R. Wavre Limal

Sunday morning, Ladies in green went to Wavre to take vengeance on the previous match. Yes, that one which the ref thought he was referring another kind of sport and added 12 minutes after the regular time, resulting in a tie and, a few minutes later, a lost for us.

Concerning the weather, far from ideal, so windy we couldn’t hear our teammates 1,5 meter away. Ball not keeping its place on goal kicks, corners and faults were the new rule.

Whistle blows, time to focus, our 3 points this time!

First half time the ball was playing our side, at least wind-wise. Referee was fair, absolutely no need to complain.

The resistance from Wavre and our lack of confidence, or perhaps anxiety to construct with the ball, lead to the half time 0-0.

Time to go back to the white container improvised as changing room. We noticed we could do better, as we always do in our trainings, treating the ball as we treat our beloved ones (with care).

Concerns about how we should construct with the ball and notes about dangerous players were raised. We knew we could beat them, they were not running more than us, neither were too physical as some other teams we faced. We were ready to take them down.

Second half starts, wind in their favor and sun against us, is it a prediction?

More disputes, more long balls and several throw-ins due to the bad weather follow.

Until one ball, apparently inoffensive, going to their goalkeeper happens and Fra, in a smart movement coming from the right side, also go towards the ball and sends a not-so-nice invitation to their goalkeeper, battle set. Some qualities Fra has: velocity and bravery. Despite her cold, she gets the ball, cuts her opponent and finishes it inside the goal. What a relief!

Defense working beautifully, Lily defending very well at left side, AJ and Jenny communicating clearly to avoid opponent’s long balls behind their backs. For Wavre, the path in there was inexistent.

Wavre had the chance to attack, Mari did 2 great saves in a row, barely seeing the ball due to the bright sun. Our opponents were now believing they could revert the result.

A fault took place, they had now a straight line to our goal. Our defense is set. Unfortunately, what we wanted to avoid all the time happened. A header towards the goal before Mari could reach the ball.
1-1. Still 18 minutes to go.

With a more fearless opponent, and a ball kept in our part of the field, with no intention, (although happening quite a lot in a short period of time) referee touched the ball and Wavre had a restart, in maybe 1 or 2 touches they managed to put the ball in a good position for a good cross from their right side, and that’s exactly what happened, at 2 minutes until the end of the match. The wind that was now on their side blows the ball a bit further, and what seemed to be a good cross, turned out to be a great shot, making it to go over Mari and inside our net.

Similarly to what happened in our first match, Wavre turned again the match in their favor in the last minutes.

Some lessons:
– Always count on bad luck for us. Lack of focus, even for 1 second can result in a goal for the opposite side.
– Learn a better way to construct from defense to attack under pressure.

This Sunday’s home game against Wavre Limal was set on a perfectly calm autumn day. Excitement was in the air, as both Ladies 2 and 3 were playing at the same time. This was going to be a good and competitive match, with teams ranked right after each other on the league table.

The first half was full of action, with both teams playing very well. As clear sign of the team getting to know each other more, the ladies had great communication, and played very well together as a unit. The ladies had an extremely strong and collective defensive form, led by their solid backline. Even though FC Irlande had some good attacking plays, no goals were scored by either team on the first half.

The second half ended up being a little more emotional.
The rest of the 90 minute game consisted of much more quick changes of direction and through balls. It was great to notice the team implementing what they have been practicing throughout the last few weeks. This was seen in the ladies being able to switch the ball from one side to another, where there was more space.

At minute 82’, Mel scored a great goal, making the game 1-0. (special thanks to Mel for coming to help out Ladies 2)
90 minutes had been played, and the game was 1-0 to FC Irlande. Only thing missing was the final whistle, and everyone could go celebrate at the buvette. No such whistle came. The ladies became agitated, and Wavre Limal was able to score on overtime to even up the score. With much rage and confusion in the air, the opposition was able to score quickly again, to make the score 1-2. And then, right after (of course), the final whistle came.

Despite a few temper tantrums and red cards, (somehow Fran was able to dodge this) we can say that FC Irlande played extremely well, and can be proud of this Sunday’s performance.

If we have to note a positive side to this unlucky situation, we should take this as a lesson to never give up, and to ALWAYS play until the end, regardless of how unbelievable the circumstances are.