Line up: Puig, Yugueros, Mineo, Bon, Gunter, Ricketts, Skoniezki, Henriquez, Pereira, Lambers, Deschamps / Subs: Wetzel, Vazquez

After two football-free Saturdays due to Belgian "winter” weather, RBBFC2 were back in Rosières to continue their epic challenge for promotion to D1. Players were welcomed to the good news that this home game was to be exceptionally played on the much beloved astro turf, foregoing the grass pitch which was left in miserable conditions after some heavy rainfall. This decision naturally left some players (Henriquez) more satisfied than others (Bon).

A change of formation was needed following last game’s defeat, going back to a 4-3-3. Unlike two weeks ago, RBBFC2 were off to a good start this time around, managing to get the ball down, controlling the opponent and creating some space in midfield. This resulted in some passing combinations in the early minutes, driven by the creativity of the new midfield pairing of Ricketts and Skoniezki together with the more offensive-minded Henriquez. The logical outcome soon arrived, when Skoniezki passed the ball into the feet of striker Deschamps on the edge of the box who, turning the defender inside out, suddenly found himself in front of the goalkeeper to do what he does best: score goals. Cool as a cucumber, he slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to give the mighty Whites the early lead. The second goal was soon to follow and the result of a fine lead-up play, with RBBFC2 again cruising through midfield. Following a one-two combination with Skoniezki, the gifted Frenchman with Chilean roots Horacio "Horacito Baby” Henriquez produced the finest of touches that Zizou would have been proud of, before putting the ball in the back of the net. Celebrations were ecstatic following this much deserved early two goal cushion.

The midfield continued to go for a few casual strolls through the middle of the park where acres of space were offered to them by the kind visitors, though failing to show the final sense of urge in the finishing. At this stage of the game with the away side falling apart, three points could have already been in the bag for RBBFC2. However this being ABBSA division 2 and not Champions League football, a series of mistakes all of a sudden allowed visitors Gast FC to bounce back. Their very agile striker sneaked between the two defenders Bon and Gunter, receiving a long ball from midfield to score the 1-2. Now the game was on and from what looked like a very one-sided affair in the first 20 minutes, an open and balanced match was emerging. It was thanks to "El Capitano” Puig that the equalizer did not come, as the Catalan goalkeeper pulled out a fine save with his left leg to deny the Gast striker on a one on one situation. Had the scouts of Standard de Liège been present in the Walloon outpost that is Rosières, they probably would have reconsidered their recent signing of Catalunya’s other famous goalkeeper Victor Valdes, and opted for Puig instead. Luckily this was not the case and RBBFC can count on its captain at least until the next transfer window opens.

The main takeaway from the half-time speech was that if control over midfield was to be maintained, victory would be ours. Early in the second half, both teams were neutralising each other and the whites could not take advantage from the few chances they created, despite the entrance of some fresh legs (Wetzel for Pereira and Vazquez for Lambers). Instead, this period saw a back-and-forth between the Gast defenders kicking long balls into the RBBFC half, answered by the iron head of Fred "c’est bon pour le/la morale” Bon, leaving his teammates jobless and wondering why they even turned up.

The away side getting increasingly frustrated by their own performance, were soon to show the ugly side of football. As Puig intercepted another long ball, the Gast FC striker, without having any realistic chance to play the ball, decided to push Bon into our goalkeeper, leaving both players with massive headaches. More interestingly, this resulted in the majority of Gast players trying to pick a fight with Bon (or was it the other way round?).

As tempers had calmed again, relief finally came when Gast FC opened up more their defense pushing for the equalizer. El Capitano’s smart tactical move paid off, as the new entries soon left their mark. Wetzel broke free on the right wing following a fine pass from Vazquez, to go past the goalkeeper who had stormed out of his net. A first attempt was blocked by a defender, but Wetzel took the second chance to calmly cross the ball on to the feet of Deschamps who, being faster than the defender, finished nicely with a right-footed shot that came off the underside of the crossbar. Game over it seemed, but not for the Gast striker. That same player that arguably could have been sent off then went to receive another pass at the edge of the box to blast a left-footed wonder strike in the top left corner, much to the disappointment of the two victims of his previous attack who could not deny this goal. In the end, this late goal did not have a significant impact as the score remained at 3-2 (also referred to as "2-2”, according to Bon who clearly suffered from his collision) to RBBFC2 which thanks to a solid team effort never came under serious doubt. The Whites are back on track to challenge JAFT at the top of the league!

MoM and Reporter: Patrick « Hero » Skoniezki