Brussels British 5

Brussels British 2–1 FC Irelande

Local derby. Tough opponent. Another top team. Another game where the Greens made them work for it.

This Saturday, FC Irelande travelled to face Brussels British, currently among the top teams in the league. We managed to put together a strong team defensively, with good options in midfield, although we were missing some firepower and speed up front.

Nevertheless, we had a very competitive team and went into the game with a clear plan: stay compact, defend in a low block and be aggressive in midfield, making it difficult for the Brits to play through us.

It took them some time to understand how to play around our organisation. We were disciplined, compact and made them work for every metre. Unfortunately, their persistence and patience eventually paid off, and they managed to score twice in the first half.

2–0 at half-time.

The Greens came out for the second half knowing we needed to take more risks. We pushed higher when attacking, tried to win the ball further up the pitch and committed more players forward.

That naturally opened up the game, but it also gave us opportunities.

At one point, after a good move down our left, the Brits recovered the ball but couldn’t play their way out because of our pressure. The ball eventually found Gonçalo inside the box and just as he was preparing to shoot, a British defender committed a foul.

Penalty.

David Garcia stepped up and executed it perfectly.

2–1.

We leave with a 2–1 defeat, but once again with plenty of positives.

It was a very difficult and physical game, but we showed once again that against another top team, you don’t beat the Greens without running, fighting and sweating for every ball.

That’s the spirit we need to keep.

And a special congratulations to our Man of the Match, Karl, who put in a great performance.

Greens. Keep fighting! 💚⚽️