SPRING INTRAMURAL

As the players go into a well-earned Christmas break, managers and agents now begin a hectic round of negotiations that will culminate in January's transfer market.
Deals will be finalised on Tuesday January 8th, when the captains gather to finalise their strategies.
Big money transfers are likely to involve Cristian and Dylan, Ameli and Flavia - all winners of the top scorer or best player prizes in December.
But shrewd captains will also be looking for bargains from lower down the points table to complete their squads with a balance of muscle and talent and the right mix of defence and attack.

As usual, a seventh team joins the Boys league in Spring and this seventh team - Fiorentina - will be a team of girls who are looking for extra practice as the Med Cup looms in early May.
Matches involving Fiorentina will be 8 girls versus 6 boys, with the boys limited to three touches.

BOYS CAPTAINS
Ludovico, Manuel, Taki, Joel, Cesare, Saverio 

GIRLS CAPTAINS
Sofia, Linh, Lucy,  Carolina F

TRANSFER MARKET - Boys

Dylan S

Cristian

Paul

Sam

Alex

Giacomo

Pietro

Augusto

Tommaso G

Nikos

Guillermo

Valerio

Massimo S

Dylan M

Theo

Santiago

Edo

Massimo M

Tommaso S

Andrea

Giorgio

Francesco

Mateo

-->

Alberto T

TRANSFER MARKET - Girls

-->

Ameli

Alice M

Naomi

Eleonora

Yutong

Liva

Allegra

Agata

Flavia

Chanel

Carolina S.

Gala

ANSPI u11: Vigna Pia Bianca 2-2 Ambrit

24 hours after an excellent performance against CRIS, Ambrit returned to action against Vigna Pia.

A scoreless first period was very even but Vigna Pia started the second half more quickly and went 1-0 ahead.

But captain Vittorio came to the rescue 5' later with a fantastic free-kick that gave the goalkeeper no chance. At this stage, the teams were level but Vigna Pia continued to press and created too many chances for comfort. Ambrit were glad to hear the whistle for the end of the second period.

Nonetheless it was Ambrit who took the lead in period 3; Bertie followed up a knock on from Alberto and scored. But Vigna Pia equalized immediately, taking advantage of Dylan who had swapped into goal but was still putting on his shirt: the referee should really have held up the play.

The last few minutes were tense but the game finished 2-2.

AMBRIT: Leo, Carlo, Bertie, Alberto, Dylan, Cameron, Vittorio, Nicholas

And the situation so far...

After six games, the Ambrit u11 team is definitely improving and has probably not collected as many points as their play has deserved. Despite playing with no dedicated goalkeeper, the side has defended very well. Carlo's experience from last year shows in his confident approach and Leo is developing into a very dependable defender too. Pedro, another valuable addition to the team, can play at the back or further forward and does so with determination and skill. Our captain, Vittorio, is playing further forward this year and he continues to lead by example, always covering every blade of grass on the pitch. Alberto is back again this year and is often our best passer of the ball, while Dylan and Cameron have come into the team and given us new width, pace and an attacking impulse that was sometimes lacking before.

Bertie and Adam share a good first touch and always look for the simple pass and Nicholas is full of energy and running. Jonah is our secret weapon when we need to take an opposing player out of the game (legally!) and Cosimo has impressed with his tigerish play in midfield.

BUT, we still need to improve lots of things, beginning with those tackles... WE NEED TO WIN THEM ALL!

ANSPI U11: Ambrit 4-5 Cris

A heart-warming performance but a heart-breaking result for Ambrit on Wednesday evening at Ambrit Stadium.
Ambrit sprang out of the traps with great energy and pinned the visitors into their own half for much of the first period. Dylan put us 1-0 ahead and it was another shot from Dylan that forced a mistake from the Cris goalkeeper, allowing Bertie to put us 2-0 up.
A momentary loss of concentration towards the end of the period allowed Cris to pull one back and it was these short moments of distraction that would prove to be Ambrit's undoing later on.
Ambrit went further ahead at the beginning of Period 2, Vittorio on target. Cris stepped up the pressure and scored a good goal for 3-2 but their equaliser was unforgivable from an Ambrit point of view. Their captain took possession in midfield and, practically unchallenged, he was allowed to shoot and the ball was deflected in: 3-3 going into period 3. Nonetheless the second period was positive for Jonah's return to the squad and for a great debut performance from Nicholas.
Cris moved the ball around much more fluently in the final period and their centre forward brought the wide players into the game cleverly. Cris went ahead for the first time but Dylan completed his hat-trick: 4-4.
But a final burst from the visitors brought them a final, winning goal. No time to recover for Ambrit but lots of time to reflect on what might have been.
AMBRIT: Leo, Adam, Pedro, Vittorio, Jonah, Nicholas, Dylan, Cameron, Bertie, Alberto, Carlo

