Zenit 3-3 Sporting

"A game of two halves" says the old adage... and this one certainly was: one half without Santi, one half with him.

Daniele B put Zenit ahead in the first period and Antonio tried to double the lead early in period 2, but Adriano saved well. Ryan fired a shot in for Sporting but Daniele P scored again for Zenit when he collected a ball in the centre, dribbled past two defenders and squeezed the ball home. Hugo scored a third and the game looked to be beyond the Lisbon team now.

Then Santiago made it down for the third period and had an immediate impact on the game. He was brought down by Diego D on the edge of the area and Marco stepped up to make it 3-1. Santiago kept the momentum going with surging runs in possession and he pounced on a defensive error to make it 3-2. Zenit now resembled a rabbit caught in the headlights, stunned and unable to move. With time ticking away, Marco turned on a ball out on the left and launched a majestic shot into the opposite top corner to make it 3-3.

Zenit collected themselves for the final two minutes and managed to keep Sporting at bay to harvest a precious and hard-earned point.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Santiago 5, Daniele P 4, Marco 3, Hugo 3, Daniel 3, Diego D 3, Zach 2, Ryan 2, Antonio 2, Daniele B 1

Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea

Contro tutti i pronostici il Manchester regola il Chelsea 2-0 e porta una ventata di equilibrio nel campionato, dove - dopo 2 turni giocati - tutte le squadre hanno vinto e hanno perso una partita. Il terzo e ultimo turno sarà quindi decisivo ai fini degli accoppiamenti di semifinale: tutto molto bello!

Il colpaccio era nell'aria sin dalle prime battute, quando le Red Devils sono apparse più determinate e organizzate, con Maya, Olivia ed Ella schierate in difesa a proteggere Sofia in porta (oggi quasi mai impegnata). Sulla sponda Chelsea - con la pesante assenza di Belen - si è fatto forse troppo affidamento su Myla, che ha potuto salvare il salvabile. Insomma, tranne qualche fantomatico rigore che il VAR non ha segnalato, il Manchester ha meritato la vittoria, con una prestazione solida e convincente, specie del capitano Maya, vera leader in campo, e della scatenata coppia Camila-Aurora, che con un gol ciascuno ha firmato il 2-0 finale. Bellissimo in particolare il gol di Aurora, su colpo di testa a scavalcare il portiere su cross da fallo laterale della stessa Maya.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Camila 4, Maya 4, Aurora 3, Myla 2, Kendi 1, Clara 1, Ella K. 1.

Juventus 6-1 Napoli

Napoli crumbled in the third period today against a rampant Juventus team that was well organised and motivated throughout.

A masterful display of defensive midfield play by Carlo was enough to keep the bianconeri at bay for most of the first period but, right at the end, Cameron rifled two long shots past Nikos.

Cameron followed up to complete his hat-trick early in the second period. Napoli didn't give up though and Pedro's constant probing was rewarded when referee Corcoran awarded a penalty. VAR had a good look, confirmed the decision and Pedro scored, following up his own strike when it crashed back off the bar.

Juve relaxed in the third period and played some good football, mainly due to some wonderful passing by Gianmarco. First he timed a pass perfectly to draw in Carlo and release Adriano to score; next he slipped another well-judged ball to set up Vittorio for a lovely cross-field shot and he finished it off by beating two defenders before crossing for an Adriano tap-in.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Cameron 5, Gianmarco 4, Benjamin 4, Carlo 3, Vittorio 3, Pedro 3, Theo 3, Adriano 2, Bernardo 1

 

Dortmund 2-0 Zenit

Zenit attacked early and were unlucky not to score, Adam making a brilliant double save first from Zach and then from Daniele P. Dortmund took the lead when Ale hammered a free kick and Dylan bravely stuck his head on it. Rocco almost made it 2-0 from an Ale corner but Massimo saved well.

