Young Lions wow veterans with stellar performance
When a match ends 10:9 you know it’s been entertaining, and so was last Saturday’s encounter which pitched the combined forces of the Al-Bassam and Wittig families against a Bibbed team built around the Ragni father-son duo, Paride and his friend Keith (from Hong Kong), and further strengthened by star players Bijan and Julien.
There were some debates that the teams might not be well balanced but since it was not clear which way the imbalance went, the game went ahead regardless.
The initial score line of 3:3 suggested that it was an even battle, although the Colours then surged ahead, for a 9:4 lead.
This caused frustration among the Bibbed team who had approached the match with a snobbish entitlement, wrongly expecting a certain superiority over a team that included three very young Nizard’s sons.
Unusually, Nizard provided the Colours’ defensive foundation (normally Hannes’ domain), helped by Aliyah, while Johannes was being a “good son” and set up Hannes to score an unlikely hattrick (normally Nizard’s domain). Khaled and Ziyad, the other two Nizard’s sons, contributed to the Colours’ play with amazing concentration and skills. They were everywhere on the pitch, often stealing the ball from their opponents, and combining well in front of goal.
Speaking of “good sons”, Andrea decided it was his day to hit the goal from distance, scoring at least four goals as well. He inspired the bibbed team to step up a gear, and so the match got close again, with the Colours’ lead narrowed to 10:8.
At this point it was decided to play for the Golden Goal, scored masterfully by Paride who managed to get his full force behind the ball, despite close marking from Hannes.
It was a true family day, with the young lions taking center stage, scoring most of the goals and showing veterans that there is no space for complacency.
Rookie Keith was ecstatic after the match, and promised to be back soon.
When asked why he played the first ten minutes with his smartphone in his hand, he offered a vague reply, saying he was waiting a call from a customer. Unconvincing.
Most likely he was using Google Maps to figure out where to go, or perhaps he was questioning ChatGPT on the best way to go past Nizard. Either way, FD regulation forbids the use of any electronic equipment during the match, so he had to put it down.
After the match, Paride and Hannes were seen reacting one of the toughest challenges seen on the pitch (see picture) to try to agree whether it was a foul or no.
The Italian rock had vigorously tackled the German, perhaps too vigorously, and both ended on the ground. A clash of titans, in a pivotal moment of the match.
Thank God the youngsters were not in the proximity!