A sensational triple headed goal + GHANA joins as 67 NATION
You could tell right from the start this game had a different meaning to each player as it always has the Saturday before the Master Game.
It is hard to think of something closer to a World Cup final than the Master Game. Being in the starting eleven means your picture, along the other ten teammates, will be everywhere in the media consigned to eternity while your name will be learnt by heart by every kid able to tell the full formation in a split second. That is not the same for the subs and today’s game was the last chance for the players to make the grades.
As there was not a single role keeper, fans were loudly anticipating loads of goals and none of them felt disappointed at the end. And the beauty of quite a few of them convinced everyone that there is no better to be on a Saturday morning other than the pitch by the pond in Kensington Gardens.
The game was graced by two Rookies: Oliviero from Italy and Harry, Dan’s friend, from Ghana who brings the Nations’ tally to an impressive 67. And counting. Oliviero turned out to be a proper triple Rookie scoring no less than a hat-trick while Harry proved a solid defensive midfielder with a high level of confidence on the ball.
The superficial observer would have quickly pointed out that the Colours had a clear advantage fielding an unprecedented duo of fast and skilled forwards like Giuseppe and Oliviero. Appearances can be deceptive. In fact at a deeper look you could realise that the Orange too had a team to kill and with a better balance: household names like Thomas and Hossam were bringing defensive solidity, ability to offend on the flanks and the experience to be at the right place at the right moment to score critical goals.
In front of them Julien who is not anymore the unsung hero: by now everyone knows that the one reason while Rabiot is still unemployed is because every team is trying to sign Julien first. Who wouldn’t? Our FD defends better and scores more. That fact that is more expensive is irrelevant: if you pay peanuts you get monkeys!
The rest of the Orange squad was made by the Fab Four: Johannes, his friend Louis, Dan and ever lethal Daoud.
Every coach would pick them as a package and parachute them on the pitch with clear instructions to do whatever they liked.
Actually what made all the difference in the first part of the game was profligacy on the Colours’ side and clinical finishing at the opposite one. Giuseppe looked cursed as he was able four times to beat the keeper but incredibly the ball went agonisingly wide, always at the same spot, inches away from the left post.
Johannes and Daoud, fed consistently by Louis and Dan, instead applied a 100% conversion rate and brought the score beyond reach already at half time. Daoud left nothing to chance and came to the game sporting brand new shoes (see pic), the weight of ballerina ones and the softness of leather with gripping studs. It was perhaps the fear to damage them that at one point Daoud did the unthinkable: to score with the consecutive headers!
He received a high ball from his own defence, controlled it with the head, on the bounce he headed it towards goal and finally always with the head chipped the incoming goalkeeper to score an unprecedented goal. This is something a Neymar could do but only in the comfort of a training ground or in front of a camera for a commercial: certainly not with two fierce defenders like Matej and Ishan on his back trying to stop him all the way at any cost!
With the score at something like 6-2 for the Orange a double reshuffle was ordered. Its only result was to create more confusion for the commentator while the Orange victory was never put in discussion.
As always with these unbalanced scores, the losers were left only with the golden goal hope to restore their reputation but this time was not to be the case as Louis painted a most delicate ball for Federico T who graciously with a timely header lofted it over the keeper just under the bar. A beauty that had ‘starting XI’ written all over it.
As for the ‘Man of the Match’ there were few claimants: among Dad Giancarlo had a good game doing, in order of importance, two nutmegs, one goal and one assist. Oliviero proved that the Kids scouting team hardly skips a beat with his rigorous selection process. Johannes is getting into the MG in top form displaying his trademark full array of skills.
But today fan witness a piece of skill which alone would have warranted the MOTM award: the triple headed goal by Daoud. Besides, he is the kind of player who doesn’t get out of bed for less than four goals. A game and yet again today the rule applied.
ORANGE-COLOURS 11-5
GOALS
ORANGE: Daoud 3, Johannes 4, Giancarlo, Julien 2, Federico
COLOURS: Oliviero 3, Daoud 2
TEAMS:
COLOURS: Matej, Ishan, Diego, Giancarlo, Harry, Oliviero, Giuseppe
ORANGE: Julien, Hossam, Thomas, Federico T, Johannes, Louis, Dan, Daoud