Team: Kris, Sylvain, Dex, Nils, Hodgy, Luka, Richard, Steve, Daniel, Tommy, Dries

Bench: Shin, Michele, Kevin

While I was having breakfast this morning with Milk and Vadora’s waffles (thanks Micky for the gift) I realized it was the perfect day for writing a Lovely match report about the last concrete victory by RBBFC1.

The snow since the day before was already giving a kind of cold and slow idea of the match, compared to the previous weeks. Grass pitch and early schedule didn’t add any extra feeling to the coldest game of the season. Anyway when Irish and British play against, nothing is predictable, especially when the table says 1st against the 4th (waiting the 2nd vs 3rd result) and so you can be at this game and not even feel the snow falling over your head and most likely in your beer.

Game starts with an intense rhythm from the Irish: fast one-two passes and different schemas trying to get "Ross”, aka #10, free of marking. However one rule was defined by the British during the warm up: "Dex, you get Ross. Nothing to add” - And so the 1vs1 challenge was on; especially after the 1st minute when Dex showed to Nils his lacking of knowledge of all the names of ABSSA strikers, and Nils correctly pointed to the #10 saying "there, enjoy”.

Second minute, first long ball from the Irish defence to their #10, head-challenge, concerns about the recent accident to Dex’ nose few weeks before: Dex got the ball, British can start to create some good football and Coach John (yes I’ve decided to use only first name since I heard "Ross” last Saturday) was happy to care more about the game than to the green #10.

Despite the snow and the grass, the Irish were really running faster and the pressure was announcing a goal even if the solid British defence was totally stopping them. On a counterattack also the British had the chance to score, but Daniel reaching a dirty ball was involved in a suspect touch from the defender, punished by referee with a yellow card to our Finnish player. Ireland FC found the way to open the score with #8 who received the ball after a rebound and tried a shot from the left side of the box to the second post on Kris’s right side. Good attempt, 1-0 Ireland.

No info from "Portugal” but a defeat can’t be accepted by the white guys. The focus of the British was totally here and the multiple attempts from Dries (one bar in a kind of "bicicletta” kick), Tommy and the dangerous cross from the sides by Rich and Luka - especially in a couple of corner kicks - keep the tempo up. During this assault, one of the cross was stopped with both hands up by an Irish defender and the decision was pretty easy to make: penalty and of course Steve on charge of it: slow whistle, Steve’s slow run trying to understand the keeper’s decision, #1 slow dives on his left, slow shoot from Steve that.. slowly went in the center of the goal, over the line and 1-1 was set. Any penalty scored is a great penalty, if we want to quote some talks after the game.

While from the bench the discussion about if this shot was slower than Hodgy’s 1-0 two weeks ago, the energy of the British was still up enough to try to get the game now, also because the Irish weren’t able to keep their intense rhythm for more than 35min.

In February there are two important things to celebrate: Luka’s birthday and San Valentine; in Croatia apparently there’s a tradition to donate a big gift to Luka to make his day happier, so this tradition apparently was known also by

1 Irish keeper in fact when Luka tried one of his famous long distance

shot, he opened his arms saying "happy birthday to you my dear friend” and the gift, sorry the ball, smashing on his arm, rebounded on the floor and rolled in the goal for the definitive 1-2. Unlucky keeper, good game, but more British than Irish for the 60% of the game.

Last action to report before the end, a suspect foul on Michele at the very last minute that could be punished by another penalty, but the slowness of his fall (yes slower than Steve’s penalty) took so long that the he touched the floor when the game was already ended.

Report & MOM: Dex Bernardo