Another nice Friday night encounter and GSAS was eager to add a 3rd win to the recent winning streak (which feels like we haven’t had in years) against the Gaelics, especially considering we would be able to overtake them and go for 3rd place in table. The Lions had a different plan…they literally overran us like a group of tanks and before we even had the ball it was 0:2. After that we started waking up and had a couple of chances but weren’t able to convert until Diyar scored with a nice turn shooting the ball nicely next to the goal post after Nik winning the header in the box. Gaelics still had a couple of good chances and played the best football I have seen in Cosmo in ages. This was predominantly due to Smithie as the main orchestrator in the center with wonderful passing with his left as well as his right foot, but also due to the young fit skilled chaps on the receiving end. You got a fantastic team there! 1:2 HT The Germans still showed good spirit and kept fighting and got lucky right after halftime after a throw-in which Mark nicely put under the cross bar with his right heel. 2:2. Didn’t seem to disturb the Lions too much as they kept doing what they were doing first half, playing beautiful attractive football despite our tactical change which included Luca marking Smithie and the order to even follow him to the toilet if need be. The result was the 2:3 and 2:4 for Lions which was the final score of a match played in the right spirit with the better team coming out top. Well played Gaelics and best of luck for the rest of the season. MoM goes to Diyar for his goal (shame he doesn’t remember after being knocked out) and DoD to Norik for his failed trick which led to his yellow tackle and nearly double yellow right after
Spooky Halloween full moon late kick off. Way past most of our guys bed time. Germans in their spanking new kit. Yikes. Yet luck against the Germans. First five minutes and Lions had literally five corners in a row cultminating in Smithie putting one in direct off a corner. And with his wrong foot. 1-0. Spooky. 2-0 minutes later, too, with link up play that was the hallmark of the game. Great work from Smithie in the centre to release Eoghan who just kept it in and clipped it to Charlie at front post. Good counter play. Then a series of point blank misses and the Germans fought their way back from a free kick that wasn't dealt with. 2-1 half time. Would it be one of those nights? 30 seconds in, couple of long throws, one flicked on and yes it was looking that way. 2-2. Yet we stuck to the plan well and kept creating chances. Daiki, a MoM contender, somehow latched onto a long ball from Shailer in between three giants. Somehow flicked it through and then somehow flicked it round the keeper. A goal only our Japanewe warrior could have scored. Great determination. But it was Smithie who wrestled back the MoM with a super individual goal of his own. Twisting and turning a couple of defender and into his "weaker" foot again to smash it in from 20. Ball flew back out off the stanchion. Germans physical and strong throughout and kept battling. Relieved to come away with the win.