Goalois 2

Kickoff against top-of-the-table Goalois 2 was delayed, building suspense for a heavyweight clash. Conditions were ideal, with the sun beaming down on the Racing White grounds in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.

The game got off to a quick start, with a mesmerising tiki-taka move to set up an initial shot on goal within the first minute, pumping up the adrenaline. But the tides turned when another ball made its way into our box, resulting in a scrappy finish. The ball just rolled over the line before Dan was able to claw it back.

We kept Matt’s teamtalk about resetting mentally in mind, and started fresh. The football began to flow again right away. Twenty minutes later, we were on the board after Sepp won back the ball himself and had another great solo effort to put away our first.

The game was physical, with plenty of shoulder-to-shoulder and a lot of fouls. Sepp and Mike in particular were workhorses, maneuvering around multiple midfielders to get a toe in and turnover possession. We had several more chances in the first half, and looked great on the ball. It stayed 1-1 at half time.

The Turds continued playing well into the second half, winning balls in the air and stringing together passes. The referee called us for about a dozen offsides over the course of the game, which was frustrating to see. But our superior physicality showed even as both teams tired, while intensity spiked – we wanted it more. So we pushed on. Reflecting in last weekend’s comeback defeat, we had to prove we wanted it more.

Matt’s managerial experience was highlighted by some impactful changes throughout the half. Andrea came on and added additional speed to the right side, played through by Sylvain and clinically finishing a great hit across the goalie.

2-1 up, we elevated further. The football was fluid, and Mike V turned from a workhorse into a stallion, winning back the ball every minute, sometimes even from a prone position. The build up play began with both of our fullbacks, with Edu and Tiemen feeding it to Sepp, Andrea and Giulio, before getting a few more shots on goal. A particularly good strike came from Mike V, who tried to curl one into the top far corner from distance, which the goalie managed to save.

The game fired up to another level, with a bit more pushing and shoving. I was lucky to escape without a second yellow card after body-checking a young winger on the sideline, and feigning injury to deceive the referee into thinking I wasn’t the perpetrator. Shortly after, Sepp hushed the small crowd of Goalois faithfuls by lobbying the keeper from 40yds, sealing a 3-1 lead with five to play. Again, pure determination from him resulting in a solo turnover and goal.

A convincing win against a quality, but clearly outplayed, side. The play was fluid, the physicality was high, and we really fought for it. Honorable mention to the sideline enthusiasm from Matt and Guus. The beers flowed afterwards, with four large pitchers consumed, reflecting just how thirsty the lads were for some good quality footy.

FT: 3-1 win.
MOTM: Jack