A depleted 1st team were at home against newly promoted Hermes. Bolstered by seconds captain Gabe & Dario from the 4ths with injured old-timers Alvaro & Sigve on the bench & Ciarán on a train platform in Germany it was all hands on deck but some off track. Started off well & went ahead when a nice ball from Erik to Luke who played to James on the edge of the box, lovely first touch with his right, swivelled, he likes swivelling & buried in the corner with his left. We then should have had a penalty but conceded immediately after from a defensive mix-up, nice finish. Very even then but we got a lucky break when their defender passed to Tiago who ran through, rounded the keeper & finished well to put us 2-1 up at HT. Second half we retreated a bit, half chances each way, we probably should have added a 3rd, they had a shout for a penalty too. Sigve with a 10 minute cameo at the end for Dario & we held on. Big thanks to Dario & Gabe who were both excellent, hopefully more players to return next week to keep the pressure on Brussels British. Motm Luke on his return after injury but a real club effort overall.

On a warmer and sunny afternoon FC Irelande stepped out confidently on the home pitch against Forestois.

Our defensive line held down the opponents to nearly zero opportunities to score. The midfield was quite efficient finding in incisive passes over and under the lines of the opposing side.

In the first half, a beautiful through ball into was played into Lolo where he found himself 1 on 1 against their keeper, however he selflessly placed right into Jaret to put up FC Irelande 1-0.

Shortly after the break, Jouke placed a great ball in between their defence’s high line leading to Jaret chipping the keeper. 2-0.

Overall, we had many opportunities to further the lead but left with another win this weekend.

MOTM : Jaret

This Saturday ladies 1 went all the way to sunny cold Charleroi for the 10th match of the season. The ladies were missing some key starting players but counted on critical help from ladies 2 (thanks AJ and Marianne!) and our brilliant coach JS.

The ladies started the match on the wrong foot, as at the very start they conceded an own goal. Charleroi took advantage of the momentum and scored the 2-0 10 minutes in. Charleroi was pressing high and making trouble for the defensive line but the ladies in green held up well. At half time, the ladies regrouped, JS got our spirits up, and Alura came in as right back.

And oh boy what a second half they played! The ladies demonstrated why the play national league, no matter how big the bench of the other team or how loud their supporters, they know how to play the beautiful game. The greens played an excellent football only exceeded by their intensity and commitment. Rebecca scored the 2-1 at the start of the second half, flawlessly finishing a 1v1 after a brilliant pass by Sarah. Sabrina, our new star in wing, also had great chances. The midfield trio, Olivia, Sarah and Rebecca, was on fire and made great plays. Nikki came in for Alessia for a last push and did well in the left wing. The ladies ended the game proud to have turned the match around and having fought until the last minute.

PS: Big kudos to Nikki for her first match back after injury and to Alura for not losing her phone.

4ths were looking to stop this awful run of we dont even know how many losses in a row.
We were facing today our old « friend » from mymol for a relegation battle.

We didn’t have our best team today but we had 15 warriors who gave it all.
From Matteo having his best season game to Draga pressing every ball, we gave everything.
We took the lead quite early by Artem for his first goal in green heading a free-kick on the 2nd post.
We suffered a bit more in the 2nd half but scored this so important 2nd goal by Grisha who just entered some minutes before.
A big confidence boost! And we leave the bottom place to our opponent.
Beers will taste better tonight.
Motm Alex and Artem

On a frosty Saturday night, FCI Ladies III travelled to Braine-l’Alleud to play against one of the top teams in the league. We knew it was never going to be an easy match, especially given our small squad, but nevertheless, our 12 winter soldiers were determined to show their best game.

R.C.S Branois start the match strong and create danger with their skilful attackers. The strongest of them is able to dribble through FCI’s midfield and defence to score the first goal for the hosts. Despite this cold shower, FCI keeps calm and builds its own game and keeps the opposition away from other dangerous occasions. The first half is very even and FCI finds some good combinations in attacking too, especially on the right wing with Beaty and Lola.  No more goals are scored so the first half ends on 1-0.

In the second half, FCI is bringing even more danger in the attacking zone while some important saves by Marina are keeping FCI in the game and giving us the much-needed confidence for our defensive phase. Even in corners, FCI is managing to clear the situation quickly, notably with Maz clearing one with a header. However, towards the 70^’ R.C.S. Branois manages to score their second goal of the evening. FCI is now facing a steep uphill climb but, despite having only one sub, the team is pushing even harder towards the end. The pressure is mounting for the Branois who are now scrambling to clear the danger from their goal area, especially after the impressively long throw-ins by Karissa.  A freekick from Sandra creates a big commotion by the goal but FCI does not manage to kick the ball in and in one of the last actions Julia, Lola and Clemence are bringing the ball up but end up too close to the goalkeeper. The match ends 2-0.

While we lost, the match showed again that we can create danger against the top teams and keep the game even. The goals are still not there but if we keep on playing like this (and training in attacking phases), they will eventually come. Everyone gave their 150% on the pitch and outside of it (huge thanks to Antoine and Angela for braving the cold to be there) and we had fun playing together which shows: when even the opposition coach wants to compliment the team and say, “your ranking does not reflect your level”, we are definitely going to the right direction.

At the end of the cold and eventful evening, we also got some gingerbreads and “best sandwiches yet” before heading home. And as it was heard on our bench right after the match, “there’s always le match retour”.

Player of the Match: Beaty

Early Sunday morning trip to the wuthering Jodoigne for FC Irlande Ladies III to face the third team in the ranking, R.A.S. Jodoigne.

FCI takes control of the match since the starting whistle. The first opportunity to score arrives quite soon for the ladies in green with Clémence who, from inside the penalty area, finds the space for a shot that is, however, stopped by the opponent’s goalie. Throughout the first half, FCI creates several goal-scoring opportunities. Long passes find the space between Jodoigne’s goalie and defence putting FCI’s strikers in favourable conditions to score. Not-perfect timing and coldness in the attacking phase and in front of the goal allow Jodoigne to recover and block these attacking actions. By the end of the first half, FCI has two other opportunities to score: the first with Marianne who attempts a long-range shot and the second with Clémence who, this time, tries to score with a shot from the edge of the box. Despite the effort of FCI, the first half ends 0-0.

In the second half, the wind turns. Jodoigne enters the match with intensity and determination pressuring FCI. Thanks to their ball circulation and skills, Jodoigne scores the opening goal. A cross coming from FCI’s left side finds the rapacious touch of Jodoigne’s striker who anticipates any defensive intervention. The wind and Jodoigne’s renovated effort obstacle FCI’s attacking manoeuvre. Roxanne tries a shot but from a too-defiladed position to worry the goalkeeper. The match ends 1-0.

Despite giving 100% in all our matches and always fighting to bring home the result, considering the position of Jodoigne in the ranking, it was not really realistic to think of winning this match. So, in the end, we should not be so disappointed about the final result and should be encouraged by the team’s excellent performance. But, for the way the result arrived, it is hard not to be. As against Saint-Michel, we defended well and created several opportunities to score (more than our opponents) but we could not capitalise on those opportunities. Now we need commitment, focus and intensity during the training to find the missing piece.

Player(s) of the match: Marianne and Marina