A quiet second half was followed by a confused final period, lit up only by the Germans' second goal - a  measured left-footed shot by Ale that crossed from wide on the left and fizzled just inside the right-hand post.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale 7, Dylan 5, Rocco 4, Zach 3, Giorgio 3, Jonah 2, Adam 2, Diego 2 

Ajax 2-1 Inter

Prima vittoria stagionale per l'Ajax, che sconfigge abbastanza nettamente la corazzata Inter, nonostante il punteggio sia stato in bilico sino al termine dell'incontro. Le casacche bianche olandesi mostrano sin da subito una migliore organizzazione in campo, con l'inserimento di Irene tra i pali (che dà sicurezza a tutta la retroguardia) e Martina come alternativa in avanti. Infatti le azioni più pericolose vengono proprio da Emma, Alice e Martina, che riescono a dialogare bene. Le azioni dell'Inter invece sembrano fare affidamento sulle singole giocatrici, ma oggi Atena, Sara e compagne sembrano meno lucide del solito.

Il primo tempo termina sul punteggio di 1-0, grazie alla rete di Alice, brava nel fintare il passaggio e andare centralmente: il suo sinistro si appoggia al palo e va in rete. Dopo poco Bianca era stata tempestiva nel bloccare un tiro ravvicinato di Emma.

Nel secondo tempo la musica non cambia e l'Ajax raddoppia con un bel tiro da fuori di Rose. Ma l'Inter non ci sta e prova a mettere pressione all'Ajax, fino a quando Isabel trova il modo di accorciare le distanze con una zampata su Irene in uscita. Il forcing finale non produce risultati e ora le due squadre si trovano appaiate a 3 punti in classifica, dopo due gare disputate.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Alice 5, Emma 4, Rose 3, Martina 3, Irene 2, Costanza 1, Vittoria 3, Isabel 2. 

Sporting Lisbon 0-3 Juventus

With Santiago and Alberto out, this was a Lisbon team in trouble from the start and Juve didn't let them off the hook. Gianmarco's early shot was a warning for the Lisbon defense but they were caught napping soon afterwards when Cameron sneaked in a goal straight from a corner on the left. Just before the break, Ralf was booked for a handball.

Vittorio made it 2-0 just after the break with an unstoppable shot from wide on the right. Gabriele came into goal for Juve and made a good save from a Marco shot and, back at the other end, Gianmarco spurned a good chance, his shot coming off the top of the crossbar.

The last period began with Tiago stealing a ball off the Portugese defence and finishing calmly to make it 3-0. Adriano almost made it 4-0 with a great run down the left and a shot that was miraculously cleared by Francesco. And then began "The Adrian Show". Playing in goal for Lisbon, today's Man of the Match made a string of fantastic saves: first in a one-on-one versus Adriano, then against Gianmarco and finally, and most spectacularly, an instinctive save to keep out another Vittorio blockbuster.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Adrian 8, Vittorio 6, Tiago 3, Ryan 2, Gianmarco 2, Francesco 2, Kevin 1, Adriano 2, Cameron 1, Giulio 1.

Liverpool 2-0 Napoli

Another Anfield classic today as Klopp's team fought out a close battle with the team from Naples. Carlo and Nikos tried a couple of long shots early on and Nicholas had a golden opportunity at the other end but the first period ended scoreless.

Carlo and Lucas were dominant in their respective defenses today but Carlo was dangerous going forward too. In the tenth minute he caught a ball on the volley to produce one of the best shots ever seen at Anfield and only some lucky positioning from Lucas kept the ball out. Victor got a good shot in too, hooking the ball over his left shoulder but it finished wide. A free kick from Nikos was blocked - again by Lucas - and the teams changed around still at 0-0.

The third period was full of incident. Emilio played in Lorenzo for a shot but Tryn saved well. Mattia played Emilio in  but again Tryn saved well! Bertie almost got away on a dangerous break but Lucas stopped him with a fantastic interception and then, from a throw-in on the left, Mattia touched the ball with his head and that was enough to divert it onto Carlo's chest and in: 1-0. Liverpool then finished off the game with a jewel of a goal. Emilio played a one-two on the left and then found himself free with just the goalkeeper to beat. And he did, sliding the ball calmly into the corner. No way back for Napoli, though Bertie did produce a wonderful header to force Giovanni into an equally wonderful save.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Emilio 8, Carlo 6, Mattia 4, Giovanni Z 4, Lucas 3, Lorenzo 1, Nikos 1, Ben 1.

