Outnumbered Bibs fight hard and find solace with Golden Goal

It was “half term, full fun” at Kensington Gardens yesterday as 17 players fought on the pitch until their last ounce of energy had gone.

The absence of the usual kids training camps allowed the teams to set up the pitch in their old ground, in front of the Palace, rather than by the Pond. This immediately drew back fond memories of all the great matches played on that grass (and it was nice to have benches available nearby). The odd number of players, however, meant that once again one team was going to have an (unfair?) advantage.

Playing with the extra man, the Unbibs enjoyed long ball possession and moved the ball with confidence. With a formidable front line that included Francesco, Johannes and Julien, nicely supported by the likes of Ben and Thomas in midfield, the Unbibs were spoilt for options every time they arrived in front of the Bibs’ goal.  The goals (two by Ben and one by Francesco) arrived duly, putting them ahead with a comfortable 3-0 and raising concerns that the match could end with a goleada. 

However, only a fool could think that a team that included the whole Galal trio, plus superstars like Khaled, JeremyG and Victor, would succumb so easily. In fact, they used the half time break to formulate a new strategy and restarted the match with greater clarity and focus.

Adam had been terrific for the whole first half, with the whole Unbibs team struggling to contain him. In the second half he upped his game and was literally devastating, moving from one side to the other at the speed of light, and controlling the ball with the precision and elegance of another well-know UK-based egyptian.  After one of his many dribbling the ball arrived to Khaled, who score from a distance. Soon after, the Unbibs scored back bringing back the gap to three goals (4-1). This pattern repeated itself a couple of times, with both teams scoring one after the other (6-3).

The Bibs efforts were not enough to change the destiny of the match but deserved a reward, which came in the form of a lovely Golden Goal. A partial victory that gave Bibs a well deserved solace.

Adam was humbled to receive the Man of the Match Award but he didn’t lose the occasion to send a veiled threat to the Dads: “I wasn’t able to play the last Master Game, but I will certainly make it for the next one. And I am sure that day every team will have the same number of players!”