Money can’t buy happiness, FDs tickets can
‘Sorry guys but a member of the public has complained about you‘ said the park warden. ‘It is typically the players who didn’t make the cut as FDs!‘ replied Giancarlo but the warden would have none of that.
At which point Giancarlo opened the rucksack pretending to look for Hossam’s document granting our Royal football status but extracted instead a FDs season ticket.’ Sorry just found this: would you care for it?’ Quipped Giancarlo. The officer eyes lit up, he grabbed the ticket and immediately such a piece of paper aligned his interests to ours. He turned from the most annoying man on the pitch to the happiest lad in the world and it was Game On. Money might well not buy happiness but FDs tickets certainly do.
The Teams’ selection looked most appropriate: the German core with added Italian flair, Sri Lanka spice and French garlic took on the Rest of the World with some similarities in the geo mix with the comfort of few households names. Most bookmakers waited for the first 10′ before placing their bets as nothing seemed to separate the two teams and no one knew which way the game was going.
Both defences looked impenetrable with Diego and Hannes on the opposite fronts dictating the moves and the tempo. Chetan took possession of the left strip of the pitch and imposed a NIMBY policy deciding if and when to grant access and how to clean the space. Unfortunately for him today there were too many rightful claimants of the Man of the Match award and his money could only get him the title of ‘unsung player of the season’ so far. To take the ‘un’ away and sing his praises Chetan might have to dig deeper…Cryptocurrencies accepted.
Of the many Nations on the pitch it was Sri Lanka that rose to the occasion: first Vansh, aka V, broke the deadlock only for Yuv to level for the Colours. It was an absolute pleasure to see youth unleashed with Stanley and Giacomo also covering themselves in glory. For Vansh and Stanley as Rookeys you could have not scripted a better day! Needless to say Johannes and Yassin left their mark on the game with a brace each. Noblesse oblige!
Keepers had to be on red alert all the time and they prevented the score from going into the double digit. Tony showed fans what they had been missing.
At one point Alessandro made an incredible save from a blank point miskick of one of his defenders. Most of the Man of the Match online voters added the comment that this save should replace Gordon Banks’ one against Pele as ‘best ever’ with a compelling logic. Banks always expected Pele’ to strike while Alessandro was hoping his teammate to clear the ball and not to send it into his own top corner from no distance.
The game could have gone on for weeks and yet everyone knew that only the golden goal would have decided the winner. So, in the interest of time, it went after a heated 6-6. And in the most dramatic and stylish way.
The crowd started the game sitting comfortably then moved as one men to the edge of their seat and soon after stood up leaning forward as to be closer to the ball. When Christian sent home with a flying semi-volley a glorious ball from Vansh on the left there was no barrier nor steward that could contain the fans from invading the pitch and almost abusing their idols.
It was probably the game with most deserving Man of the Match: Alessandro, Yassin, Johannes, Yuv, Vansh, Giacomo.
Had Alessandro sided with the winning team he would have snatched the trophy but there were plenty to choose in the winning team as well: so it was well accepted that the clinical finishing, the pinpointed assists and the dribbling skills of Vansh tilted voters in his direction. He had to call a Uber car to bring home the MOTM trophy, the hat trick ball and the Rookie medal.
It was a nail biting game from start to end, for those left with any nails. Another fitting page in the never ageing story of FDs and their Kids.
ORANGE-COLOUR 7-6
GOALS
ORANGE: Vansh (3), Yassin (2), Stanley, Christian
COLOURS: Yuv (2), Johannes (2), Giacomo (2)
TEAMS:
ORANGE: Tony L, Chetan, Christian, Diego, Stanley, Yassin, Sara, Giancarlo, Vansh.
COLOURS: Alessandro, Andre’, Hannes, Julien, Tom, Johannes, Thomas, Yuv, Giacomo, Francesco