Yassin’s epic finale not enough to win against a solid Bibs side
“He can’t possibly make it” said Francesco to Johannes referring to Yassin. After receiving the ball on the right wing, the moroccan star had kicked it ahead, essentially passing it to himself, then started to run to get past Hannes and Hossam, who were well ahead of him. It seemed an impossible task even for him, or at least so it appeared to an exhausted Francesco that at that point of the game could barely walk.
But Yassin had unfinished business. He had been unlucky throughout the whole match, all his attempts at goal frustrated by an impeccable Bibs defense, but had left a bout of energy for the very end, right when the two teams, overtired after 90 minutes of play, were fighting for the Golden Goal. Like a Lamborghini on the fast lane of a german highway, Yassin launched himself ahead at a terrific speed, arrived on the ball before everyone else, touched it again to get a tiny angle in front of TonyL and sent the ball in goal with a missile shot. A golden goal that restored some pride for the losing all-Italian team he had been drafted to join, sealing the score at 3-4.
With almost half of the players coming from the Belpaese, the team makers decided to put all of them in an Azzurri team, although past experiences should have suggested otherwise. After his positive debut last week, Andrea “Puskas” was back with two friends. defender Fabrizio and goalkeeper Vincenzo, who showed great prowess and agility in goal. The three amigos joined forces with veterans Francesco, Massimo, AndreaR, Riccardo, as well as Yassin and Armann. Integrating the new players however proved more difficult than expected for the Azzurri team, who often struggles to find the right positions.
On the other side was a Bibs team entirely composed of veterans who knew exactly what to do. Playing by heart like a classic pianist approaching Für Elise for the 1000th time, they moved the ball with more precision and scored first with Johannes.
Andrea restored parity with a precise long shot after seeing that TonyL had moved a few steps away from his goal (1-1), but the Bibs came back strongly, getting to 3-1 with goals from Nizard and Hossam.
In typical Italian fashion, the Azzurri team suffered from disorganisation and started to break in pieces in the second half. First Fabrizio was out due to ankle injury, then Andrea Puskas suddenly decided to leave the match to attend some family business (seriously?). The remaining players were quick to recruit Bijan from the other side, only to lose him few minutes later in another reshuffle.
The match continued with even greater intensity and tension. Both teams managed to bag another goal, bringing the score to 4-2, before it was time for the Golden Goal delivered in style by Yassin.
That play alone would have made him worthy of the Man Of The Match Award, but the jury felt more appropriate to give it to one of the winning Bibs’ players and chose Hossam, who had offered a masterclass in defense and even managed to score one.
After the match, pundits praised both teams for the intensity and the quality of the play in what was regarded as a memorable encounter, while players were already looking forward to the one next Saturday. Among them was fearless TonyL: “I have sprained my finger trying to stop Yassin’s golden goal. It was a bullet! I will have to rest my hand for the entire week”.
ITALIANS-BIBS 3-4
Teams
AZZURRI
Vincenzo, Francesco, AndreaR (1), Massimo, Riccardo, Andrea Puskas, Fabrizio, Yassin (1), Armann
BIBS
TonyL, Hannes, Hossam (1), Bijan, Julien, Thomas, Nizard (1), Johannes (2)
