice, the second a golden goal living long in the memory of fans. While MG12 was poetry in motion, today was a tale of two teams who experienced joy and despair, pain and elation in equal measure.

It was a blessing for those lucky enough to be there: for the others just turn up next Saturday at 10am when the factory of miracles opens the doors.

COLOURS-ORANGE 8-6 (0-5 first half)

GOALS

COLOURS: Andrea M, Aurian (2), Paride, Johannes (2), Jonathan L (2)

ORANGE: Jonathan R, Edo (og), Federico, Davide, Bijan, Forteza

TEAMS

COLOURS: Alessandro, Andre’, Edo, Hannes, Andrea M, Paride, Anton, Johannes, Giancarlo, Aurian, Jonathan L.

ORANGE: Tony, Hossam, Federico, Bijan, Julien, Davide, Jonathan R, Hussein, Forteza, Smayan, Arman

The stage was set for a performance of a lifetime: bright sun, immaculate pitch and the undulating greenery outside the pitch framed a picture that looked painted by Michelangelo in his first ever sport endeavour. Noblesse oblige.

Despite the noise and the excitement there was no room for animosity between the two sets of fans, ITALY and Rest of the World (ROW), well aware of their own luck to witness something that will reverberate across generation. ‘I was there’ is one of those legacy Dads are sure to pass onto their kids and grandchildren. And the pictures are there to prove it is all real.

Seats were sold out the day the news that FDs had chosen Wycombe for the MG12 came out. Luckily, St Adam is surrounded by hills for the joy of few thousand onlookers who could not believe they could watch ‘THE’ game and for free. It’s like when you win the lottery and they later tell you the amount was wrong, in that it was ten times bigger.

As players came out of the tunnel the noise was deafening and the only way they could communicate was by gestures: at which the Italian team easily outperformed Rest of the World (ROW). The soft and thick grass invited diving, another Italian specialty, but three official referees were a warning to any misconduct.

Everyone was expecting a fast, uncompromising start as both teams by DNA regard tactics as a waste of time for which fans should get a discount on their ticket, if and when it occurs. But to witness a goal after barely 4 minutes had gone was beyond the wildest expectations. It was Yuv who got hold of the ball outside the Italy box on the corner and, without thinking twice, unleashed a shot that any keeper could only dream of getting close, let alone stopping it.

Such a fast start by ROW did not mean one way traffic: on the opposite front Marco had a great opportunity but there was no time to regret it that Diego D, assisted by Francesco, sent in a low curling shot so close to the post that it evaded the keeper’s reach. The crowd, already at boiling point, literally erupted when Marco grabbed a ball well outside the box and sent a rocket into the roof of the net to score a sure contender for both the goal of the season and of all Master Games alike. ITALY was in front for the first time at 2-1. Unfortunately for ITALY Diego had to leave the pitch soon after, following a hard clash with Bijan.

Only 16’ had gone on the clock and fans had already been treated with a storm of emotions that typically require a dozen Premier League games or a full Serie A season to get any close.

The finest experts could have been forgiven for thinking that Italy was punching above his weight as the two goals were rather the expression of isolated individual skills than a coral, engaging teamwork. Midfield was somehow unable to shield defence and the absence of someone, like Yassin, who could be in three different places at the same time, was badly felt.
Massimo and Federico in central defence were performing multiple miracles but the red devils in the ROW frontline were just focussed on scoring at all costs.
Daoud was on purpose retreating its sphere of influence to avoid man marking and that allowed him to be crucial both in the build up of the most dangerous attacks, as well as penetrating with speed and momentum the crowded Italian box partnering in deadly one-twos, with his partners in crime, in turn Yuv, Aurian, Jonathan and Adam.

In one of those ROW found a goal with Daoud (2-2) whose shot was first saved and then deflected in goal to give ROW a deserved parity, considering that Alessandro till then covered himself in glory with at least three fine saves. Fully conscious of the damage their attack could inflict at any moment to any defence, ROW did not relent, in fact put up the pressure until ITALY had to concede again, courtesy a close range header by Aurian in one of his many incursions.

At 3-2 at half time for the ROW the game was wide open but it was clear that the odds had shifted back in favour of ROW. Italians though came back into the pitch in a combative mode but ROW could count on a sort of double layered defence made by the granitic, evergreen trio of Hannes, Hossam and Chetan doubled up by the more fluid line of Bijan, Kaan, Nadir, Thomas and Victor Jr who could both defend and offend.
Italian hopes of regaining parity were met by the crude reality of a most wonderful goal by again Aurian who sent the ball in the Italian top corner after a couple of fantastic one-twos that put the French through the Azzurri defence.

At 4-2 for ROW with some 20’ to play the game was in theory still up for grab and credit to the Italians for not giving up. It was rookie Edoardo, until then a talented playmaker, to make ITALY to believe in a remuntada with a shot from outside the box: 4-3 and game on again.
Marco was a constant threat: in one occasion he dribbled his way to a free shot from the edge of the box but slid while shooting and sent the ball just wide as opposed to the back of net. In another occasion the Italian was met by a hard tackle by Bijan in the middle of the box but the VAR confirmed that the Ref decision to deny a penalty was right. Yet Giancarlo, for the sake of going to penalties which is good for the audience, begged for the decision to be revised: to no avail. Undeterred the Italian asked if its three nutmegs on the day could be converted in a penalty but again the heartless Ref was adamant. 4-3 to ROW it was in the end. Another Titans’ clash decided on the finest of margins.

But, as stated in the covenants of the MG12 statute, there was the golden goal to play and if the losing team, that is ITALY, scored it then the ultimate winner would have been decided on penalty shoot-out.

Few minutes into the golden goal during a heated exchange in the ROW box, Davide found a way to send a surgical, low shot into the distant ROW post through a forest of legs sending the Azzurri fans crazy. As the goal was very quick, for good measure ITALY scored a second golden goal with Dario on Francesco’s assist.

Then the unthinkable happened: ROW illegally refused bluntly to play penalty-shoot out! Perhaps the news was leaked that both Alessandro and Paride, who played second half in ITALY goal, spent last week watching videos of every penalty taken by each ROW player in the last 20 years and knew by heart , with a 5cm approximation, where they would have placed the ball in each of the forthcoming five penalties.

ITALY lawyers, assisted by those of Morocco who successfully reclaimed the Africa Cup from Senegal, are filing for justice and there is every reason to expect a fair sentence. Penalties for ROW can be harsh and range from life ban to MGs, foot the bill of new Stadium or, as a minimum, start MG13 at 3-0 down. Watch the space.

One only Man of the Match award looked mean to many players. Among the Italians of note were the performances of Alessandro, Marco, Edoardo, Massimo and Federico.

From the ROW team, Daoud added a new dimension to his game becoming, if possible, even more lethal despite scoring less.
The Premier League has put a veto on his Goal/Assist ratio to be published not to embarrass Bruno Fernandes.
Yuv was a constant thorn in the ITALY defence with his full set of skills in constant display for the delight of the ROW fans at home and in the stands.
But today there was no match was Aurian who scored a brace, one of rare beauty: a precious tally which was the difference between victory and defeat for someone who is not even a pure striker. The coveted MOTD was his to take away

The post match was about champagne flowing, MG12 complimentary caps for everyone courtesy of the two Victor and Luiza while the big screen was broadcasting the sponsors’ logos and a movie on the history of MGs. For some reasons another one about the history of FDs was not put up but I have posted it on the group. It wraps in 4’ our history with pics and photos going back 22 years.

It was a magical place (thanks Francesco) and a day to remember. Long live Master Games!

ROW-ITALY 4-3

GOALS
ROW: Yuv, Aurian, Daoud, Aurian
ITALY : Diego D, Marco, Edoardo

TEAMS
ROW: Tony, Hossam, Hannes, Chetan, Thomas, Bijan, Kaan, Victor Jr, Al, Nadir, Aurian, Jonathan, Yuv, Daoud, Adam.
ITALY: Alessandro C, Paride, Massimo, Riccardo, Alessandro R, Andrea M, Federico, Dario, Davide, Giacomo, Matteo, Diego F, Leonardo, Edoardo, Giancarlo, Francesco, Marco, Diego D.

There was plenty of that in Saturday’s match, a tightly contested 11-a-side game played under a scorching sun and temperatures more typical of the Equator than London.

When he saw Julien kicking the ball towards the goal, Hannes threw his head to prevent that. A successful defensive move whose unfortunate by-product was a deep cut in his head.

The blood briefly turned the Palace pitch into a low-budget war movie, before Hannes’ well-trained platelets kicked in and stopped the bleeding.

Later on it was Francesco to test again Hannes’ determination. This time Hannes put his leg between the Italian striker’s boot and the ball. Another goal was avoided, and the memories of it will live for long in both players’ legs.

