Faulty alarm clocks, new players and old balls

What happens if your alarm clock doesn’t do its job? You wake up late. Not too big a deal if it’s a normal working day, we can deal with that, but if it’s Saturday it means being late on the pitch, and that’s a serious offense to yourself, the team and the fans.
TonyL was horrified this morning when he found himself still in bed at the exact moment the match was starting. We can only imagine his reaction and the speed with which he ate his breakfast and put his gear on. If you are a superhero fan, you can picture a combination of Flash Gordon, Quicksilver and Mister Fantastic, and a bit of Spider Man. Fast forward 25 minutes and Tony is finally on the pitch, ready to take his spot in the goal of the Unbbibed, finding a match that had already delivered emotions in spade.
The Bibs had been quick to sign a new player, the white-bearded Israeli-born Golan, who had an impressive debut today, showing top skills and scoring twice. Considering he was playing in attack alongside Yasin, Khaled and Sara, it’s no surprise that their team was the first to score. But the reaction of the Unbibs, despite having one man less, was as quick as lethal.
After receiving a long cross from Julien, Francesco adjusted the ball swiftly and shoot with such violence and precision towards the opposite low corner that Paride didn’t even try to stop it. Few minutes later, it was Hannes to score again, shooting from distance. Another few minutes, however, and the Bibs scored one again (2-2).
With TonyL now in goal, the Unbibs grew in confidence, scoring two more goals with Julien and Johannes (technically an own goal by Hossam). The Bibs were desperate to stage a comeback, but they realised they needed to restore their numerical superiority first. Luckily, Ari appeared on the pitch wearing an Argentina shirt that was as eloquent as it sounds, and joined them. With the extra men, and with the Bibs now showing some tiredness, the Unbibs scored three goals, getting ahead at 5-4, but ultimately the match ended as a draw when Matthew scored the Golden Goal.
After the match, the Club’s Chief Statistician proudly announced that with Israel the Club can now boost a membership of 55 Nations. “We are proud of this achievement” commented Giancarlo talking with the press “but really this is the just the beginning. We look forward to greet players from countries as small or remote as Tuvalu, Nauru, San Marino, Vatican City, Liechtenstein or the Marshall Islands. I think we will soon get more members than FIFA and the UN combined“.
More positive news came in the early afternoon, after Hossam managed to get from the Holland Parks police the ball that Jamal sent to the sky during the last Master Game. More than a month later, the ball is in perfect shape and ready to be kicked again. More important, it’s now back on our hands.
“I can’t believe I missed the first part of the match” said TonyL before leaving, “to avoid this happening again I will not adjust my clock tomorrow and I will keep it on Summer Time so I will be an hour ahead for the entire winter”.
Unbibbed- Bibbed 5-5
TEAMS
Bibs: Yasin, Khaled, Paride, Sara, Hossam, Golan, Ari, Khaled, Chetan
Unbibs: Francesco, TonyL, Andrè, Julien, Philip, Matthew, Johannes, Hannes
GOALS:
Bibs: Golan (2), Yasin (2), Khaled
Unbibs: Francesco, Hannes, Julien, Hossam (own goal), Matthew (golden goal)
Photo: the core of the Unbibs team (plus Golan) gets ready for the match