An Ambrit team containing boys and girls from 5th to 8th grade played their first competitive match of the season on Sat May 29th against Vigna Pia.
The match immediately became an uphill battle as Vigna Pia came out strong, scoring 2 goals in the first few minutes of the match. Kendi made some crucial saves to keep Ambrit in the game in the forts period.
Soon though the tide began to turn. Dudu started pulling the strings in midfield, combining really well with Liva, Benji and Sara to create some opportunities. Momentum was officially swinging in Ambrit's favour when Alessandro took on two defenders and shot the ball on target, only to see it parried by the opposing goalkeeper (who put in a stellar performance on the day). The chance appeared to have vanished, but Aurora showed off her Pippo Inzaghi-esque positioning and reflexes by pouncing on the rebound and scoring the goal to make it 2-1. The squad and the coaches erupted when Aurora scored, and the players used the positive energy to quickly turn the tie on its head.
While the offensive players were clicking on top, Flavia, Gala and Raffaele were shutting down opposition attacks at the back. Vigna Pia's strikers couldn't cope with Gala's aggressive defensive style, while Flavia and Raffaele did a wonderful job reading the play and cleaning up any dangerous loose balls that bounced ominously near Ambrit's goal.
Both Kendi and Francesco put in great shifts in goal, before eventually deciding they wanted to contribute outfield. In a moment of great difficulty for the coaches, with no goalkeeper on hand, Raffaele decided to step up and sacrifice himself for the team by putting on the gloves himself. While his stint in goal wasn't particularly successful, it led to a beautiful redemption arc which any Hollywood blockbuster would be proud of. With the scoreline at 4-3 in Ambrit's favour, a Vigna Pia shot caused a slight goalkeeping blunder (that Raffaele blamed himself for a lot more than anyone else would). He soon found his spot back in the heart of Ambrit-s defence and within a coupe of minutes made a goal saving block to stop Vigna Pia from taking the lead. Raffaele was a man on a mission at the is point and was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with the goal that put Ambrit back on top. Francesco stayed in goal for the entire 3rd period, proving crucial to Ambrit's efforts to stay on top in the dying stages of the encounter.
Ambrit showed glimpses of total football towards the end, including a beautiful team goal that saw everyone involved in the build-up. The play culminated with Ale finding Flavia in the box, who then smashed the ball into the goal after a perfect run.
The final score was 8-6 to Ambrit, but he most positive thing to see was the level of effort and attitude from the Ambrit side. Players like Bianca, who have only just started to play football, were battling it out and getting involved against an organized team that has been playing together for some time. The camaraderie within the Ambrit side was on full display after the full-time whistle, as everyone celebrated Liva's birthday with cake and drinks. Thanks to Fernando and all the Vigna Pia team for a great game!
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