Despite such heroics, Hannes’ Orange teams went down 1-0 when Julien scored the first goal, and was never able to get the lead against a better organised Colours side.

Tactically, the Colours had taken an unusual decision: field Daoud as a midfielder rather than in his usual role as centre-forward. In this position, Daoud delivered an impressive performance, sending a number of inviting through-balls to his attacking partners Francesco, Morteza, Dario and Marco, unstoppable on the right wing.

To the Oranges’ credit, it should be noted that they played with one man less for most of the match, although the numbers kept fluctuating, as Juv and Jonathan left the pitch earlier.

When players parity was restored, the Colours found a way to regain the advantage offering a short-term contract to Kofi, a passer-by that had stopped to watch from the sideline, and had been helping to collect balls.

Wearing a Ghana national team shirt, Kofi appeared incredibly fit and eager to play, and didn’t have to be asked twice to join the party.

Kofi’s arrival brought new freshness to the Colours’ play, who could now count on a fast-running midfielder with the flair of a young Michael Essien although there were unintended health consequences with some female fans fainting when he decided to go shirt-less.

The Oranges finally managed to get an even number of players when Oliviero finally arrived on the pitch, in the middle of the second half.

Unfortunately, the young Italian was still hungover from what must have been a very long night and lacked his usual speed and precision. Still the Oranges remained in the game, drawing level at 4-4 and entering Golden Goal time just one goal down (5-4).

Eager to end with a positive result, they went all-in gaining a series of corner kicks and getting very close to score it. However, in doing so, they left ample space for the Colours’ counterattacks and eventually got punished.

Fresh from playing on the immaculate Brentford pitch for the annual UWL Staff-Student match, Francesco had struggled to readjust to the Palace’s more… demanding… surface. Usually reliable in controlling the ball, he had seen his touch betray him more than once, but when it mattered most he found the necessary clarity.

Receiving a clever assist from Morteza on the counterattack, Francesco suddenly found himself racing towards the last Orange defender, with the ball rolling perfectly halfway between the two players.

When he realised that the man standing between him and glory was not Hannes, he knew he had to go for it. He sprinted as if his life depended on it, reached the ball a fraction earlier and slid it into the net.

In the after match, while Daoud was recognised as Man of the Match and Kofi was busy answering calls from the Ghana national team manager, there was only one thing in the mind of each player: the Master Game in Wycombe in a week time. With every player just praying to be in Hannes’ team!

COLOURS-ORANGES 6-4

COLOURS

Daoud, Francesco, Bijan, Marco, Dario, Diego, Paride, Kofi, Julien, Morteza and more

ORANGES

Chetan, Hannes, Johannes, Kaan, Robbie, Giacomo, Andrea, Yuv, Ollie, Aurian and more

But when players like Matteo and Nizar decide to do that, like they did today, the reason is only tactical and aimed at balancing the game which saw, among the 25 players an abundance of strikers. In fact , both Nizar and Matteo are experiencing a sustained, explosive growth in their respective performances and the peak is nowhere to be seen.

Did the experiment work? Well, suffice to say that more than a few commentators said that after watching their performance today they could not help but thinking that ‘Liberi’ like Beckenbauer and central defender like Cannavaro, both Balon d’Or, are perhaps overvalued, without denying their value and achievements.

Both Matteo and Nizard commanded authority and strength, aerial prowess, tactical acumen, space awareness while never wasting a ball, knowing where and how to feed strikers by anticipating their moves. It was not a coincidence that the score today was unusually low as strikers found the wall both thick, tall and wide.

Surely the presence of iconic players like Hossam and Bijan, not to mention Thomas on a mission from Munich, made their job easier but there is nothing easy about fighting FDs and FKs.

The match was really balanced for a long time after the start: Oliviero took sometime to adjust his aiming but fans knew it would only be a matter of time before he found the net, till then well guarded by Tony L, back from a long injury to test his conditions ahead of the MG12. When asked in the post match interview what he will do to be sure that he will not miss MG12, Tony calmy reply: ‘I’ll do whatever it takes!’, a quote echoed by Mario Draghi in a slightly less dramatic situation.

Colours seized the momentum taking full advantage from the fact that on the opposite Orange strikers were firing blank as Alessandro was in its recurring mood to send back whatever was thrown to him. The Colours attack has the full range in terms of frontline: from experienced Francesco and mobile Adam to prolific Oliviero, to finish with young, entrepreneurial Arman who was at the right time in the right place to tap in a vagabond ball not cleared by Orange defence and beat his own Dad.

You could tell by the Orange immediate reaction that they were not happy with the result: Davide had a couple of opportunities, Matteo moved forward, Daoud would not accept a second consecutive no-goal game, while the rest of the squad brought forward the centre of gravity and put Colours’ defence under immense pressure.

In one of these fast and furious assaults, Al from the right side put in a fast, low ball in the Colours’ box, away from Alessandro range only for it to hit Nadir and terminate in his own goal. It was most unfortunate as until then, and after, Nadir had an excellent, dynamic game worth anyway of a MOTM nomination.

As the clock was ticking Orange needed someone who could turn the tide. Yet again they found it in Daoud: despite having this rare ability to argue both with teammates and opponents, he never loses focus and desire. He stopped a ball well outside the box and before anyone could interfere with , he unleashed a deadly shot who brought the game to parity: 2-2

The ensuing golden goal saw the two sides fighting to the last ditch until Johannes decided it was time to go home as winner by planting a shot into the Orange roof to seal the score at 3-2 for the Colours.

It was not the kind of game with goals every other minute: nobody scored more than one goal, a rare event in games often in double digit figures from both sides. Perhaps the proximity of MG12 introduces, if possible, an extra element of nervousness as everyone is desperately trying to secure its place in the starting XI. Anyway, today was opportunity for low scorers, read defenders and keepers to shine and stake a claim for the coveted MOTM trophy.
It was reassuring to have Tony L back in goal but today the safe pair of hands were those of Alessandro who had a huge impact on the final result with reiterated saves and brave dives on the hard terrain. After catching many balls Alessandro set his hands, deservedly so, on the Man of The Match trophy and looks forward for more silverware in the MG12.

Talking of which, here the latest on the MG12.

There are around 30 players registered, 20 of which (including families) are staying behind for the lunch at the pub chosen by Francesco.

As for transport, most of the people without cars will be given a lift by those with spare seats but realistically not everyone. Once we’ll have final numbers we’ll let you know so you can make your own arrangements.

Uber is the simplest solution: it takes 1 hour and costs 90£, 20-25£ each for a car of four. Public transport is not viable as it requires more than 2h to get there.
Please register if you haven’t done it yet and want to play. Link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccpqmZuzVTrcjeyHumfOCR1MukFQCrbFGMsrdnJVWUpL-vjg/viewform

COLOURS-ORANGE 3-2

GOALS

COLOURS: Oliviero, Arman, Johannes

ORANGE: Nadir (og), Daoud

TEAMS

ORANGE : Tony, Hossam, Riccardo, Matteo, Thomas, Jonathan D, Julien, Andrea M, Al, Forteza, Smayan, Davide, Daoud

COLOURS: Alessandro, Bijan, Anton K, Nadir, Nizar, Johannes, Jonathan R, Adam Giancarlo, Oliviero, Francesco, Arman

It’s a well-known fact that players’ attendance at the weekly game tends to increase exponentially as the date of the Master Game approaches.

While ordinary weekly matches occasionally struggle to reach quota, the sight of the sacred Master Game causes retired legends, injured defenders and missing strikers to reappear spontaneously. A phenomenon known in academic circles as Ragni’s Law of Football Availability.

The reason is clear: the competition to be included in the squad, let alone be part of the starting XI, is so fierce that even celebrated stars like Mbappé or Vinicius would struggle to be considered unless they first show up to demonstrate their prowess on the grass of Kensington Palace.

With this in mind, nobody was surprised to see a huge turnout (23 players) and the return of a familiar face, Daoud, back after a few months’ absence.

Dressed with his signature long trousers, Daoud had a decent game for the Oranges and showed some of his classic moves, but failed to get on the scoresheet, something unusual for such a prolific striker. His teammates did not have better luck, with the only exception of the ever-reliable Ross who managed to score twice. Still not enough to avoid losing 5-2 to a stronger (and luckier) Colours team.

Colours benefited from several advantages: they could field an extra player and the only professional goalkeeper (Alessandro). But the real plus for them turned out to be having Aurian in the squad, author of a flawless performance, crowned by a hat-trick.

Playing with cinematic flair, and aided in attack by Francesco, JonathanR and fellow filmmaker Noah, the young Frenchman set the tone by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes, allowing Colours to get an early lead. Further opportunities to extend the lead were squandered by the Colours, perhaps out of an excess of confidence.

But with FDs you can never relax. In fact, Oranges got back in the game with two goals from Ross, proving they could overcome the numeric disadvantage. But the draw didn’t last for long.