Inter 3-2 Man. United

Decimate dall'allarme Covid, le squadre oggi in campo si sono affrontate in 5 contro 5, mettendo in scena continui ribaltamenti di fronte e colpi di scena. Una partita bellissima sotto il profilo agonistico, iniziata fortissimo dall'Inter, capace di colpire in contropiede con Atena e recuperata alla fine del primo tempo dallo United, grazie a una sfortunata autorete di Maria. L'Inter va di nuovo in vantaggio con azione insistita di Isabel, ma nel secondo tempo la squadra di Isabel va in debito di ossigeno, lasciando pericolosamente campo alle scorribande di Camila e Aurora, molto tecniche, che raggiungono il pari su un nuovo autogol della povera Maria - incolpevole. Le diavole rosse sfiorano più volte il vantaggio, con un assedio finale, ma la mira e la fortuna oggi non sono dalla loro parte. L'ultima beffa: dopo l'illusione del gol, con il tiro di Aurora che si ferma sul palo, l'azione prosegue, lanciando Atena nello spazio che all'ultimo secondo insacca per il 3-2 finale. 

Buona prova di molte ragazze, buon equilibrio, tutti gli scenari sono ancora possibili.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:

Camila 5, Aurora 5, Vittoria 4, Atena 3, Maya 3, Olivia 2, Isabel 2.

Juventus 2-1 Dortmund

 All today's goals came in the first period. Juve went ahead through Bernardo's penalty after Matteo handled in the area. Dylan tried to reply but Theo saved his shot and Juve went 2-0 up when Gianmarco took advantage of a mix-up in the German defence. Dortmund then pulled one back when Vittorio conceded a penalty and was booked for kicking the ball over the Southside fence. Ale converted.

The second period passed without much incident and then, in the third, Tiago had a chance to kill off the game but he shot wide. Not much else to report, save Bernardo's red card (second yellow) for a foul on Ale.

Bernardo misses next game.

BEST PLAYER POINTS Vittorio dP 5, Gianmarco 5, Dylan 4, Theo 4, Cameron 3, Ale 3, Jonah 2,  Rocco 1, Tiago 1

Napoli 2 - 3 Sporting Lisbon

This was a game that started off slowly but exploded into life later on. The first period ended in stalemate with no incidents of note.

Sporting took the lead in the second period when Alberto played a neat one-two with Pedro and then scored with a shot that bounced off Bertie. But Napoli leveled things up with a 'Nikos special' - a high curving free kick over a helpless Ryan. Santiago meanwhile was making dangerous runs down both wings and forcing Napoli into last ditch saves and tackles, notably from Trym. A Santi throw-in then found Alberto's head but the shot came back off the bar. 

Santiago now took centre stage. First his throw-in caught Trym by surprise and the ball ended up in the net. Then his next raid produced another goal, his shot ricocheting off Pedro and into the path of Giulio who was on hand to bury the rebound. Sporting led 3-1 going into period 3, though it could have been 4-1 had Victor not blocked another Santiago attempt.

Now Santiago went into goal and made a great save from a Pedro shot. Hope sparked briefly for Napoli when Davide was penalised for a handball but Santi made a great save from Nikos's penalty. But Napoli did get back to 3-2 soon after. Pedro's shot was saved by Santi but Ben followed up and scored. Not much time left now and both sides continued to attack. Trym saved from Kevin; a fierce shot from Pedro struck the bar, a Marco shot went wide and another penalty claim from Pedro was dismissed.

All in all, an entertaining game and a fair result.

BEST PLAYER POINTS

Santiago 6, Nikos 5, Pedro 4, Alberto 3, Marco 3, Kevin 2,  Trym 2, Ben 2, Giulio 1   

Chelsea 4-0 Ajax

In uno stadio gremito ed entusiasta si è svolto il primo e spettacolare match dell'Intramural femminile, stagione 2021/2022. 

Il risultato è stato più netto di quanto visto in campo, ma premia una squadra più cinica e organizzata, letteralmente trascinata da una scatenata Carolina, autrice delle 4 reti, di cui l'ultima - bellissima - realizzata direttamente da calcio d'angolo. Bene tutto il Chelsea, da Myla sempre attenta tra i pali e protagonista di una parata incredibile sull'1-0, alla difesa di Aby, Lavinia e Clara, al centrocampo dinamico e reattivo di Belen e Sofia. Insomma, il Chelsea ha impressionato.

