Dads reduced to minority by the young wave in a thrilling match
Twenty players turned up today eager to test themselves as much as to please the expecting crowd: it’s an exercise with a fine line between duty and pleasure. What matters is that the end product is invariably of the highest quality with thrilling games going to the wire as it was the case yet again today.
There are so many goals in our games with so many twists and turns that often fans at the final whistle don’t know who won. And they don’t want to know so they can savour again back home the match on the big screen, laid back, feet on the table, Aperol spritz in hand, unlimited burping with partners and siblings put on mute, slow motioning the key moments. Life would be worth living just for this.
Today’s final 6-6 score is testament to a savvy team selection operated by Francesco. The youth wave, so muted in the past, has grown in size to the point that 14 out of 20 players were Kids and only 6 Dads. Are the latter an endangered species? Not really but if you bring a new Dad you get a 100£ Amazon voucher to spend at your discretion.
Orange made an early bold move to get the only role goal keeper, Tony L, back in business after touring Asia.
Colours responded with Johannes whose price has gone further up after Yassin departure. Dads were wisely split equally with three a side.
Colours took an early lead courtesy of a goal by Italian Rookie Marco M : Venice has hardly produced any memorable footballer. Perhaps that is because each time they kick the ball too hard it ends up in the lagoon and its game over. Yet today Marco looked the part: it was a thorn in the Orange defence and scored a hat trick. It could have been more, had he not been let down by his brand new shoes.
Players welcomed another Rookie, Jalol from Uzbekistan, who had a solid game throughout.
Orange response was immediate and took the shape of Adam B who seemed to have found a soft spot on the front right from where unleashed low, accurate shots into the Colours goal who was guarded in turn by Gaby, Giancarlo and Johannes.
Adam scored no less than four goals and his tally was complemented by Francesco and young Arman, both tormenting the Colours’ to back three.
Orange had more structure with a very dynamic young midfield made by Andy, Jonathan, Alister and Gregorio able to break and redirect the game with fast counters. Andrea R was back where he belong mastering the left wing, proficient both in the defensive and offensive phase.
It was not though a one way game, far from it. Colours remuntada was favoured by Thomas early exit and an unprecedented double howler by Tony L taken advantage from by Andrea M and Marco M.
Actually good things can happen to goalkeepers who concede two blunders in one game. Do you remember Loris Karius? The then Liverpool keeper made two horrible mistake costing his team the Champions League final against Real Madrid. Yet he ended up marrying the stunning Italian tv presenter Diletta Leotta… Well, our Tony L doesn’t even need that: he took the match back in his hand and produced few remarkable saves that kept Orange in the lead.
In one instance Johannes from just outside the box hit the ball travelling to him with such violence that any sane keeper finding himself on the trajectory would have instinctively ducked. Not Tony who firmly put his body on the line and parried away the shot. There was not a single Colours’ fan who had not his hands in his hair out of desperation.
There were expectations about Giancarlo’s return: he had a fairly static game in defence but proved effective on set pieces: his first corner was converted by Nadir’s header, his second saved on the line by Gregorio and the third fisted out by Tony.
At this point Colours found their ranks depleted by the simultaneous departure of Gaby and Matej, to offset which Andy swapped side.
It was a meaningful move as the latter immediately contributed to the Colours’ cause by putting the ball on a plate for Marco’s tap in the dying minutes of normal time reducing the gap to one goal only: 6-5 for the Orange.
This gave confidence to the trailing team to seize the momentum and go for the draw which was scored by Andy making the most of his short time with Colours.
With so many heroics in every game the choice of the Man of the Match is never short of options.
Andy and Gregorio were the heart and soul of the Orange while Marco made the most of his chances on the opposite front.
But ultimately at the count of the votes it was Adam’s name that topped the list. Not always the bookmakers’ favourite, Adam shots proved lethal scoring four: his relationship with the ball has improved dramatically.
At times he behaved selfishly ignoring better positioned mates but greed is the fuel that ignites strikers and today Adam was on fire🔥
ORANGE-COLOURS 6-6
TEAMS
ORANGE: Tony L, Thomas, Jonathan, Endi, Alister, Gregorio, Andrea R, Adam B, Francesco, Arman,
COLOURS: Gaby, Giancarlo, Matej, Andrea M, Jalol, Johannes, Nadir, Ishan, Marco M
GOALS
ORANGE: Adam B (4), Francesco, Arman
COLOURS: Marco M (3), Andrea M, Nadir, Andy