‘Hey Ney, it’s over’
You could not ask for more. The sun shining, the air both fresh and warm, depending on your mood, the grass green again courtesy of the weekly rain and 23 players eager to hit the headlines.
Our game or shall we say our business has got to the stage where players fly intercontinental just for the pleasure. Today it was Sameth’s and his son Andre’ turn to travel from Washington to grace the match. They were, together with the Galal family the Egyptian-Portoguese core of the Orange team along with the Italian one with the notable addition of Yassin returning to where he belongs.
On the other side the European stronghold added to the trident Bijan-Arav-Sinai provided a formidable opposition. It just looked like one of those rare matches where you keep telling yourself and those around: ‘I was there!’
Sameth didn’t waste anytime to reintroduce himself after a lengthy absence and at the first available opportunity granted the Orange the lead.
It was like the sleeping giant, that is Colours, has been rudely awakened. Revenge was swiftly and beautifully exacted, taking the shape of an agile overhead kick by Arav followed, in a devastating one-two, by Giancarlo’s header. Johannes sent in the box a ball with written all over it ‘just push me in’ and the Italian duly obliged sending it in the bottom right corner. Alessandro did not make a move realising that not even a bird would have got there ahead of it crossing the line.
Orange didn’t like it and pressed from everywhere: Sameth a thorn on the right side, Andre’, fast and skilled, on the left and Francesco, whose shot went just over the bar, in the middle. Yassin and Adam didn’t not give any reference point to opposition, rather going for coast to coast fanta football.
Any other defence would have vacillated and eventually collapsed but the Colours’ one: the intimidating figures of Massimo and Hannes were there to remind opponents that the risk-reward was firmly not on their side. They’re look like: ‘you cross the line at your own risk!’.
There were moments of football ecstasy in any part of the pitch: at one point in the middle of a packed area Alessandro R cleared nonchalantly a tricky ball with a stunning back heel as he was smoking a cigar while sipping a glass of port. Elsewhere Adam, bored of dribbling the normal way, hid the ball with a fast trick unseen so far and nutmegged the hapless defender to create yet another change. Fans realised the enormity of it and went as one: ’OMG’ This was something Neymar would not dare doing in training let alone in a heated match like this.
Giancarlo again with a back heel, Andy, Sina and Bijan added to the Colours’ tally making sure that, despite Adam‘s brace and Riccardo’s goal, the gap was not to be filled. Even more so when Johannes again put the same ball with the same writing into the box and Julien headed in imperiously to end the pre-golden goal hostilities at 6-4.
It would have not been a proper return for Yassin without a goal and so he decided it was time to put his signature on the match by scoring the golden goal and sending everyone under the shower.
Had Giancarlo delivered on his hat trick promise he would have won the Man of the Match award with a landslide. He did nevertheless receive a ton of votes. Perhaps they meant that a brace in an 11 a side has the same gravity as a hat trick in a 7 a side. Anyway this takes nothing away from the fact that after his lunch at Mina’s he has energies to spare and a deeper smell at goal.
The one who instead grabbed the award by a fine margin is the new Kid on the block. Someone who has a box full of productive tricks and can take a knock with a smile without diving the length of the pitch. ‘Hey Ney, it’s over!’ By the way in case you didn’t guess the new Neymar is our very Adam.
COLOURS-ORANGE 6-5
GOALS
COLOURS: Arav, Giancarlo (2), Andy, Sina, Julien
ORANGE: Sameth, Adam (2), Riccardo, Yassin
TEAMS
COLOURS: Paride, Massimo, Hannes, Thomas, Julien, Endi, Johannes, Sina, Bijan, Arav, Giancarlo, Andrea
ORANGE: Alessandro C, Riccardo, Alessandro R, Hossam, Sara, Andre’ W, AndreaR (aka “Puskas”), Yassin, Adam, Sameth, Francesco