When a deadly ball arrived in their box, Al went confidently towards it to clear it, but his touch actually sent the ball into its own net, much to goalkeeper Kaan’s dismay. A classic own goal that allowed the Colours to regain the lead (3-2).

After Aurian further increased the advantage with his third goal (4-2), Oranges knew they had to do something extraordinary to change their fate, but struggled to create chances. Morteza, Hussain and Julien tried cutting through the Colours defence from every angle, but the task proved to be more difficult than navigating the Strait of Hormuz.

As the official FD timekeeper, Bijan kept reminding his Oranges team that time was running out: “15 minutes left!”, “14 minutes left!”, “13 minutes left!” and so on. A dramatic countdown worth of a NASA space launch.

With only few minutes left, Matteo, who had been commanding stoically the Colours’ defence, asked permission to go upfront.

He didn’t disappoint and within a few minutes scored the Golden Goal, fixing the score at a comfortable 5-2 for the Colours, and bringing home a well-deserved MOTM Award.

You may wonder why Matteo doesn’t play routinely as a striker, considering he has one of the best scoring record in the entire FD history in terms of goals per minute played in a forward position. That’s a reasonable question, and the ultimate manager’s dilemma. He is terrific both as a defender and an attacker, a true jack-of-all trades.

Perhaps the only solution would be to clone him, but the science is not there yet.

COLOURS

Alessandro, Matteo (1), Aurian (3), Noah, Gregorio, Francesco, JonathanR, and others

ORANGES

Morteza, Hussain, Julien, Kaan, Johannes, Dario, Ross (2), Al (1, own goal), and others

The Saturday game is such a breath of fresh air for Dads and Kids: if denied, it would make the world a worse place. FDs is still a well-kept secret: luckily so.

If football fans knew that they could live a multiple of the emotions felt in the PSG/Bayern game during the week, they would flock to Kensington Gardens Saturday in, Saturday out and Royal Park police would call it a day. Please keep it a secret!

Aurian and Gregorio were at the core of the Orange dramatic victory. Not for the first time!

As for the game bookmakers frantically imputed data of each player into AI to try and predict the score to then place their bets accordingly. A slight advantage was given to the Colours team as being a man up and with the only role keeper, that is no less than Alessandro, present on the day guarding their goal.AI though is not a perfect science and surely FDs have the talent and unpredictability to upset any forecast, however sound. We have seen it before.

After few minutes of studying each other both teams locked horns, yet the game looked well balanced with Colours lacking accuracy in front of goals and Orange finding in Alessandro and his defence a tough opponent to beat.
Orange had in Gregorio their centre of permanent gravity orchestrating the game at will with a tempo suitable to each player. Nizar took possession of the left flank, holding the ball and feeding with precision the incoming strikers, Aurian and Davide in the middle and Giancarlo on the right.

Federico, after outstanding performances, was confirmed as central defender, playing in line with totemic Bijan, surrounded by the expert Andrea M, the ever-mobile Anton and Smayan as well as versatile Kaan.

To unlock this kind of games it is often said that you need a piece of skill or a killing instinct, in other words things that cannot be trained. it was Giancarlo, back from 5 months of injury, to open the magic box and score a goal that could have come from the likes of Baggio or Zola. In fact, it was reminiscent of his very goal scored in the MG11.

This time though a lot more difficult as the Italian was surrounded by at least a dozen defenders, probably more. When receiving the ball just inside the box, Giancarlo sent half the defence to the ground by faking a shot with his favourite right foot, then back heeled the ball on the opposite side to chip the keeper and the other half defence desperately sliding in.

Fans went wild but what attracted Giancarlo’s attention few minutes later was a sign on the stands held high by a fan and reading: ‘sorry I missed your goal! Giancarlo, can you do it again please?!’

The Italian duly obliged scoring a copy cut though this time with his right foot and on the opposite angle of the goal. ‘Paganini non ripete’: it was the Italian violin virtuoso that refused to repeat the same piece even at the King’s asking but Giancarlo would never refuse it to a FDs fan! Same grace, different attitude.

Against such an Orange team it was always hard if not inconceivable to come back from two goals. However, a goal from Francesco gave Colours hope only for Nizar to impose its law and score on the opposite side to restore the gap: 3-1 for Orange. Colours had youth and experience in their ranks: they just needed to apply the right mix at the opportune moment. It was Yuness who proved the theory right, as many times before, by beating the Orange keeper and making the Colours’ fans believing again. But Colours’ goal only made Orange more determined to reclaim the gap and possibly expand it. First Davide shaved the bottom post with a great shot and later, after a prolonged and furious assault, a lost ball was hoovering high in the middle of the Colours’ box only for Aurian to chest it up and, shoulders to the goal, convert it with an overhead kick just under the bar. On the day, fans had the privilege to see more incredible goals than what they typically see in a Premier League season.
That’s what makes FDs Season Ticket best value for money, despite being very expensive.
There were still 25’ to before the golden goal and Colours refuse to surrender: it was Yuness again to score: Colours fans went crazy and they really represented the 13^th man pushing them to the unthinkable. But Orange resisted the charge with every rotating keeper refusing to concede in front of a granitic defence which erected, brick by brick, an impenetrable wall. The final whistle came as a liberation for the Orange while Colours were ready to exact revenge with the golden goal but it was not to be as Federico, in one of his attacking raids, sealed a comprehensive victory (5-3) for the deserving Orange able to alternate strength and skills accordingly.

As for the Man of the Man Aurian’s overhead bicycle kick goal got him a automatic nomination, compounded by an assist and a very lively game. It is a goal that qualifies for the nomination of the ‘Goal of the Season’. Among the Colours’ team Johannes and Yousef deserve credit for keeping their team in the game with creating and finalising many chances. Often big battles are decided on details: what if Yuness played with proper football shoes ? It’s ironic that with the value of the MOTM award he could have bought thousand football shoes…
It was indeed a week of ‘what if?’. If it was not for the Americans, Europe would be speaking German. If it was not for the Brits, America would be speaking French.
BUT to conclude the matter, let’s not forget that if it was not for an Italian, America would have never been discovered…

Back to the MOTM, even allowing for the conflict between the narrator and the award recipient, Giancarlo today stole the show with two goals of rare beauty. He was also denied a goal straight from corner, saved on the line by a brave header from Julian. And the Italian was unbeaten in goal for at least 8’, a personal best.
In the after match interviewed, hugging the trophy like a child, an emotional Giancarlo stated: ‘ To come back after such a long time and be Man of the Match makes me proud and happy. I owe a big debt of gratitude to the CLUB, Teammates and Fans for never doubting my return. As a token of respect for them all I have instructed my agent to turn down, without even looking at them, every single offer from any other club!.

It was a day to remember: a day when Football surpassed Art as a way to express beauty.

ORANGE-COLOURS 5-3

GOALS

ORANGE: Giancarlo (2), Nizar, Aurian, Federico

COLOURS: Youness (2), Francesco

TEAMS

ORANGE: Bijan, Andrea M, Federico, Anton, Kaan, Gregorio, Smayan, Aurian, Davide, Giancarlo, Nizar

COLOURS: Alessandro, Chetan, Riccardo, Johannes, Julien, Al, Morteza, Andrea R, Jonathan R, Nadir, Youness, Francesco

After last week’s diversion, everything went back to normal on Saturday.

FDs returned to the Pond and delighted fans and passers-by with an enthralling 11-side match that saw the bibbed Orange team crush the Colours with a phenomenal performance.

The Orange supremacy was based on impeccable organisation, a rock-solid defence, a total control of midfield, and extraordinary individual skills from the likes of Aurian, JonathanR and Hussain. Think smart movements, brilliant first-touch passes and precise shots in goal.

On the Colours side, there was plenty of talent but the team wasn’t placed too well on the pitch. Players seemed to congregate on certain areas of the pitch, leaving other unattended. An Italian coach like Conte or Allegri would have been horrified.

As a result, their play was generally more predictable and prone to errors in the build-up. Still, they fought hard to stay in the match. It was Oliviero to keep the flame burning for their side playing a superb match (despite having had a late night and very little sleep…) and scoring twice.

When Bijan left, the Oranges graciously allowed the Colours to recruit Hannes, a move that gave more balance to their defence, but didn’t fix the lack of success in attack. It was the Orange team to put the final seal on the match, scoring also the Golden Goal (6-3).

Aurian walked home with a well-deserved MOTM, which he will prominently display on the shelf next to the BAFTA award that his short documentary is seeking to win.

MASTER GAME 12

But the greatest news of the week is the announcement from the Board of the date and location of the next Master Game (the 12th in the series).

The match will take place on Sunday 31st May, kick-off 10.30am at Adams Park, the stadium of League One team Wycombe Wanderers FC.

