… but the game was played on grass

You might have noticed that nowadays in official matches the ball boys have disappeared.
The argument goes that these guys are employed by the local team and they tend to slow the game if and when their home team is winning. So what you see now is just balls placed outside the lines ready for immediate pick up by the players.
That is a problem Football Dads never had: we saw eighty years olds, bipartisan when it comes to football faith between FDs and FKs, running 100 meters below 10’ to get the ball back to the players in no time just to get the fluency of the game going.
But then who wouldn’t do that? the love for football at its highest expression by FDs is such that any interruption could well be sanctioned as a crime against beauty on the move.
After this highly necessary digression, today at the start everyone was keen to discover the line ups. Curiously, lately the formations levelled at eight a side which is the perfect number for the pitch size, allowing players to see enough of the ball to make an impact without being constantly out of breath.
Orange had to rely on a rotating keeper protected by a solid defence by Bijan, Thomas, Giancarlo and Alex G, a Rookie from Greece who did well as a left back and then went on to be a goalie second half.
The abundance of Rookies continues: on the Orange side we had Lorenzo, Andrea M’s friend, who hadn’t had a game for five years, yet didn’t hesitate to throw his cap in the arena with hopefully more to come.
As you might be aware what you see in terms of Rookies is only the tip of the iceberg: a dedicated team within the CLUB select on a daily basis the many applicants through a gruelling undisclosed scheme (to avoid Navy Seals and the likes to copy it) and what you see on Saturday is the zero point something that makes it through the ranks.
Back to the formation Colours boosted a hyper dynamic midfield with Kevin, Alex A and Andrea M competing each other to feed the two ‘punteros’ Nizard and Francesco ready to make the most of such abundance.
If you thought this was a ‘as good as it gets’ team you had only to look across the pitch to realise that the Orange squad was put together by someone without any budget constraint. Paride is widely regarded as the best keeper money (crypto included) can buy, Massimo and Hannes have combined more years in experience than the three pyramids of Giza put together but far more mobile than them and always posing a threat in attack. By often playing with them Riccardo has long learned the trade and can play in a seamless three defensive line.
Midfield with Johannes as the default lynchpin flanked by ever present Julien had ammunitions to spare to either fire straight at goal or feed either young Ivory or Rookie Lorenzo who had licence to float across the full front of the attack.
On paper Orange were favourites but unfortunately the game was played on grass…as Brian Clough famously said. Immediately Alex A made it clear that today was his day by breaking the ice and putting Colours in front.
Johannes countered in no time but what made the difference was the Orange firing line with Francesco scoring a hat trick (two tap ins one like Morata in Madrid and a chip) and Nizard a brace. Despite Julien adding two goals for the Orange and one more from Massimo, Colours managed to keep a comfortable lead.
Giancarlo was again on the score sheet as a defender with a complicated goal: Nizard put in a wonderful corner curling in to evade the keeper reach and landing on the second post. It was perfect for a diving header but as the Italian commented in the post match interview: ‘ I had a flash of my doctor warning me to avoid, at my age, sudden moves and acrobatic efforts at all costs. Yet the ball, unaware of my inner existential torment, reached striking position and somehow, employing cooperatively my knee, shin and foot I manage to push it into the goal with the most effective risk-reward approach. The NHS would have been proud of me!’
The game was also affected by injuries: Thomas had to exit early while Massimo suffered a twisted ankle which looked very bad but looked bearable after a while. The Rookie Alex from Greece, a physiotherapist, was able to help: another testament to the CLUB infallible recruiting process.
After this there was some reshuffling with Bijan joining Orange and scoring a goal soon after. That was though not enough to change the course of the match but Johannes (who else?) sealed the golden goal to give his teammates and fans a reason for a good enough weekend.
The Man of the Match award was unquestionably given to Alex A: the Italian with his ability to pass the ball to both feet and control it at high speed as if it was glued to them, reminded few commentators of a young Zinedine Zidane. Add to that the ability to score regularly despite playing far from the goal, you have the picture of a complete player with the potential to reach a market valuation non far from those of Johannes or Yassin, much to the delight of the CLUB coffers.
COLOURS-ORANGE 10-7
GOALS:
COLOURS: Alex A (3), Kevin, Francesco (3), Nizard (2), Giancarlo
ORANGE: Johannes (3), Julien (2), Massimo, Bijan
TEAMS:
COLOURS: Alex G, Thomas, Giancarlo, Bijan
Andrea M, Alex A, Kevin, Francesco, Nizard
ORANGE: Paride, Massimo, Hannes, Riccardo, Johannes, Julien, Ivory, Lorenzo, (Bijan)