Friendly match vs. ABC Zentrum | 6th May 2013
Players: James, Adonis, Christian, Alex, Alejandro, Enrico, Marian, Matthias, Daniel, Viet, Pascal, Gianluca
Score: 4-4 (9-8 after penalties)
Scorers: 1-2 (penalty, Marian), 2-2 (Marian), 3-2 (Alejandro C.), 4-3 (Daniel)
Review
FC Kickers Pufendorfer beat ABC Zentrum in the second friendly fixture between the teams at ABC’s home pitch, with a penalty shootout needed to separate the two sides after a closely contested match.
Having lost the first friendly fixture between the two teams, the game didn’t start too well for the side from Pufendorfstraße as they struggled to make an impression on the game. A lack of cohesion led to two early goals from ABC without reply and a host of changes didn’t have the desired effect leading to the Kickers going into the break trailing.
After some heated discussion and a slight shuffle of personnel, the Kickers entered the field with renewed intent. After some promising play, they pulled one back courtesy of a penalty after a defender from the other team was unfortunate to handle the ball in the box. Marian stepped up confidently and converted it to put the yellows firmly back into the game.
After some more good play down the left, Alejandro forced a good save from the keeper but it fell straight to Marian, who make no mistake in slotting home the equaliser from close range. After some more neat play, Alejandro C. put his side in front for the first time with a well taken finish and the whole team were playing with a level of confidence that was missing in the first half. This didn’t stop ABC from pulling a goal back to bring the score to 3:3 in what was turning into a great match for three spectators in attendance.
After a period where the two teams struggled to break each other down, it took a fine piece of play from Daniel to put the Kickers back in front. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box and under close attention from two defenders, he used his trickery to create space to turn and shoot into the bottom corner, leaving the opposing goalkeeper with no chance.
Victory wasn’t to be theirs, however, as ABC pulled another goal back after a they found an attacker unmarked at the back post with seconds remaining. With the scores level at the final whistle, the match went to penalties.
The first three penalty takers from each team scored from the spot, with Alejandro C., Matthias and Christian all finding the net. ABC’s fourth penalty taker made no mistake but Daniel was unfortunate to see his effort rebound off the post, leaving ABC on the brink of victory. Their fifth spot-kick taker was unable to convert and cleared the bar with his effort, allowing James to step forward and cooly roll the ball into the back of the net. The ABC goalkeeper then missed their next penalty, leaving Marian with the chance to secure victory for his team. He made no mistake in scoring to the delight of his team-mates.
In reality, however, the result wasn’t the main focus and the team had another chance to practice playing together as they continued to learn to work as a team. The performance in the second half was promising, with every player playing his part. The team will surely look to build on this positive performance in their next fixtures.
A big THANK to Adonis, who covered in goal in the second half and did a surprisingly good job!!!
-James-