Opened in 1990, and located in a beautiful countryside setting, it has a capacity of 10,446, (so unfortunately not all fans will be to attend), and promise to deliver an unforgettable experience. While previous MGs played at Chelsea Training Ground and at the SkyEx Community Stadium remain memorable, this will be the first time that FDs play in such a professional stadium.

The show will be on every part of the pitch, including the giant LED screen that will show photos and videos of our past events, as well as some discreet promotional messages from our amazing sponsors.

More details on the event, including transportation options and how to register will be available soon.

In the meantime….. start training at double the intensity, clear your agenda, book a flight if you have moved away from London, and ensure you have the official shirt. This is an event you don’t want to miss!

The eve of every Saturday’s FD match is usually a calm and relaxed affair. Players wrap up the working week, have a light dinner (strictly no drinks), avoid all excess, and go to bed early to ensure a good night’s rest before the match.

Last Friday, however, the calm was broken by disturbing news: Kensington Gardens had been closed due to a “drone threat” targeting the nearby Israeli Embassy.

“A Met Police chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear team was seen near the park’s bandstand” reported the BBC “while police divers were spotted near the Round Pond.”

The idea of police divers combing the Pond and recovering our long-lost footballs made us smile, but this was no joke. Our holy ground under attack? Something had to be done.

While the group chat exploded, the most senior FDs worked tirelessly through the night, drafting scenarios and proposing creative solutions to safeguard Saturday’s match.

SATURDAY MORNING

By 5am, everyone was glued to the group chat awaiting updates.

Very soon, it became clear that the Park would remain closed, depriving us of both the Palace and the Pond pitch.

The most precise indication came from Andrea M, who shared a screenshot of his mysterious Police Tracker.

I know what you are thinking: how does Andrea get access to such sensitive information? Probably best to leave the question unanswered.

LOOKING FOR A NEW VENUE

With Kensington Gardens confirmed closed, it was time to agree on a new venue.

Francesco’s bid to relocate at Southfields Park, conveniently (for him) within walking distance of his home, initially gained traction. Eventually, however, a better option emerged: the old football pitches at Hyde Park, right in front of the Iranian Embassy.

After quick diplomatic talks, the Iranians (who recently proved to be a better footballing nation than Italy by qualifying for the World Cup) confirmed safe passage for all players and fans and proclaimed a unilateral truce for the time of the match.

When FD intelligence confirmed that the pitch was free of Foxes, that harmful species of young humans that tends to occupy every space, the decision was taken, and everyone converged towards the new place.

THE PLAYERS

18 players, including two professional goalkeepers, is as good as it gets (note: FDs play with any number of players, but 9-a-side is undoubtedly the sweet spot).

Returning after some time, Nizar surprised everyone by appearing completely dressed in white, an outfit more suitable to tennis than football. Luckily for him, the ground was so dry that he managed to keep his white shirt and shorts immaculate for the entire match.

A further surprise was the recruiting of rookie Hussain from Oman, bringing to the Club the 73rd nation. It’s not an understatement to say that he demonstrated an incredible amount of talent, playing with the elegance of a vintage Zinedine Zidane. with one crucial improvement: no head-butts to the Italians.

THE MATCH

The match began in chaotic fashion, with both teams conceding goals too embarrassing to describe. After that initial screw-up, however, the music changed and things got serious.

The Oranges deployed a very high defensive line, with Hossam, Davide, and the two Victors pushing up almost to the halfway line. Ahead of them, Bijan, Andrea, and Nizar operated in tight spaces, while Hussain quickly established himself as the central pivot.

This occasionally left them exposed to rapid counter-attacks from the Colours, but overall the gamble paid off. Two goals in succession from Andrea and Nizar brought the Oranges up 3-1, a lead that could have been even greater if not for Alessandro’s heroics and for amazing defence from Hannes, Chetan and Federico.

Back after his positive debut last week, Morteza took control of the Colours’ midfield, acting as an essential link between defense and attack. Playing as a young Pirlo, he distributed balls elegantly to the two inverted wingers, Al on the left and Dario on the right, and striker Francesco.

After plenty of attacks and countless corner kicks, however, the Colours seemed unable to score, with all their plays failing mainly due to mistakes and excess of personalism. Tension started to mount among them, with some shouting, complaining and finger pointing. Never a good sign.

Eventually, Al scored one, reducing the gap. Sensing their moment, the Colours pushed everyone forward. When Federico’s shot ricocheted around the box, Francesco reacted first, tapping in with a classic Inzaghi-style finish. 3–3.

But the Colours’ moment was already over. Undeterred by the draw, the Oranges kept their cool and went back upfront. Hannes and Chetan saved a couple of sure goals with incredible defending, but even they could do nothing when Nizar first, and Andrea later, scored to seal the Orange win at 5-3.

Hussain was a natural contender for Man of the Match, his performance was super, but the jury awarded it to Morteza. In a team plagued by disagreements and far too much shouting, he delivered a display of rare intensity and precision, without uttering a single word. Admirable.

ORANGES-COLOURS 5-3

ORANGES

Paride, Hossam, Davide, Victor, Victor Jr, Bijan, Hussain, Andrea, Nizar

COLOURS

Alessandro, Federico, Hannes, Chetan, Morteza, JonathanR, Dario, Al, Francesco

Colours hit the ground running also thanks to the one man advantage. With the luxury of having Hossam and Bijan in defence, Colours knew they could afford playing a very aggressive 2-3-2 at the risk of exposing themselves to the deadly Orange counters aimed at the ever mobile and deadly strikers Adam and Oliviero.
The high pressure by the Colours paid immediate dividend. Giancarlo was back from a long absence and it showed at the beginning but when he moved up the pitch things improved, scoring also a goal. Dario and Francesco were the natural and prolific terminals with a hat trick each. Dario indulged in his love story with the ball but, as soon as team mates complained, he just put it in the bottom of the net, turning criticism into adulation.
Oliviero on the opposite side literally gave his blood (see pic) to try and keep Orange in the game scoring at every opportunity and mastering his skills to reduce the gap.

The arrival of Victor Jr was a turning point as Orange with a new solidity in defence, until then relying on Federico’s heroics, propelling the team into Colours’ half sorting , among others, the effect of galvanising Paride, Colours’ goalkeeper, into a countless number of amazing saves. Some bookmakers were ready to bet that neither the quality nor the number of them will be surpassed in the whole World Cup.
Soon the game was in contention with the gap reducing from five goals to two as Orange had fire in their feet. The only thing they hadn’t was more time as the 11.45 bell saw the score at 9-7 for Colours who looked like a boxer on the rope likely to win on points if the match ended right there. but it didn’t as the Golden Goal was up for grab: it looked like the Orange were like a pack of wolf eager to grab it.
In fact it was Francesco on the opposite side that, with a header reminiscent of Ronaldo’s one against Sampdoria,

almost scored but Alessandro, despite being wrong-footed, produced an incredible reaction save. The faster pace and better momentum of Orange ultimately materialised when Oliviero, who else?, decided no to risk an hemorrhage on his foot
and called it a day to hit the low left angle of Colours’ goal with a surgically aimed shot to leave Orange with the consolation of the golden goal after a glorious ‘remuntada’ was cut short only by time.
The game was also graced by the presence of Rookie Morteza from Afghanistan which is already in the count of our 72 NATIONS. Nevertheless we warmly welcome him: he proved to be and effective winger, good in both the defensive and attacking phase and was instrumental in Colours’ victory.

As for Man of the Match on the Orange side Andrea deserves to be mentioned: the Italian had an excellent game both defensively and, when attacking, he could both assist and score two goals. One of which he did by unleashing a terrific long range shot in the top corner that not even Paride could stop.

Hossam was his usual self: age adds on experience without detracting on speed and tackling ability.

Victor jr was a game changer when he joined the Orange.

Adam and Oliviero were the goal machines that we know and they are on the way to top the scoring record of Harry Kane and Luiz Diaz this season.

On the opposite side Dario mastered the right flank and scored a hat trick: his love story with the ball continues and is reciprocated at every match.

But the Man who Colours had to thank the most for taking home a victory that looked granted for most of the time but elusive toward the end, was their keeper Paride. There was not a single part of his body that was not deployed in the supreme mission of saving Orange victory from the fast and furious Colours’ attacks. Donnarumma is not a bad keeper but with Paride in goal Italy would have entered the World Cup by the main door.

Talking of which I have taken sometime to write about Italy and the World Cup so to have all the facts. The conclusion is natural: Italy has successfully boycotted for the third consecutive time the biggest football tournament on earth exclusively on moral grounds.

The inability of FIFA to bring the competition back to its pristine values of sportsmanship and fairness left the Italians with no choice. The presentation to Trump of the peace Nobel prize is only the most embarrassing but the least damaging of their many mishandlings.

