FC Irlande Ladies 3

Sunday, 15 September, marks the first home match for FC Irlande Ladies III which welcomes FC Wolves Brussels.

FC Wolves starts controlling the match from the first minute and it takes them only 7 minutes to score the opening goal. Determined to find another one, FC Wolves keeps pushing, going close to the goal from a corner kick but Maz is well-positioned to stop the ball line. The attacking manoeuvre of FC Wolves leads to a second goal at 15’. Despite the pressure on the FCI midfield and defence, the team tries to get out of the defensive half and to trouble a not-always-solid FC Wolves’ defence. Angela scores the goal that would have opened the match but is disallowed due to a previous Beaty’s foul. The first half ends with a result of 0-2.

The second half remains under the control of FC Wolves. This time, it is Clémence to save a goal on the line keeping the result of 0-2. But it is not long-lasting and FC Wolves scores the third goal at 57’. At 65’, Roxanne takes advantage of an opponent’s defensive mistake and finds the goal of the 3-1, scoring the first goal of FCI Ladies III season. Ten minutes later, FC Wolves scores the fourth and last goal of the game. The match ends 1-4.

As expected it was a tough match and FC Wolves showed good quality in their game and technique. The final result is pretty heavy but we still managed to score the first goal of our season demonstrating that even against a difficult opponent we can find our way to the goal.

Player of the match: Roxanne

On one of the last sunny Sundays of the year, FC Irlande Ladies travels to Lasne to play against R Union Lasne Ohain B.

The game stays balanced during the first few minutes of the first half. FCI attempts to capitalise on some corner kicks while Lasne Ohain tries to be dangerous by playing on the wings. It is from one of these actions that Lasne Ohain, at 17’, finds the space to score. The opponent’s striker anticipates FCI’s defence and finds a deflection that beats Olatz. Despite the disappointing episode, FCI does not lose its cool and stays with the head in the game. The dribbles of Roxanne and Angela and the uncertainty of Lasne Ohain’s goalkeeper give some hope for a goal but the hope does not materialise. The first half ends 1-0 for the home team.

FCI starts the second half. Angela tries to find Roxanne on the wing with a long ball but the opponent’s defence stops the attempt. The second part of the match does not see the teams having big chances to score. Lasne Ohain almost finds the second goal from a corner kick but it fails to score an open goal. The clearest and last opportunity of the match is for FCI. Béa in front of the goalkeeper is not calm enough to finalise the goal-scoring opportunity. This action closes the match with the result of 1-0 for Lasne Ohain.

The match against Lasne Ohain always brings back the memories of the first match the refounded FCI Ladies III played and of the ditzy and rambling team we were. The result of the two matches is the same, we lost (the first time 3-0). But, in reality, the results hide two different stories. In the first match, we were destroyed and we were lucky to only lose 3-0. In this season’s match, we were more or less at the same level and we lost due to one of the few, if not the only, distractions in the defensive phase. And also, nice sandwiches at the buvette.

Player of the match: Angela

After the successful friendly against Liverpoules, FC Irlande Ladies III is ready to start the season officially. On a thrilling Friday night, it is the match against RRC d’Etterbeek to get the ball rolling. Not an easy match for FCI, RRC d’Etterbeek has been relegated from P1 and, with its young team, can hurt the experienced FCI side.

Etterbeek does the kick-off of the game and is the first to have control of the ball. Etterbeek tries to be dangerous but the usual solid defence and the special guest in goal for the opening match, Marie, frustrates any attempts of the opponent. Only a loose ball in the penalty area, after a corner kick, gives us some shivers down the back but it comes to nothing. A renewed and dynamic FCI offensive line keeps pressure on Etterbeek’s defence. The two teams are equal and this is also reflected by the result. The first half ends scoreless.

The second half continues along the same line as the first one. Despite the not-excellent physical conditions, FCI keeps playing with intensity and stands up to the opponent. The most dangerous goal-scoring opportunities arrive through some free-kicks from the limit of the penalty area but a decisive touch to put the ball in goal is missing. Noisy home supporters push Etterbeek to win the match but this is not enough to break FCI’s defence. The match ends 0-0.

The first point of the season could have not arrived earlier. Unlike the previous season, we did not need to wait for the Belgian cold and rain to celebrate. An encouraging start to the season not only for the results but also for how the team played. FCI has the same spirit and even more confidence compared to last season. Not big scoring opportunities were conceded to the opponents and more importantly, the team was able to keep more control of the ball and create interesting networks of passes. More work needs to be done but if a good morning can be seen right at the sunrise…

Player of the match: Clémence