BOYS' FINAL: Inter 3-2 Milan

Today's match was a worthy final and the two teams went at each other hammer and tongs from first to last.
Inter completely dominated the opening minutes but couldn't score. Dylan set up Giorgio in the middle but his shot was wildly off-target. Next, Jacopo got off a fantastic shot from point-blank range but Virginia brought off a reaction save that will go down in the annals of Intramural history. Dylan ran onto a header from the subsequent corner but his effort was just over. Twice more Virginia denied Jacopo in this opening sequence but then Dylan did finally break the deadlock with a determined run and shot.
Finally Milan woke up and a speculative long-range shot from Michele evened up the scoreline.
At this stage, it was an even match and the most fascinating tussle was taking place between two 6th-grade players, Edoardo and Dylan.
Dylan today was in fine form; he tackled fiercely, ran well and passed cleverly. But Edoardo matched him step for step and divided his time between Dylan and Jacopo.
With 12 minutes still to play, Jacopo pounced to make it 2-1 but Milan re-doubled their efforts in attack. Inter defended a series of corners and looked to be escaping but Edoardo got a foot to a loose ball and poked it home: 2-2.
Milan now smelled victory and continued to throw men into attack, but this was their undoing. A bad bounce saw Dylan and Jacopo in the clear with only Virginia to beat and Dylan cooly slotted home the winning goal in this year's championship.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Dylan 6, Edoardo 5, Augusto 4, Mikel 2, Michele 2, Jacopo 2

BOYS' FINAL - Milan vs Inter: Preview

Wednesday's final sees Milan face up to Inter.
I nerazzurri carry an important double psycholgical advantage into the game - they have already beaten Milan 2-0 in the group stages and, worse, Milan find themselves without their vastly experienced captain (Ale N) for this final match.
And, as if this weren't enough, Inter's captain (Jacopo) is sitting on top of the Scorer's list and is in a fine vein of form, having starred in Ambrit's winning performance at St George's last Saturday.
A big responsibility will now fall on Milan's most experienced player - Michele - to lead his team in this match. Luckily he can count on the Mateo-Joel-Tommaso trio who have been part of Ambrit's successes in the ANSPI leagues for the last two seasons.
Milan's other ace is, of course, Edoardo - this year's grade 6 revelation and currently second in the Player of the Tournament table!
For their part, Inter look solid at the back: Gavyn is already a rock on his own but, with Elias EZ to back him up, the Inter defence is formidable indeed. They also have two goalkeepers to choose from. In midfield, Mikel and Augusto have been improving with every game and Dylan has been the perfect foil for Jacopo up front.
Sky calcio, Wednesday 19 December, 12.00 

ANSPI u13: Casaletto 1-4 AMBRIT

Ambrit u13s secured an important win on Saturday afternoon in their attempt to keep up with the pace set by league leaders, San Girolamo, in this year's 'Aspiranti' league.
Goals from Pietro in the first and third periods sandwiched a fine free-kick from specialist, Nikos, and a well-deserved goal from Mateo in the second period.
AMBRIT: Elijah, Santiago; Taki, Ludovico, Pietro, Nikos, Giacomo, Paul, Bernardo, Mateo, Tommaso, Joel, William

AMBRIT Boys Stay Top!!!

St George's hosted the 2nd round of fixtures in this year's u14 RISA League and Ambrit won all three matches!

AMBRIT 4-0 NEW SCHOOL
Julian (3)
Gavyn

AMBRIT 4-1 St George's
Jacopo (2)
Gavyn
Alex

AMBRIT 7-0 AOSR
Jacopo (2)
Massimo (2)
Julian
Augusto
Alex

TEAM:
Massimo, Taki, Paul, Sam, Gavyn, Jacopo, Ottaviano, Julian, Alex D Augusto

Tune in next Wednesday for an updated league table!