Italy could have simply walked away from it but would have incurred the wreath and the sanctions of FIFA. By making it look like an accident (read defeat by Bosnia) Italy reached the objective to deprive the World Cup of its most prestigious member without having to pay the price of an official boycott. Besides, Italy has always been in favour of a more democratic representation in the World Cup: to give Sweden (2018), North Macedonia (2022) and now Bosnia a chance to be in there, is a heavy, yet necessary sacrifice to stay loyal to its principles.

Before the World Cup tournament even starts we can proudly say Italy is the moral winner as no one has had the guts to boycott the World Cup for three consecutive times.

And it gets even better: Italy has publicly stated that if FIFA won’t act decisively in the next four years against all that is wrong in football, they will consider boycotting also the next tournament for an unprecedented fourth time.

Never in the history of football one Nation has sacrificed so much for the benefit of the other members. Italy with a tally of 7 World Cups, four as winner and three as moral winner, is the undisputed beacon in the dark world of football.

Please join me in applauding Italy and wishing everyone could live up to its standards.

COLOURS-ORANGE 9-8

GOALS

COLOURS: Dario (4), Francesco (2), Bijan (2), Giancarlo

ORANGE: Oliviero (4), Andrea (2), Adam (2)

TEAMS

COLOURS: Paride, Hossam, Victor Sr, Bijan, Morteza, Giancarlo, Dario, Francesco

ORANGE: Alessandro, Federico, Andrea, Victor Jr, Davide, Anton, Adam, Oliviero

While an undisclosed number of football dads were away to audition for the vacant job of the Italian national football manager, and others had somewhat bizarrely decided to enjoy life in other ways (how is this even possible?), an unstoppable group of players gathered on a sunny Easter Saturday morning, if only to keep the ball moving.

In the absence of so many regulars the question had arisen whether there would be a quorum, but this was answered by a mix of veterans and new recruits. Youvraj brought Sebastiano, Gregorio picked up Balthazar in the park, and Amin decided to return, for a dazzling display of his legendary dribbling skills.

The match again showed that there will almost always be enough players for a game whatever polls may say. As the quote says:“Eighty percent of success in life is just showing up”.

Team formations were variable and frequently adapted to ensure balance, with each side firmly built around two anchor players (Youvraj and Seb, Gregorio and Hannes).

The Kensington Palace pitch was smooth and delightful. Every player had a least triple the touches they usually have, as the ball was passed with great fluency through the vacant spaces.

The game was “end-to-end” throughout. At times it felt like excited young bunnies chasing Easter eggs. It is therefore impossible for the chronist to document with any degree of accuracy who scored when. While goal conversion rates had room for improvement, the sheer abundancy of opportunities created by both teams ensured that (almost) everyone scored multiple goals.

Top goal scorer for the bibbed was Youvraj, for the unbibbed it was Gregorio. Overall, a truly delightful morning in Kensington Gardens.

(Hannes Wittig)

Oliviero was once again one of the protagonists in Saturday’s match, scoring a brace to help his Colours team to the victory.

The young Italian showed everyone that time is a very relative concept, as Albert Einstein figured out a century ago. He had arrived late to the pitch (no news here), but as soon as he put his boots on, he was always first to the ball, creating havoc and headaches for the Oranges’ defence.

Next to him, Adam and Johannes formed a terrific attacking trio, each of them scoring a brace and pressing harder than ever.

This doesn’t mean that Colours had an easy life, far from it. The match remained evenly balanced for a long time, even though the Oranges had an extra man. A testament to the unique scheduling abilities of Hannes, back in his role as Lead Matchmaker and Chief Bibs Distributor.

The Oranges attacked relentlessly. Playing as an assist man, Francesco delivered some beautiful balls into the box, one of which was swiftly converted by Ross but his other attempts were met with unapologetic resistance from Hannes, Federico and Alessandro.

Federico appeared somewhat impaired by late partying (“too much beer last night” he confessed after the match), but was still able to block any attempt coming his way.

At the other end, Johannes scored a wonderful goal with a perfectly executed volley from an elegant cross by Adam. Such was its beauty that even Paride was seen clapping in admiration.

In the following minutes, perhaps struck by Stendhal syndrome, the Italian goalkeeper appeared confused on a couple of occasions, gifting two goals to the Colours. A decisive blow to the Orange’s hope.

The match continued with ferocious intensity. Now two goals down, the Oranges tried hard to exploit their extra man, with Bijan in the control room and AndreaM pushing forward, but their efforts lacked precision in the final touch.

With the score at 8–6 for the Colours, the Golden Goal could have given the Oranges a deserved consolation prize—but it was not to be. Fresh as a daisy, Oliviero (MOTM) had the energy and composure to dribble past a few opponents and send the ball into the top right corner of Paride’s goal with a brilliant long-range strike that followed a trajectory never seen before.

Not only time, even space is a relative concept when football is played at this level!

COLOURS
Alessandro, Cameron, Hannes, Federico, Oliviero (3), Adam (3), Johannes (3)

ORANGES
Paride, Andrea, Bijan (3), Hossam, Alastair, Jonathan, Francesco, Ross (3)

After 90 minutes of play, with the Colours up 6-1, the fate of the match appeared all but sealed.

The Colours had effortlessly dominated the match, playing some of the best football seen in recent times at Hyde Park.

Driving the team was a formidable Gregorio, in full control of defence and midfield. He arrived on each ball before every opponent with timeliness, touching it with grace and strength. He is often compared to Arsenal’s Calafiori, but on the pitch he looked more like a young Maldini infused with Gattuso’s energy and Pirlo’s precision.

On their attacking side, Oliviero was in stellar form, cutting through the Orange defence like a Japanese knife on a piece of butter, despite Federico’s heroic efforts to keep him, Bijan and Julien far from the goal. But truly everyone in the Colours team, from Paride to Julien, deserves accolades for playing in a highly focused and unselfish way, supporting and high-fiving each other even when a play went wrong.

On the other side was an Orange team unable to express their full potential. Players like Dario, Oscar, Andrea and Ross have incredible talent, but somehow they were not delivering, lacking precision in the critical moments. Few of their team members made things worse by pointing fingers and complaining to teammates making mistakes rather than encouraging them, hardly a recipe for success.

Only towards the end, a player swap was agreed, with Adam joining the Oranges and Davide moving to the Colours. A spirited Adam gave the Oranges a much needed boost in attack, but it was too late to turn the game around. while Davide, who had been criticised in the Colours team for failing a simple throw, managed to show his potential as soon as he swapped side.

The Golden Goal offered redemption opportunity but it was not going to be this time. Oliviero scored it with a spectacular volley shot from long distance, reminiscent of Van Basten’s historic goal in the 1988 Euro final. A feat that sealed the score at 7-1, putting an exclamation point to the story of Colours’s domination, and allowing him to bring home the MOTM award.

With such disparity evident, and not for the first time, questions were asked about the efficacy of the algorithm used by Hossam to select teams. An instant investigation revealed a shocking truth: the logic adopted by the egyptian is not based on quantum physics or agentic AI or anything like that. In fact it uses only one, rather unsophisticated parameter: how distant a player is from him.

“What I do is hand bibs to the first eight guys I see, and then adjust from there” admitted Hossam with a smile, something referred in academia as the “proximity algorithm”, albeit adding that he should have corrected things mid way when the disparity was evident.

In a later meeting of the FD Board, it was decided that for the next match a new team selection method should we tried. Among the tools being evaluated are Bayesian optimisation, neural networks projections and predictive modelling based on eXpected Goals and hairstyles.

Or perhaps an easier way would be to just give the task back to Hannes, who in the past has proven the ability to easily create perfectly balanced team on the spot with uncanny teutonic precision.

In retrospective a better job could have been done to balance teams out but in fairness the absence of the official goalkeepers complicated matters as awell as the even number.

There were important comebacks, the most notable of which was Christian who flew transatlantic to be present to the best event in town. As a regular player in his Boston team he looked the part boasting an excellent physical condition as well as strong fundamentals allowing him to play in different parts of the pitch. Should Italy qualify for the World Cup he is going to be a valuable asset for Gattuso. If instead Italy fails to be there for the third consecutive time, Christian will be snatched in no time by the USA team regardless. While people pay top dollars to have a Visa, Christian will be paid an undisclosed sum to be able to represent the star and stripes team.

Christian was back gracing the Pond Pitch today where he found his football soul mate Matej to put up a defensive wall that not even Dario (in the middle) could break.

Colours started with one man down but it was clear to everyone just after few touches that this was far from being an hindrance. If any the opposite. They had a plan and it showed. They deployed a pyramidal 4-3-2 relying on good feet as much a manic rehearsals during the week. With few sudden moves the module would turn into a 2-4-3 without opposition realising it. At times the rotating goalkeeper would come up with the ball dictating the play, de facto adopting a very aggressive, unorthodox 3-4-3 with no keeper which not even Guardiola would even dare experimenting. FDs is a lab where new initiatives rise and shine like the sun in the morning but they don’t set in the evening. Execution risk is kept at a minimum by the different fabric of the players: ‘ Forged in fire, Hardened in ice’ is what you find on FDs flag.

