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*Match Report
FC Irlande (3rd) vs Fossis CS (5th)*
The Thrids arrived back to Nossegem after the winter break to what can only be described as a Cold Ass Day to play football!!
With a slight change to the starting line up due to train delays the Thrids took to the field in good spirits on the back of a 10 game unbeaten run. Inside the first 10 miuntes we found ourselves down 1. After a number of failed attempts to clear the ball, it fell to their winger who drilled it across the 6yard box which led to an unfortunate OG.
We rallied and took over the game with some nice play leading to a number of half chances. Soon later Shane cut in from the left wing to curl a fine shot in over the keeper, 1-1!! A few more half chance missed my us left the game 1-1 at HT with no real threat from Fossis.
We pushed and pushed in the 2nd half for the winner but couldn’t create a clear cut opportunity. With 15minutes to go legs started to get heavy and Fossis began to threaten our goal! Guus took this opportunity to turn into prime Van Der Sar making a number of crucial saves!! With the stand out save being a 40 yard strike destined for the top corner expertly saved 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
A late push in the final 2minutes from the boys with a corner & free kick but it wasn’t to be! Game finished 1-1 and we go 11 games unbeaten.
MOTM Guus
And a shout out to Saul who had to step in as ref and did a great job.
When the thirds rolled up to Walhain to face the mighty Fossis (Les) CS, it wasn’t the pitch, the countryside or the cows in the field that caught their attention, but the Nordic modernist style clubhouse that overlooked the pitch while managing to blend seamlessly into the local landscape.
Sadly, that was the end of any seamlessness for this new look 11, and a scrappy, if effortful performance followed.
The thirds started quite well, controlling the opening exchanges against a burly and experienced bunch of Walhainian men. It became clear early on that the referee was in fact applying the rules of Gaelic football, which the thirds were not expecting. On what was a tight pitch, the thirds did well to work the ball down the wings and send Shane galloping into space. However the thirds suffered a sucker punch ten minutes in when a long range free flukily made its way into the back of our net to make it 1-0 to Fossis (Les) CS.
In the minutes that followed, the opposition put pressure on the thirds defence and we were guilty of not clearing balls definitively. However, we managed to keep the opposition at bay until half time, though we sadly couldn’t find the fluid passing in the middle and final thirds that we saw during last week’s game.
After some encouragement and some “get it together for fucks sake” words at halftime, the thirds started the second half much better, pressurising the opposition in their half and creating some very good chances. The midfield moved the ball well with some delicate one touch passing to get in behind their defence. Max was a towering presence in front of the back four, sweeping up any loose ball. Shane was busy up front holding up the ball and getting on the end of some good chances. The defence managed to force the opposition into mostly sending long “hit and hope balls” to the forwards.
But still, what was the undoing of the thirds today was our inability to string more than a few passes together, the result being that we never found much rhythm. Despite terrific effort from all, we didn’t manage to find an equaliser.
Post match? Well, it was back to the Nordic modernist clubhouse for some beers, with guest of honour Gav lifting everyone’s spirits with a large tray of golden Jupiler. Timo was very deservedly named Man of the match. All in all, it was a nice Saturday morning, and we go again next week.