R.U.S.Loyers

Last Saturday, Ladies 1 went to the beautiful and sunny city of Loyers (city or village, that wasn’t clear), where there was a very disproportionate number of cars parked at the stadium, compared to the number of inhabitants in the city.

But let’s not be fooled by appearances: Loyers is home to the runner-up team of D2. A tough opponent for FC Ireland. However, Ladies 1 proved its full potential last week by shaking down Alken, the reigning leader of the league.

After a few minutes of negotiations with the referee about the color of FC Ireland top base layer (green, white, black?), the whistle blows. A very tough game from the first minutes for Ladies 1… Between their speed and their ability to project themselves forward, the players from Loyers scored after only 4 minutes. Of course the fact that the city of Loyers was in altitude as some of us noticed on the road didn’t help us start the game properly, but apart from that, the opponent’s tactic on the pitch was surgical and Loyers did not miss many opportunities to score during the first half. The game wasn’t going our way and very quickly, Loyers managed to create frustration on Ladies 1’s side by stringing together short quick passes and leading the tempo. Despite our defenders running to cut off the opposition’s deep passes, *especially Michèle, who threw body and soul to hold the opponent (someone was threatened and blackmailed to write this sentence in the match report), Ladies 1 conceded a second goal after 17 minutes, then a third after 25 minutes. The fourth goal came in the 30th minute, plunging Ladies 1’s morale

4 – nill for the first half, but only 1-1 for the second half! Ladies 1 played more aggressively and fought harder in the second half, thanks to a new organisation of the players on the field and another amazing goal from Mel in the 55th minute . This renewed vigour on the field is a positive point to remember for the upcoming games. State of mind and attitude can make the difference on the pitch. Ladies 1 will continue to train hard and come back stronger for the upcoming games!