The power of five

A masterclass from Yassin allowed his Mediterranean team to stay ahead for most of the match but was not enough to secure the final victory against a resilient Mitteleuropean team.
Clearly inspired by the recent performances of the Atlas Lions in Qatar, and by the presence of his two sons, our Moroccan superstar played today one of his best matches. Aided by fellow Moroccan Yusuf, Yassin moved from one goal to the other, dribbling countless opponents and scoring abundantly. Playing with them, Francesco started impressively, scoring with his first ball after passing through two defenders with a piece of skill a-la-Messi, and continued to be a thorn in the side for the whole match. Lybian Al, who completed the team, brought additional Mediterranean flavour.
The Mitteleuropean team had two Germans (Hannes, Johannes), one French (Julien) and one from the Netherlands, rookie Raymond. A strong player who played as a veteran, reminding us of Ronald Koeman. The Dutch influence was immediately felt, as the team adopted a ‘total football’ style. Hannes, usually quite stable in defense, moved very often in front, and managed to score a few. Quite soon their team got the addition of a fifth player with Oliver, back after his debut last week, this time with proper boots.
Despite the extra man, the MittelEuropeans stayed behind for most of the match, but with the Chinese on the pitch they had more options and stamina. Eventually, they capitalised on their advantage scoring three goals in succession and getting the lead. Call it the power of five. The Golden Goal, scored by Raymond, confirmed their victory.
A pacific pitch invasion by the two Yassin’s sons, in full festive mode, was the best possible conclusion of the morning.
Little Amine showed great interest for the ball and started to play with it, a smile on his face. It might take a couple of years before he is tall enough to play with us, but that moment will come sooner than you think.