THIRD PLACE FINAL: Napoli 0-0 Juventus (4-4 after penalties... so far!)

Another cracking game at lunchtime but this one without any goals. Both 'keepers did well but lots of chances were wasted too. Juve with a better passing game, especially through Daniel and Alex P, but Carlos should have scored. Napoli dangerous on the break but Anthony and Tommaso too far apart, but greatly helped by Pietro who stayed in defence. The penalty competition did not produce a winner and will be resumed on MONDAY at LUNCHTIME.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Daniel 5, Alex P 3, Pietro dP 3, Massimo M 2, Anthony 2, Ludovico 2, Andrea 2, Massimo S 1, Tommy 1

Napoli 3-3 Inter (7-8 after penalties)

A wet and windy Ambrit Stadium was warmed this morning by a scintillating semi-final that ended in a dramatic penalty shoot out that saw Inter progress to next Wednesday's final.
Both teams had important absences today but Napoli kept getting their noses in front, with well-placed shots from Anthony and Pietro putting them into the lead on three occasions but, on each occasion, Jacopo found the answer with some determined, direct play and some precise finishing. Jacopo hit the bar too; Anthony had a good chance to win the game right at the end but his shot from point-blank range bounced back off the post.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo 7, Pietro 6, Anthony 3, Mikel 2, Gavyn 1, Taki 1, Dylan 1

GIRLS' FINAL: Chelsea 4-2 Manchester City

Il torneo femminile si conclude in grande equilibrio, con una finale combattuta e incerta sino all'ultimo. Le squadre - ad essere sinceri - non hanno offerto uno spettacolo tecnico particolarmente esaltante: molti errori, grande attenzione a non concedere chances alle avversarie e poche occasioni da gol. L'infortunio a Gaia, nei primi minuti, ha poi aggiunto un pizzico di emozione al match, con il Chelsea che ha reagito da grande squadra, compattandosi e mostrando tutta la sua forza mentale. Bravissimo il capitano Selina a piazzarsi in difesa come una roccia, lasciando il contrattacco alla sorprendente Raffaella, oggi in stato di grazia. Lo 0-0 finale ha portato direttamente ai calci di rigore: il Chelsea ne ha infilati 4 su 4 con freddezza, mentre il City ha colpito un legno e un scagliato tiro centrale ben neutralizzato da Yutong, autrice anche della rete finale.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Selina 6, Raffaella 4, Giorgia 2, GaiaDR 2, Ameli 2, Noor 1, Lucy 1,  Michelle 1, Sofia DM 1, Yutong 1.

ANSPI u11: Vigna Pia Rosso 2-2 Ambrit

Ambrit came from behind twice tonight to earn a well-deserved point against a Vigna Pia side that had come into this game on full points.
The first period was scoreless; with Cameron raiding successfully down the right hand side, Ambrit should really have scored a couple of goals but they lacked any killer instinct when presented with a chance. Adam got into some good positions but didn't finish. At the other end, Dylan was very solid between the sticks.
Immediately on the re-start, Vigna Pia caught us cold and were 1-0 up after 10 seconds. But Ambrit recovered and should have equalised through Bertie early on but, later, did equalise when Vittorio's determined play forced an error in defence. Particularly impressive in this period was Cosimo, who showed the kind of determination in the tackle that inspired his team mates later on.
Ambrit continued to press forward in the third period and Alberto and Adam both stepped up their games to give us an extra dimension going forward. But Ambrit were caught on the break with only five minutes left. This was the only chance that a fantastic Leo and Pedro in defence had allowed the home side but Vigna Pia tucked the ball past Carlo to make it 2-1.
Ambrit threw everything into attack and, from one of many corners, Vittorio drove a piledriver through the heart of the Vigna Pia defence and off the goalkeeper for the equaliser!
AMBRIT: Adam, Pedro, Leo, Carlo, Cosimo, Cameron, Dylan, Alberto, Vittorio (C), Bertie 