Aurian leveraged the Colours’ system to perfection to hit the Orange net twice. Johannes as always was holding the keys in midfield and used twice his licence to score as well as feeding the strikers with penetrating assists.

It was not though a one way street as a very lively Jonathan D on the opposite front also found the net twice after raiding the right flank. Not a mean feature against the granitic Colours’ defence where Hannes went into every single tackle as if his life depended on it. Matej was also back contributing to a solid back four performance including Riccardo and the Slovenian also show proficiency in goal. Matej stroke a first: no handball, no penalty conceded and no own goal. An impeccable performance fans were ready to acknowledge loudly.

Orange took heart and Jonathan L reduced the gap with a fabulous thunder shot on the top corner. And not for the first time’ Davide came agonisingly close to score with a powerful strike shaving the post and he also provided an assist.

Dario and Ross gave additional hope to the Orange with clever goals but on the opposite front Francesco and Adam took advantage of the ample spaces provided by the Orange furious attacking, by outplaying defenders with clever passing and clinical finishing. Adam had a brace to his credit which, for such a prolific player, is just par for the course. Not even a defender like Chetan, widely accepted at every latitude as the new Maldini, could do much against the Colours’ tide. His strong performance nonetheless did not detract suitors from enquiring about his availability and market value, including the very Paolo Maldini (see pic below)

Paolo Maldini, a keen FDs follower, is constantly looking for young talents. When Giancarlo last met him, Paolo asked if Chetan was for sale. To which Giancarlo replied: ‘Paolo, as much as I like you, there are players money cannot buy: Chetan is one of them. As a mark of respect I will send you both Chetan’s signed football and cricket shirts’.

At 11.45 the big board showed a 7-5 score to the Colours’ advantage. Orange went into the golden goal thinking of nothing else but revenge at all costs. Bijan, who before came very close to scoring the goal of the season with a ferocious volley that kissed the bar, this time made sure that his effort hit the net right on the first minute. The crow decided that the excitement was as intense as short lived and they wanted more: it is not everywhere that fans dictate the rules but considering what they pay for a FDs season ticket, perhaps they had a point.
Colours didn’t like what they saw and felt there was still time to go for ‘the winner takes it all’ approach. Adam obliged to seal the day in style for Colours with a comprehensive and well deserved victory.

Voters of the Man of the Match often pick from the winning team and this time was no exception. Yet the shortlist included two players from the Orange camp. Jonathan D scored a brace and kept his team in the game in the first half while Smayan showed composure and maturity in midfield dictating the right tempo.
If you score a hat trick and belong to the winning team voters will notice: Aurian not only did that but he also stood out as a proper team player always showing a positive attitude: besides, he posses agility and speed allowing him to get there first. Something not so easy when you face a Football Dad…

Finally a disturbing occurrence which requires action: yet again a Premier League team was caught spying on FDs (see pic below). Newcastle team claimed they had chosen the Royal Garden Hotel as being convenient for their match v Chelsea. In fact there are plenty of hotels closer to Stamford bridge while the Royal garden hotel happens to be the closest to the Pond Pitch… You don’t need to retain Sherlock Holmes to find the right answer why they did it… Anyway to clear any doubt it’s enough to watch the highlights of Chelsea v Newcastle to appreciate that most of the moves, especially on set pieces, are a copycat of what FDs do every Saturday. The final evidence: the vertical Newcastle pass splitting Chelsea’s defence on their winning goal is what Johannes just did in the morning. Twice!.
This has to stop now!

COLOURS-ORANGE 8-6

GOALS

COLOURS: Aurian (3), Johannes (2), Adam (2), Andrea (og)

ORANGE: Jonathan D (2). Dario, Jonathan L, Ross, Bijan

TEAMS

COLOURS: Riccardo, Matej, Hannes, Christian, Aurian, Kaan, Johannes Francesco, Adam

ORANGE: Chetan, Hossam, Bijan, Smayan, Andrea, Dario, Jonathan D, Davide, Ross, Jonathan L

Two perfectly balanced 8-side a team gave life to a dramatic battle that needed 100 minutes of play and three golden goals to be eventually settled, with the Oranges grabbing the win.

Being able the field the only professional goalkeeper available (Alessandro), the Colours felt they had a strong advantage and started with greater confidence and brio. When Bijan went on a wild run on the left wing, and passed the ball to Francesco, he continue to run, certain of what was going to happen. The Italian gave him back the ball with a perfectly timed and geometrically impeccable assist, that Bijan converted in goal with a razor-sharp diagonal shot.

The Colours impressive start was brought to a halt with the late arrival of Oliviero, asking which team he should join.

Not an easy decision. Such a gifted player was always going to unbalance the match, whichever team he joined. Seeing that the discussion between Oranges and Colours were doing less progress that the Middle East peace process, Oliviero intervened. “Dario is about to join!” he said, implying that the balance between the teams would be restored in one or two minutes and it didn’t matter where he would play.

At the point, the Oranges agreed to let him go to the other team, only to revert their decisions and snap him 10 minutes later when it was clear that Dario was likely still in bed.

Now with a man advantage (and what man!) the Oranges started scoring with greater ease, getting ahead with the score.

Eventually Dario did show up and restored a much needed balance. More goals were scored by both sides, with the score reaching 5-5.

When the Golden Goal was scored for the Oranges by Ross, everyone agreed it had come too early to allow it to settle the match. This time the Colours had it, exploiting a Hannes distraction in defense, but no one was happy with a draw. A third and final one was called for, only for Oliviero (who else?) to score it.

COLOURS-ORANGES 7-6

COLOURS

Alessandro, Francesco, Bijan, PSG, Julien, Jonathan, Hossam, Kaan

ORANGES

Hannes, Federico, Oliviero, Chetan, Al, Davide, Ross, Andrea, Dario

They came for Pokemon but settled for better: the magnetic appeal of Football Dads!

As for today’s formation it was a nice 10 a side judicially assembled with a fairly balanced representation of Dads and Kids, something that has not happened for a while. As writer was not present in most parts of the game there is a fair chance that the events described are not a strictly loyal representation of reality: perhaps this where the expression ‘Fantasy Football’ originates from…
Colours hit the ground running and took an early lead with goals from Al and Johannes but there was too much strength and talent in the Orange squad to expect a one-direction match. Besides Orange spent big on the day to fly in across the pond the star player Tarek who made his presence felt with a goal and took full advantage of a somehow loose marking to be a constant thorn in the Colours’ defence.
With also Oscar and Jonathan contributing to the scoreline Orange were able to turn the game and go 4-3 ahead to the golden goal. The game was sealed by the Orange young talisman Gregorio to settle the result at 5-3 for the Orange.

The game was graced by the default presence of a couple of Rookies: one of them, the young Brazilian Renan was so keen to join that, in absence of proper shoes, started playing barefoot until someone found a spare of old shoes to spare. Socks were never contemplated. Last week we had a young Sino-Italian Fabio who joined the game cancelling his trip to Brighton. FDs pitch is increasingly looking like a court of miracles where amazing scenes happen on a weekly basis to the delight of the ever eager spectators.

Rookie Renan from Brazil gave a proper display of barefoot football before being persuaded to wear shoes

There was also a second Rookie who was able to escape any attempt to be named. here we publish his picture in case someone can put a name to his face and the Nation he represents.

Rookie: who are you? Colours deployed a mysterious player who stayed anonymous.

As for The MAN of the MATCH the unsung hero Kaan deserves a mention as being a default reliable player always available to fight in the back allowing teammates to shine. But today there was only player who would make every single one agree on the nomination: Gregorio scored yet again the golden goal and yet again was the lynchpin on the pitch as he is a round player: can pass, can tackle, can score, can lead, can defend, can attack and whatever else is required. Besides, Gregorio can make his team mates accountable without shouting or jeopardizing the team spirit: this is the mark of a true leader. They would follow him anywhere: If he was to ask them to cross the round pond, well they would do it there and then, especially in a hot summer day. As for the Serpentine well, that perhaps is a challenge that would thin the ranks…but this takes nothing away from Gregorio’s leadership traits which are set in stone and at such a young age!

ORANGE-COLOURS 5-3

GOALS

COLOURS: Al, Ross, Johannes
ORANGE: Tarek, Oscar(2) , Jonathan, Gregorio (gg)

TEAMS

COLOURS : Alessandro, Massimo, Al, Federico, Julien, Renan, Rookie, Kaan, Francesco, Ross
ORANGE : Paride, Andre’, Hossam, Bijan, Andrea, Gregorio, Alister, Oscar, Tarek, Jonathan

It could have gone down as the day of the bicycle kicks, with both Adam and Ross trying the most spectacular of the football moves.

