They Say It’s Spring
Only 20 minutes before kick-off, a message from Hossam suggested the match be moved to the old pitch by the Palace. Fans were not amused. Some of them had been camping near the Pond for two days, suffering every possible injury from the notorious British spring weather, just to be nearer to the action. The Club was quick to acknowledge that and promptly issued a statement confirming the match would be played by the Pond (which looked more like the North Sea) where the players had already started their warm-up and goals had been put up. And what a show it was.
With only six players per team, the pitch looked unusually large, and every player had plenty of space to roam and move the ball around, although getting near the goal is never an easy task when you play against a FD defense.
Pundits and bookmakers saw Oranges as the underdog, and for good reasons. Not only they didn’t have a professional goalkeeper, but they were also forced to play against a wind blowing at what looked like 220 mph. The effect was evident in the first minute when Massimo launched a long ball to Francesco. The striker thought he guessed the direction well and run towards the point where the ball should have landed, only to find himself in the wrong place. The ball had taken a sudden turn in the air, like a drunk boomerang, and returned back in midfield. Even a PhD in Physics would have struggled to deal with such a neurotic breeze.
Supported by the strong tailwind, and quicker to understand that playing low ball was a wiser strategy, the Colours team scored first with Giacomo. Minutes later, Oranges drew with Matej. The Colours went ahead again, this time with a low shot from Hossam, but the opponents responded with another goal from Johannes after one of his signature progressions on the left side.
2-2 was a fair result at that point, but despite all Oranges’ efforts, the Colours still had the upper hand and scored three times, with Julien, Nizar and Giacomo bringing the score to 5-2. At that point, the Oranges demanded a side switch for the remaining time of the match, which was granted.
Now playing with the wind on their back, the Oranges found new order and precision. Christian went deep on the right side and put the ball on the box for Francesco who quickly moved the ball from one foot to the other, creating the space to shoot it in Paride’s goal, reducing the gap.
Had the momentum of the match switched side as well? Could Oranges showcase a dramatic comeback? We will never know. There was still plenty of time to play, but at that point three players had to leave the pitch for injury, and the numbers just didn’t add up anymore. Reluctantly, the referee blew his whistle for the final time and terminated the match without even allowing a Golden Goal.
“È stata una partita di merda!” concluded colourfully Massimo after the match, clearly unhappy with the outcome. This is a player that sets a very high bar for him and his team and doesn’t take defeats lightly. He will certainly be back next time with added motivation.
The Man of the Match trophy was awarded to Julien, who played with his usual determination, led his Colours team to victory and stoically continued to play after suffering an ankle injury. “We were clearly superior” said the Frenchman after the match “and there is no doubt we would have kept the lead if the match had continued”
Not everyone shared his view. “It’s clear the tailwind was an advantage for the other team” said Johannes. “It’s disappointing (and a bit suspicious) that the match stopped only minutes after we had switched side. I feel we were going to score more…”.
Who is right? Well, don’t look for clarity here. To paraphrase the young Bob Dylan, the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.
COLOURS-BIBS 5-3
GOALS
COLOURS: Giacomo (2), Hossam, Julien, Nizar
ORANGES: Matej, Johannes, Francesco
TEAMS
COLOURS: Paride, Federico, Julien, Giacomo, Nizar, Hossam, Wind (for the most part)
ORANGES: Francesco, Massimo, Christian, Matej, Johannes, Bigin