When Luis met Football Dads and Kids
So much for fearing only few players would turn up for the game at half term! Some 25 players could not wait for the kick off whistle to signal the start of another battle where no mercy would be shown to the losers, on and off the pitch, on the stands and off the streets.
Amazingly, while in the past having more kids than Dads was an exception lately it seems to be the rule! To my count there was an overwhelming majority of young guns: we had 16 kids and 9 Dads and I’m not counting myself as a Kid though nobody would notice…
This authorises the conclusion that finally Kids have accepted that Kensington Gardens on a Saturday morning is the best motorway to a long, enjoyable and successful journey in football. It is indeed the place where individual skills get a boost from a disciplined, yet ever changing team approach. ‘If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together’ as they say.
Many new players graced the game as well: Battista, a friend from Andrea M, a super dynamic and gifted midfielder combining agility and technique with ‘catch me if you can’ written all over it. Anton K was also a key component od the winning team, never giving up even when heavily down. Daniel Z and Karim where new faces to the writer but perhaps had already shown their skills and pace before. Nadir was also back in the game.
With such a cocktail of youngster and die-hards no one expected an ordinary game dominated by tactics. It was an all-attack match from the first minute in the full knowledge that finding his own name among the scorers would be something any fan would register in his own footie hard disk. Orange had the advantage of having in Alessandro the only available role keeper but Colours had an explosion of youth in the ranks with Julien, Andrea M and Francesco providing expertise in the three key zones of the pitch. The mind has to go back a long way, and yet search, to find such an exquisite midfield with each player pressing the opponent, including the keeper, regardless the role at such a speed that opposition was left with no reference points, chasing shadows all the time.
Some fine commentators pointed out that Luis Enrique tactics for the CL final were none of his own making but simply mirrored what some of his team spied in the morning before the final. Difficult to prove it but at times truth is self evident and does not require else. Still, this is another case where a drone would have served us well and perhaps a last minute moral suasion to FIFA and FIGC to send FD&Ks instead of Inter would have spared a ‘figuraccia’ for Italian football…
As for the first few goals by the Colours delving into history might help appreciate the extent of what was achieved on the pitch: back in the day Napoli and Palermo were both part of the ‘Regno delle due Sicilie’ and two of the most prominent cities in Europe, rivalling in art and commerce. When the capital was early moved from Palermo to Napoli the Sicilians didn’t like it and there was not much cooperation, to say the least.
Well, today Francesco and Giuseppe, respectively from Palermo and Naples, put that bad blood aside and work seamlessly as a team combing to score a hat-trick with Francesco as the finalizer and Giuseppe the selfless provider. Francesco also got the privilege to sign the new ball as being the first scorer with it. Needless to say the ball is going to be auctioned. Bidders at less than six figures are kindly advised to abstain.
Matteo and Johannes tried hard to steady the Orange boat who was at risk of sinking as the attacking waves of the Colours did not relent and put Alessandro, without whom it would have been already game over, under enormous pressure.
It is indeed when the going get tough that the toughs get going and each and everyone of the Orange answered the call of duty and, unbelievable as it looked, managed to beat the clock to fill the three goals gap bringing the score at 5-5 preparing the stage for an almost unreal golden goal. It was up to Jonathan to seal the perfect yet most unlikely remuntada of recent times with an imperious shot who left the incredulous Colours’ fans stunned while their Orange counterparts started wild celebration as that was real CL final played few hours in advance.
There were many deserving Man of the Match among Colours like Battista, Francesco, Giuseppe but being on the losing side deprived them of those few millions votes critical to win such a competitive contest. Johannes was the man behind the Remuntada leading the team to the draw but what will stay in the eyes and minds of the fans is Jonathan golden goal that allowed him to be back as MOTM after a while.
Today’s show made the CL final an half adrenaline shot: instead both set of fans in Kensington Gardens were taken through hell and heaven many times back and forth and that is a weekly exercise. Which begs the final question: why do football fans bother with teams other than FDs and FKs?
ORANGE-COLOURS 6-5
GOALS
ORANGE: Johannes (2), Matteo, Nadir (og), Jonathan
COLOURS: Francesco (3), Al, Yuness
TEAMS
ORANGE: Alessandro, Hossam, Joshua, Gabbi, Thomas, Anton K, Karim, Daniel Z, Johannes, Giancarlo, Matteo, Jonathan
COLOURS: Bijan, Gillan, Andrea M, Julien, Battista, Nadir, Giuseppe, Federico, Ishan, Yuness, Al, Francesco, Arman