Sulla sponda opposta l'Ajax non è riuscito a trovare la spinta giusta, è apparso poco organizzato - ma avrà il tempo di rifarsi - e non ha sfruttato le occasioni avute: oltre al miracoloso salvataggio di Myla, ricordiamo una traversa clamorosa di Alice.  In crescita Costanza e Irene, più sottotono Rose ed Emma, che possono dare molto alla squadra.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:

Carolina 9, Alice 3, Myla 2, Belen 2, Sofia 2, Aby 2, Irene 2, Costanza 2, Lavinia 1, Clara 1.

Liverpool 0-0 Zenit

It wasn't a classic but both teams did put in the effort. Chances were rare. Giovanni made a great save to keep Antonio out towards the end of the first period. In the second period, Mattia drove a free-kick wide and Ruben hit the crossbar.

There were more chances in the third period. Lorenzo hit the crossbar and Antonio shot wide. Leo made a match-saving block to keep out Zenit and Giovanni touched Antonio's shot onto the bar. Daniele B made a big impact when he came on but this game never looked like producing a goal.

Apart from Giovanni, other impressive debuts from Daniele P, Daniele B and Sam. A solid defensive performance from Giorgio earns him today's BEST PLAYER award.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Giorgio 5, Daniele B 3, Lorenzo 3, Giovanni Z 3, Zach 2, Daniele P 2, Sam 2, Mattia 2, Daniel 1, Nicolas 1, Giulio 1, Lucas 1, Antonio 1, Diego 1

Teachers 5-1 8V

A packed Ambrit Stadium today saw a highly-skilled team of teachers impart yet another lesson to their students and this time the subject was football.

The teachers dominated possession and territory from the start but did not create many clear chances early on. A brave 8V defence limited them to a few goalmouth scrambles and so, at half-time, the teachers had a narrow 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Mr Alessandro. 8V's only reply was a tame free kick from Pedro.

In the second half, Mr Piccolo shot into the side netting early on and he was then on hand to tap the ball in when Mr Max crossed from the left. The teachers' third goal came from a good passing move. Miss Giulia started it off, passing to Mr Max: he played it to Mr Piccolo who then touched it into the path of Miss Giulia who finished off the move in style.

The fourth goal was scored by Miss Alida, an instinctive shot from 25 meters out that left Valerio stranded and Mr Max deservedly got on the goalsheet when he finished another fine run down the left with a smooth shot into the corner.

8V got a consolation goal at the end. Pedro drilled a pass through to Adam in the box; Adam controlled it, turned and buried the shot to make the final score 5-1 

8V Crowned 2021 Homeroom Champions

Just as they did throughout this competition, 8V utilised their resources to maximum effect and won this penalty shoot-out by 3-1 to set up an intriguing encounter with the Teachers tomorrow!

FINAL: 8S 2-2 8V

The first period was notable for some very good defensive interventions. Santiago looked all set to score but Emma put in a great block. At the other end, Valerio made a great save from a Mattia shot and then, back at the other end, an in-form Atena was foiled at the last minute by Maya. Santiago blasted a shot at Theo but the Norwegian international goalkeeper saved it. He was helpless shortly afterwards though when Atena found Santiago and his shot found the back of the net.

Santiago almost scored a second early in period 2 when he beat three players on the right wing and shot just past the left post. Dylan shot wide too but Mattia made no mistake when he turned inside from the left and shot the equaliser.

As period 3 got underway, Dylan turned awkwardly in the box and handled to give away a penalty. Everyone held their breath as Santiago prepared to kick it and the stadium then exploded when Seb made a fantastic save! 8S came straight back into attack; Carolina played in a good cross but Lorenzo arrived late. Then 8S won a corner and, from Lorenzo's kick, Nikos timed his run perfectly to plant a header past the goalkeeper. But, as so often happens, the team in front lost their concentration and Pedro equalised with a header from a Santiago throw-in. 

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Monday October 4th, 11.30 BIG PITCH

Rules:

Each team takes FIVE penalties

Three kickers must be BOYS, two kickers must be GIRLS

If the teams are still tied, penalties will continue GIRL / BOY / GIRL / BOY etc

Only players who played on Friday can participate.