However, while technically impeccable, both their attempts were stolen by heroic defending, as in a classic black and white Neorealism Italian movie.

Just one meter from the goal line, Adam’s bicycle kick was executed with careless considerations on the defenders surrounding him. After all, who cares if your boot hits an opponent’s head? Ibrahimovic would have been proud of him. Still, his kick crashed on a wall created by Hossam, Andrea and Paride determine to stop it.

On the other side, the bicycle kick was tried by Ross, who found himself unmarked receiving a perfect cross from Bijan. Ross’s coordination was superb but Alessandro did what a great goalkeeper does, he courageously launched himself upfront looking like Superman and got on the ball just a millisecond before, preventing Ross to score.

Despite the lack of bicycle kick goals, there was no shortage of “wow” moments in the match, played on the classic Palace pitch.

All players and fans stood in admiration when Francesco stopped a ball and, without having it touch the ground, sent it in goal with a perfect lob going over Alessandro. A move that many were quickly to compare with Thierry Henry’s stunning goal against ManUtd, although arguably it was easier for the French striker, as he didn’t have to battle against defenders such as Johannes and Riccardo.

Playing one of the best match of his season so far, Francesco had also provided an early assist to Al and later scored another one, after deadly combinations with Oliviero and Ross. But that was not going to be enough.

Despite having gone ahead twice (1-0 and 2-1), his Colours team was drawn on the 2-2, and after that was never able to regain the lead.

Led by a Johannes in fine form, the Oranges played an all-attacking match, besieging the Colours in their box. While this strategy exposed them to the occasional counter-attack, it bore the expected fruit with Adam and Oscar netting a brace, and Johannes, Aurian and Diego scoring one each.

At half time, after having snapped Bijan on a free transfer, the Colours found themselves in a better position, able to push back more. Several of their counter-attacks were wasted with inaccurate passes or by excessive dribbling, but in two of these occasions Oliviero was able to get to the finish line and put the ball behind Alessandro with his left foot.

Having reduced the gap to only one goal (6-5), with minutes to go, the Colours saw the opportunity to draw and had few occasions to do so, but they lacked accuracy at the decisive moment.

The same was not true for the Oranges, ready to punish them, securing a more comfortable 7-5, just before entering Golden Goal territory.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN THOMAS

Since the start the match had been playing in a highly emotional context. After several false alarms, today has been confirmed to be Thomas’s last performance, before he relocates to the Bavarian Alps for his well-earned retirement.

Right before the match, the German icon was honoured by the players and given a beautiful black-and-white picture of one of the first Master Game he played, back in the days.

A wonderful memento, but nostalgia is of little use on a football pitch. It’s much better to live the moment and create new memories.

Playing for the Oranges, Thomas was placed in a more upfront position compared to his usual matches. His teammates wanted him to exit with a bang and encouraged him to shoot every time he had a chance.

The German didn’t seem too convinced, after all this is a player that has always put the team’s result above his individual ones. A man normally of great passes rather goals. But as much as he seemed reluctant to shoot, he couldn’t resist sending the ball in goal with a tap-in for the Golden Goal, sealing the Orange’s victory. A fitting and moving conclusion.

Did Paride let him score, suggested someone, thinking they had noticed an hesitation in the Italian goalkeeper. Certainly not, is the answer. Friendship and camaraderie can be found in spades among Football Dads, but never to the point to lead to sentimentalism, or compromise the unrelenting search for a victory.

As for the MOTM award, the jury couldn’t decide whether to award it to Francesco, Bijan, Adam, Johannes or Thomas. A determination more difficult that the one the US Supreme Court was asked to take this week. Follow BBC Breaking News to hear about the final decision.

ORANGES - COLOURS 8-5

GOALS

Oranges: Oscar (2), Adam (2), Johannes, Aurian, Diego, Thomas

Colours: Francesco (2), Oliviero (2), Al

Rookie Fabio: the boy who went for the sea and settled by the pond

The game also saw the long awaited return of Riccardo, Yuvi and Bilal: the Italian defended with solidity and also attacked frequently on the right side while the two strikers fought on opposite sides for the control of the left flank, the one just below the stands of the home fans even if increasingly they mix with the away ones. Yuvi represented the usual threat in attack while Bilaal showed again what a formidable dribbler and winger he is. Interestingly he was playing with long trousers but he could have played in a tuxedo smoking a cigar without anyone noticing.

Bilaal showed he can dribble anything he sets his mind on.
FDs provided, unsolicited, yet again a football made of grace and force belonging both to the past and the future, fully rewarding Fabio’s decision to cancel his previous plan . On the other hand, who could blame his choice to stay rather than go to Brighton? Certainly not Brightonians who flock in every Saturday morning from the sea to the pond to watch the indomitable FDs.
Not coincidentally the FA has granted the Seagulls not to play on Saturday morning to avoid the timing clash with the mighty FDs.
Before the game Adam sent in a selfie with David Beckham whom he shares that right foot with. The comments on the web, mostly along the lines of ‘Kind of you Adam’, seem to suggest it was the spice boy to beg Adam for attention. More to the point one comment read: ‘It’s all very well to win champions leagues and leagues but is only when you win a Master Game that you can claim undisputed greatness’. Such interpretation was validated by Adam’s performance on the day putting to work this goal machine of his with another brace and proving to be a very dependable and versatile bomber: both his goals were scored with his knees. To date Adam is the players who has scored with the highest number of body’s parts, few of which remain undisclosed.

The homogeneous, high value of the 21 players in attendance, along with Hannes’ track record in selecting teams called for a balanced game with the right density for a pitch that was in better shape than feared after the fierce, overcrowded match last Saturday.
Dad’s representation was restricted to the Fab Five (Thomas, Hannes, Omar, Alessandro and Francesco) while the remanding 3/4 by possessed Kids operating on a no-mercy policy.
The resulting speed was such that some of the pictures taken by Giancarlo were a little bit blurred and the VAR had to review dubious episodes with double slow motion mode.
Since the very start, Yuness showed he was for real by scoring the opener for Colours only to provoke a furious reaction by the Orange who, led by Adam, turned the game to their advantage also thanks to the extra man with a furious 1-4 with Aurian also contributing one goal.

There were all the ingredients for another rollercoaster: in fact Colours did not disappoint with Johannes calling for the ‘remuntada’ with a missile-shot planted under Alessandro’s bar, soon to be followed by those of Fabio, Karim and Bilaal, each and everyone of great quality.
Towards the end as the result (6-4) went away from them, it was clear that Orange were sparing energies for the golden goal. To no avail as Al glorified the day for Colours by scoring the golden goal with a deflected shot
sealing a match in which the winning team show both character and class.
Playing as he does with his head high while confronting the numerous craters in the ground is an act of both elegance and bravery and we praise him for choosing the Pond pitch over the Premier League’s smooth ones.


COLOURS-ORANGE 7-4
GOALS
COLOURS: Yuness (2), Johannes, Karim, Fabio, Bilaal, Al
ORANGE: Adam (2), Fabio (og), Aurian
TEAMS
COLOURS: Paride, Hannes, Thomas, Omar, Fabio, Al, Johannes, Karim, Bilaal, Yuness.
ORANGE: Alessandro, Riccardo, Andrea, Nadir, Jonathan R, Dario, Daniel, Jonathan D, Francesco, Yuvi, Adam.

“Is the match still on, even with the bad weather?”

Never has a question been more redundant. In the 21-and-a-half-year history of Football Dads, not a single game has ever been cancelled or postponed due to bad weather. Over time, the elements have learned to adapt to FDs, knowing that the opposite would simply never happen.

Tourists visit Buckingham Palace at 11 a.m. on alternate days expecting the changing of the guard. Even more devoted, fans flock to the Round Pond pitch every Saturday at 10 a.m. (give or take a few minutes for kick-off….) to witness the magic of football unfold before their eyes. Few events in life are planned around with such certainty—and a Football Dads match is one of them. Depriving fans of this spectacle would burden every player with the weight of a crime against humanity.

If the Kids faltered, the fans did not: not a single seat went empty. A while back, a fan refusing to swap his ticket for a package of 10 Taylor Swift + 10 Coldplay ones made headlines, but surprised no one in the FDs community.

The irony of today is that the question came from Gregorio, a true warrior on the pitch and a default Man of the Match contender. But it serves as a reminder to newcomers of what comes with being a Football Kid. New FKs should, if not forgiven, at least be partially excused—it takes time to fully embrace the values and rules cemented in our unwritten code of conduct, one of which is that a game is played in any weather.

Another rule: wherever there are two FDs or FKs, there is a game. As it happened a few summers ago, when Giancarlo and Johannes engaged in a last blood 1v1 under the scorching sun—the score has faded from memory, but the intensity did not.

More lessons await along the journey that transforms Kids into Dads. It is a privilege to share sport between generations, and every moment should be savoured.