BOYS Semi-Final: Milan 4-2 Juventus

After a turbulent qualifying stage, Milan got their act together and today knocked out Juve, who had finished in first place in the qualifiers.
Mateo put Milan ahead with a well-taken goal after 4' but the lead was short-lived, current top-scorer Julian levelling things soon afterwards.
Juve then got their noses in front for the first and only time when Carlos was played through and beat Virginia with a powerful cross-shot (congratulations to Virginia who played an excellent game but does not qualify for 'Best Player' votes; congratulations to Daniel too for his sporting gesture in allowing her to play).
One of Milan's best players again today was Edoardo and, when the ball bounced before him on the half-way line, he took aim and launched a high ball past Massimo in goal: 2-2.
Both teams continued to play well, with both captains prominent. Milan recaptured the lead  when Michele finished off a well-built move with a precise shot. Juve tried everything to equalise again but Virginia kept them out, with help from Mateo who headed a fierce shot off the line.
Ale made sure of the result with a last-minute goal.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Daniel 5, Edoardo 4, Ale N 4, Michele 3, Mateo T 2, Ottaviano 1, Alex PU 1, Francesco 1

Milan 3-2 Roma

Milan needed to avoid defeat today to go through to the semi-finals; Roma needed a win: Roma fought hard but they exit the competition after a narrow defeat.

Edoardo put Milan ahead early on but then it was he who fouled Cristian 4' later and Cristian thundered home the free kick to equalise.

The turning point of the game came on 11' when another shot from Cristian struck the crossbar when it might have gone in. Instead, Edoardo put Milan 2-0 up soon afterwards with a long-range lob.

With 1 minute left on the clock, Elias equalised for Roma but, as i giallorossi went in search of a winner, Michele took advantage of some open space to score the winner for Milan.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Edoardo 8, Ale N 3, Cristian 5, Elias F 2, Michele 1, Pietro N 1

Juventus 5-0 Inter

A heavy defeat today for Inter but both teams still progress to the semi-finals; Inter, though, need to improve dramatically.
With Jacopo and Gavyn arriving late, Daniel had already put Juve 1-0 up. with Inter now at full strength, Juve nonetheless doubled their lead, agin through Daniel who scored with a long, looping shot from the half way line.
Inter did have chances. Giorgio spurned a glorious opportunity, blasting the ball over the bar, and Jacopo should have scored with a close-range shot but Massimo made a great save.
Ottaviano killed off the game with the third goal and again Inter missed a chance at the other end, this time Mikel shooting wide.
Two more goals from Andrea and Julian made it a resounding victory and Daniel almost added another from a free kick but Cesare saved well. Dylan too might have scored but his well-struck shot was beaten back by Massimo.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Daniel 8, Ottaviano 2, Mikel 2, Ludovico 2, Massimo M 2, Francesco 1, Dylan 1, Augusto 1, Gavyn 1, Alex PU 1

ANSPI u11: SM Trigoria 3-12 Ambrit

Ambrit u11s recorded their first win of the season with a convincing performance at Trigoria on Sunday afternoon.
A quick start saw Dylan bang in two early goals and brother Cameron made it 3-0. Dylan completed his hat trick late in the first period and Vittorio made it 5 before the break.
Vittorio took Alberto's place in goal for the second period (we are still looking for a full-time 'keeper!) and Pedro came in for Dylan. Ambrit continued to pile forward and goals from Cameron and Alberto (2) took us to 8-1 at the end of the second period.
For the last period, Leo took over in goal. Two goals from a rested Vittorio (one of them a fantastic free-kick) and another reply from Trigoria made it 10-2 and, in the last 5 minutes, Trigoria scored again but Ambrit added two more (Cameron and Dylan).
All over the pitch today, there were vast improvements on last Wednesday's performance that saw Ambrit lose 0-3 to S. Girolamo. Our players were first to the ball, eager to receive the ball and all were trying to play simple passes on the ground.
Let's hope we can push on from here and keep on the winning trail!
Ambrit: Leo, Carlo, Vittorio, Pedro, Dylan, Cameron, Cosimo, Alberto
NEXT MATCH:
Monday Dec 10: ANSPI, Vigna Pia Rosso - Ambrit, k.o 17.30

Ambrit u7s Unbeaten at SGBIS!

Four games, two wins and two draws at sunny St George's this Saturday (Nov 30)... well done to Ambrit u7s!!