Low temperature, high skills

“Winter is coming”. The famous quote from Game of Thrones resonated in the air on the Pond pitch, as 13 players prepared for another epic battle in freezing temperature.
Various tactics were used to deal with the extreme cold, with the most popular being the use of several layers of clothing, a technique perfect by TonyS over the years. Having arrived straight from Brazil, still in tropical climate, Victor appeared to the most affected, shivering despite wearing eleven pair of socks, but even the local residents struggled.
“I can’t feel my hands anymore” said Alessandro after mounting his goal, causing his teammates to be slightly concerned. This is not exactly the phrase you want to hear from your goalkeeper seconds before kick off.
The other element causing some preoccupation was the dire state of the pitch, with several deep holes putting players’ legs at risk. In past occasions, similar issues had been solved by Chief Gardener Thomas bringing soil from home. This time it was Julien to act, digging a large hole in an unused part of the park and using the soil to fill the pitch holes. A testament to FD’s ingenuity and problem solving skills.
Still, once the match started everything was forgotten. No one felt the cold anymore, or worried about holes. There was only one thing in mind: give it all to win the match.
The Oranges had a better start and found their supremacy rewarded on the 10th minute of play. Johannes dribbled Federico and AndreaM with his signature move on the left side but instead of shooting sent a lovely ball in the box. Thomas arrived with precise timing and converted it in goal with the aplomb and coolness of a consummate striker. Few minutes later, Thomas scored again, after another elegant play from his team.
The Colours were handicapped by playing with six men against seven, but they also seemed to lack something in concentration and teamwork, losing too many balls when building up their play.
After Francesco wasted a couple of good chances it was Yuv to score the first Colours goal, after a fast combination with Giacomo. But the Oranges were quick to restore the 2-goal lead (3-1). From midfield Johannes sent Julien a precise ball on the left wing. Other players would have tried to control the ball before attempting anything else but the Frenchman is not your average player. With his first touch Julien shot on goal with precision and power, sending it on the upper right corner where Alessandro could do nothing to stop it. A superb piece of skill.
In the latter part of the match the Colours could finally benefit from having an even number of player, as Thomas left the pitch earlier. They managed to score another goal with Yuv, but the Oranges did again better, scoring twice (Paride with an header and Victor with a fine shot assisted by Johannes) depositing their win in the bank, with a very respectable 5-2.
After the match, pundits praised Julien for his all-round performance and excellent goal, and deserved words of appreciation for Johannes, who played with unusual restrain the role of assistman. Still, there was unanimous consensus that Thomas deserve to bring home the Man of Match Award.
He is not an imposing figure on the pitch, and he is hardly the fastest player. But he has something that others would dream of: a razor-like precision in his movements, his passes and his shot in goals. “Today Thomas gave us a masterclass that will stay on our memory for a long time. There is a reason why we always strive to have him on our team” said Hossam after the match.
Yesterday’s match was a perfect conclusion to a week that also saw twenty Dads and Kids meet for a lovely social evening at Mina’s. Hosted by fellow player Bijan, the players enjoyed lovely food, great fun and some very nice surprise gift (thanks Victor!). Even the absentees were able to participate: Nizard sent few bottles of Primitivo for the team to enjoy while Hannes, busy playing a piano concert, shared videos of his elegant Beethoven performance. As someone swiftly commented “Hard of the pitch, soft on the keys”
Actually, at Mina’s there was something that didn’t work as expected: the tv showing the Arsenal-Lens match was broken, but no one complained. After all, who needs Champions League football when you can be with the FDs every single Saturday.
ORANGE – COLOURS 5-2
ORANGE:
Paride, Hossam, Julien, Thomas, Victor, Sara, Johannes
COLOURS:
Alessandro, Federico, AndreaM, Giacomo, Yuv, Francesco