Today’s game was exceptionally crowded: 22 players started, with 7 rolling subs.

We welcomed the usual intake of Rookies—Cameron and Davide—who both delivered lively performances.

The young Italian provided a perfect assist for Francesco, who converted with apparent ease. Davide is a keen AC Milan fan (true fans say Milan, with the accent on the “i”), which explains why he is so discerning in football matters. Why he was wearing a Sampdoria shirt remains a mystery yet to be solved.

Francesco’s goal was the third scored in succession by the Colours in the space of 30 minutes, following strikes from Oliviero and Zac.

A 3–0 lead at that point in the game was unexpected - on paper, the teams appeared evenly matched - but not unjustified.

The Colours had been playing with elegance and brio, exploiting both wings and effectively using long balls to bypass the crowded midfield.

A fourth goal seemed inevitable when Francesco unleashed a missile into the bottom corner, well beyond Paride’s reach—only for Captain Hossam to immolate himself and block the ball with his belly. A save that left the fans screaming in awe and had the effect of energising the Oranges.

Was a remontada possible? That, again, was a rhetorical question. FDs are capable of accomplishing any sporting feat imaginable, and there is no record they cannot break. Besides, they thrive on adversity.

The hero’s role this time was taken by Victor, back on the pitch after a few months’ absence. The Brazilian FD took it upon himself to straighten the game, scoring twice in the space of literally one minute. After all, when you come from the land of Pelé, Romário and Ronaldinho, you have a bag of tricks capable of fooling any opponent.

Minutes later, it was Gregorio’s moment to crown his solid performance with a goal that brought the game level to parity at 3–3.

With not much time left, both teams felt enormous pressure. The Colours could not even contemplate letting victory slip away, while the Oranges knew they were just inches away from glory. And glory seemed to be theirs when, after a pair of embarrassing misses on both sides, Kieran found the net and completed the Oranges’ remontada, making it 4–3.

When Zac netted the Golden Goal to level the score once again, the fans made it very clear that such a dramatic match could not end in a draw. “We want more!” they shouted, and everyone on the pitch agreed that a final decider was needed.

When Oliviero received the ball on the left wing, he still had plenty of physical and mental energy to do precisely what was required. A quick dribble, another one, a sharp exchange with Aurian, and a perfectly timed assist for Zac, who scored with a tap-in. A goal that gave the Colours the victory they had risked to lose.

ON THE STANDS

Such a game deserved a double coverage. While Francesco focused on on-pitch coverage, Giancarlo on the stands collected interesting remarks from the ecstatic fans.

There was also time to test the fan’s FDs knowledge. Here is a series of idiosyncratic quotes every fan should know:

Who said that? No prize for guessing for the old guard, but new Kids should study hard to avoid embarrassment.

As for the MOTM award, the jury acknowledged Victor, Gregorio and Hossam, all terrific in the Colours side, but felt the prize belonged to super-sub Oliviero. He had arrived late on the pitch (a serious offence, under FD’s rule of conduct), but had won the hearts of team mates and fans for his amazing performance.

COLOURS-ORANGE 5-4

GOALS

COLOURS: Francesco, Oliviero (2), Zac (2)
ORANGE: Victor (2), Gregorio, Kieran

TEAMS

COLOURS: Alister, Bijan, Al, Massimo, Julien, Davide, Karim, Daniel, Aurian, Julien, Cameron, Francesco, Joshua, Zac, Oliviero,

ORANGE: Paride, Andre’, Hossam, Andrea, Oscar, Gregorio, Kaan, Jonathan D, Dario, Kieran, Jonathan R, Thomas, Victor, Jonathan L

Commentary by Hannes with vintage pictures

The pitch was muddy, but the rain had ceased in time for a perfect football morning. Players were just getting ready for the kick-off as a lone man appeared on the horizon, approaching slowly, like the indomitable Revenant. It was Thomas who decided to retire from retirement once more. His passing was a key factor in the Bibs early dominance of the game (it also helped that they outnumbered the Colours for most of the match), resulting in an early 4:1 lead. At this point it was decided that Bijan should swap sides, and he was having immediate impact, with the Bibs’ lead narrowing to 5:4. Thomas then decided to call it a day, walking off the pitch to thunderous applause and standing ovations of the numerous fans. Bijan rejoined the Bibs, and an intense and balanced game continued on even numbers. When Julien withdrew, the Bibs’ numerical lead was restored, allowing them to end the game with an 8:6 victory. There was a lot of great movement on both sides. Defenders had their work cut out. Both goalkeepers had to produce some fine saves, and Paride did so despite back pain from a slipped disk. Hossam had a moment of magic, as he picked a ball from midair to volley a shot at goal. The Bibs scored three times from set pieces, while Colours won the price for the best team goal. All in all, a highly entertaining morning at the pond!

Hannes dictating the law during Master Game 1

Bibs: Paride, Hossam, Can, Bijan, Andrea, Gregorio, Ross, Yuness, Thomas

Colours: Alessandro, Hannes, Johannes, Federico, Anton, Oscar, Julien, Jonathan

Final score: Bibs 8, Colours 6.

(sorry, I was too buy defending to remember who scored all the goals)

WAGS at MASTER GAME 2

MASTER GAME 2 CONTENDERS

Since announcing his shocking retirement, Thomas has deliberately remained vague about the exact date of his farewell game. Is this nebulousness due to genuine uncertainty, or is it instead a compassionate strategy to ensure that as many fans as possible can experience seeing this giant on the pitch one last time?

The latter seems more likely. News of his imminent retirement has sent shockwaves around the globe, with reports of people travelling from as far as New Zealand just to be able to say, “We watched Thomas play.”

And those fans are catching Thomas at the very pinnacle of his game. As if determined to savour every remaining moment before leaving London, the Bavarian is playing some of the greatest football of his career. A swan song that keeps on giving.

On Saturday, his performance was spectacular. Paired with Senator Chetan and the ever-reliable Johannes, Thomas erected a dyke in front of Paride, making the Colours’ defence impenetrable, while also offering unwavering support to the front line.

No small feat, considering the opponent was not the San Marino national team. The Orange side fielded attacking players who have the same relationship with the ball that Paganini had with his violin. Players like Yuness and Jonathan, usually accustomed to scoring at will, appeared on Saturday as helpless as Harry Potter without his wand.

At the other end of the pitch, the Colours’ attack was instead effective and prolific.

The first goal came after a classy move initiated by Julien and Francesco and finished by one of the youngsters. Simple. Efficient. Deadly.

The second originated from a deflection on Johannes’ shot. A bit of luck, perhaps — but fortune favours the bold. A perfect illustration of Hannes’ credo: “If you don’t shoot, you’ll never score.”

When Oliviero netted the third goal for the Colours, with the Oranges still unable to register a single shot on target after almost an hour of play, the tension became unbearable.

Relief arrived unexpectedly in the form of Giancarlo. Unable to play due to his marathon injury, he stopped by the pitch while walking his dog, Leone.

When it was time for the Colours to take a corner, Giancarlo stepped in to take it — despite technically not being part of the team. Unusual, yes, but not unlawful: such events are clearly sanctioned under Rule 37b of the Football Dads Rule Book.

After entrusting Leone to Johannes, Giancarlo delivered a rather poor corner, gifting the ball to Bijan, who knew exactly what to do with such a valuable present.

With Johannes momentarily occupied as dog-sitter, and Paride completely out of position after venturing forward for a header, the Oranges sensed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and launched the most furious attack seen since the days of Little Big Horn.

For a split second, Johannes weighed the wellbeing of Leone against the risk of conceding a goal and reopening the match. It was, of course, an easy decision. Within half a second, the young German returned the dog to Giancarlo and sprinted back towards his own goal at the speed of light, breaking up the move just as the Oranges were about to score.

Danger averted — but the episode served as a wake-up call, for the Oranges that eventually managed to open their account through Hossam, just when it was time to get into Golden Goal time.

Upset at the idea of having failed to keep a clean sheet after a monstrous defensive performance, the Colours briefly lost concentration and allowed the Oranges to score again with Jonathan (3–2).

Energised by this late attempt at a remuntada, the fans demanded further playing time, pushing for a Platinum Goal that could have changed the outcome of the match.

The players initially obliged, but when Alastair sent Francesco to the ground with a robust tackle, it was unanimously decided that it was time to stop definitely.

Collecting his Man of the Match award, Thomas headed home smiling and rang his contractor in Munich to revise the plans for his new house.

The trophy room he had envisioned is already looking too small.

COLOURS-ORANGE 3-2

ORANGE

Alessandro, Jonathan L, Andrea, Joshua, Hossam, Yuness, Alastair, Oscar, one or two more youngsters

COLOURS

Paride, Johannes, Thomas, Chetan, Julien, Oliviero, Francesco, a couple of youngsters, Giancarlo (only for a poor corner)