Epic match ends in 3-3 tie despite Oliviero’s masterclass
After yet another week without rain, the pitch at Kensington Park had begun to take on yellowish tones more typically seen in the great plains of central Africa.
Luckily, there were no lions or cheetahs around (and no Chetan either) but you will be wrong to assume it was safe to roam. The twenty players who answered the call arrived with the hunger of wild cats determined to snatch their prey, and nothing would stop them. You could see it was going to be a highly contested affair, from the opening whistle to the dying second, and so it was.
In Hannes’s absence, team selection followed the traditional street-football ritual: two captains, Francesco (Orange) and Julien (Colours), taking turns to pick players. With first choice, Francesco snapped up Yassin, a safe bet. Thinking strategically, Julien opted for Alessandro (the only professional goalkeeper available) letting Francesco grab Johannes as his second pick.
Eyebrows were raised in the press room. Was Julien planning a defensive game? asked the pundits. And is it even legal to have Johannes and Yassin in the same team? But as selections continued, doubts melted away. The final lineups were exceptionally balanced across the pitch, and any prediction was pure guesswork.
[For the curious: the Club’s Chief Mathematician reminds us that with 20 players that are exactly 92,378 possible ways to form 2 teams of 10. You’ve got to love combinatorics…].
Balance meant deadlock, and it took the Colours nearly 30 minutes to break it. Back from a long absence, Oliviero was eager to make up for lost time. Leading the attack with Aurian and Ishan — both in fine form — and supported by a dream midfield of Bijan, Al, and Julien, he was simply lethal.
His first goal, a precise shot from the left side, was just the appetiser. The Colours played with such flair and precision that the Oranges were, at times, tempted to stop and applaud. Inevitably, Olly added two more, completing a sensational hat-trick and bringing the score to a commanding 3–0.
A fourth seemed certain when Julien sent a gorgeous header into the box for Aurian. The Frenchman’s volley was sweetly struck, but it curled wide by an inch.
Was that a sign of destiny? Maybe. The Oranges realised it was now or never.
With the Oranges, Matteo had mostly been deployed in defence (a tactical oversight?), but by then everyone knew he had to push forward, joining Francesco, Bilal and Yuness in attack. Slotted in as a central striker, Matteo wasted no time catching the Colours off guard, scoring to make it 3–1.
Shortly after, the Oranges struck again. When a free kick was awarded, Johannes stepped up with the confidence of a left-footed David Beckham. His effort took a deflection but stayed in the danger zone, and in the ensuing scramble, the German pounced and scored.
With the game now in Golden Goal territory, it was wide open. The Oranges couldn’t win, but they could still draw — and that’s exactly what they did.
A long ball into the Colours’ box looked easily manageable by Alessandro and Al. They both shielded it from Yuness but for a second or two failed to take decisive action. Francesco, sniffing opportunity, poked the ball past them and into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but arguably the most important.
The 3–3 draw was a fair outcome to an incredibly balanced game. So balanced, in fact, that FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly called the Club post-match, asking if we could help pick teams for the next Club World Cup, given some of the embarrassing results seen so far.
The Man of the Match award was unanimously given to Oliviero, whose brilliant hat-trick was a true masterclass. Not enough to win, but a strong statement to seal a sensational return.
Orange – Colours 3-3
COLOURS: Alessandro, Andrea, Oliviero (3), Bijan, Julien, Federico, Al, Aurian, Matej, Ishan
ORANGE: Francesco (1), Salvatore, Yassin, Matteo (1), Thomas, Yuness, Nadir, Johannes (1), Riccardo, Bilal