Line-up: Puig, Rossi, Vazquez, Gunter, Lo Presti, Legère, McGirr, Wetzel, Belalij (Mazurkiewicz), Deschamps, Lambers (Godefroid)

Stakes are high as RBBFC are called to set things back on track after a faulty start of the season. Training attendance leaves little doubts as to the team’s commitment and lust for (sport) revenge. The only uncertainties concerned the pitch: grass, no grass? Astro, no astro? Studs, no studs? Bottom line: bring all the boots you have and look for no excuses.

‘El Capitano’ Puig delivers a tough, no-nonsense speech in the locker room to ignite the players’ hearts and minds: intensity and concentration until the end.

The team has a shy start though, suffering the opponents’ long balls and the bad conditions of the pitch on the flanks. A couple of corners for RBBFC are just enough to test Ettekijs’ defense while one of their counterattacks was to create a headache.

Ettekijs’ right wing fiddles with the ball in our box, Belalij’s attempts to catch it make the player lose his balance. Enough for the referee to grant a penalty. A generous call even for ‘90s Italian football standards. 1 goal down and a wake-up call for RBBFC which finally start to build some combinations using its skilful players. They were not poised to give three points up. Not this time.

The wait was about to end. Belalij picks up the ball for a throw-in in the opponent’s half. ‘Dreamy eyes’ Lo Presti rushes to offer him a solution, controls the ball with the chest, flick it with his right foot and smash it with his left from a sizeable distance. A sumptuous goal for the team’s comeback right before the end of the first half.

RBBFC control the second half from the beginning, making good use of the defense attentiveness and the good combinations between the midfield and the attack.

After taking Lambers’ place next to Deschamps, Godefroid converts a nice long ball from Simone ‘the Austro-Hungarian’ into a sweet assist with a header for Deschamps. The ‘incendiary’ striker caresses it into Ettekijs’ box and delivers a superb sharp shot to the second post deceiving the helpless goal keeper. RBFFC are leading but do not have enough.

Another nice combination on the right side between McGirr, Wetzel and the RBBFC strikers ends up with a defender giving away a penalty with a handball. A clear chance that Godefroid is eager to turn into a +2 lead. Players were perhaps already thinking about MoM songs and celebrations but the game was not just over yet.

Lo Presti picks a treacherous ball just out of the box, which ends to Ettekijs’ midfielder feet after an iffy tackle. The player is quick in seizing this bonanza with a long shot ending behind El Capitano’s Catalan back.

This lucky comeback does not shake RBBFC 2 composure though as its ranks tighten even further: the defense plays with great care, the midfield distributes balls with order, the strikers help the team go up and breathe, while Mazurkiewicz’s speed has a positive impact on the left side.

The referee’s final whistle signals the end of the match and the conclusion of a false start with the first 3 long-awaited points. A victorious weekend for RBBFC whose championship has just started.

MoM and reporter: (under-my) Andrea ‘Dreamy Eyes’ Lo Presti