Diego: when the clue is in the name
A typical day of GBW (“Glorious British Weather”) greeted nine players last Saturday, ready to fight not just the cold and the rain, but also each other.
The Orange team had only four players (against the five Colours) but nobody could tell. Hannes, Julien, Diego and Yussef moved around the pitch with the speed of a young Superman, occupying every inch of the pitch. In the crowd, many asked whether Diego had a twin brother or was it just one, while opticians in Kensington noted a sudden increase in customers asking for eye tests and glasses, claiming they had developed double vision.
After Diego scored a few goal, the Colours (Hossam, AndreaM, Thomas, Francesco and Alex) realised they had to abandon their defensive Mourinho tactics to adopt a more attacking style, trying to exploit the extra man.
Playing upfront with the Colours team, Francesco had a few easy chances but missed them, and seemed losing morale. Luckily for their team, captain Hossam summoned him for a quick pep talk. “You have your feet. Use them” were the only words ushered. Not a huge speech but effective. In the space of ten minutes Francesco scored three times: two with volley shots and one with a direct free kick that would make Beckham envious.
Relentlessly, the Orange continued to attack and score. When he received a long ball from Hannes, Diego showed that his association with Maradona is not just in the name but also in the first-class skills. In a square meter he stopped the ball, dribbled two opponents and deposited the ball in goal.
The Colours reacted by changing tactics again. Thomas moved ahead on the left wing, an unusual position for a man that normally dominates the right wing. With two assists from Francesco, now back in midfield, the german scored twice, shooting with precision and surprising the Oranges team.
At 10-7, the Colours seemed to have secured a win, but suddenly found themselves down to four man. The Oranges’ final push was devastating. Three goal in sequence, securing a draw, and a final (golden) goal from Julien giving them the win.
After the match, Diego got the right recognition for his decisive 7 goals and collected a well deserved MOTM. Meanwhile, Thomas announced his absence for several weeks, We wish him the best of luck and hope to see him sooner rather than later.!