Ambrit 4-4 Vigna

 At a crucial point in the season, is the Ambrit machine beginning to creak? Two more points dropped and for long periods tonight, the signs weren't good: careless passing, not enough running and, worst of all, half-hearted tackling. With Wednesday's important head-to-head match in Palidoro only 48 hours away, things need to change rapidly!

Giorgio was lively at the start and hit the bar with an early shot. Pedro shot wide after some good combinations with Mattia on the left and Giorgio put Ambrit ahead from a free-kick aftre 15'. But Vigna Pia equalised from a similar situation minutes later and the sides went in 1-1 at the break. Santiago played very well in goal and came out to sweep away dangerous attacks more than once.

Not everyone was below par tonight

In the second half, Mattia scored from a Santiago assist and then another Mattia shot brought a third goal when it deflected in off the defender. Vigna Pia didn't give up and they deservedly made it 3-2, but Emilio restored Ambrit's two-goal cushion when he popped up unmarked in the box to tip the ball home. But, despite some excellent saves from Theo, Ambrit couldn't hang on and Vigna Pia scored twice in the last minutes.

 

ANSPI league (2009-10): Ambrit 2-4 CRIS

With many families away for the break, Ambrit still managed to cobble together a team and what a performance they gave! Right from the start, the team kept its shape and, though forced to defend for long periods, they always remained dangerous in attack where Sara was already ready, always willing and always doing something useful for the team. Her pressure on the defence paid off after 8', forcing the visitors back and forcing an own-goal to put Ambrit 1-0 up. CRIS came back into attack immediately. Francesco made a good diving save from a shot by the No 10 but the visitors scored from a cross that was miskicked by a defender and finished off by the No. 11. CRIS then went ahead, scoring from a free kick that fell to an attacker on the near post. But there was still time for more action before the break. Ambrit won a corner and Emma curled it directly in to make it 2-2.

The second period was Ambrit's best. Aali was fantastic; taking great throw-ins, tackling anything that moved and taking no prisoners! With Emma, Trym and Vittorio beside her, they swept away all attacks and Ben patrolled the midfield, offering another layer of protection but filtering the ball through to Sara and Aurora too.

Period 3 saw CRIS taking the lead from another free-kick and then extending the lead with a harsh penalty. Francesco came out and increased the Ambrit threat going forward; Vittorio took over in goal and made two good saves.

TEAM: Francesco; Trym, Vittorio C, Emma, Aali, Aurora, Ben, Sara

Spain 1-2 Germany

 Spain were reeling in the first period as Ale and Daniele combined over and again to open them up. The decisive move came when Ale released Daniele on the left and, after using his blistering pace to beat three players, he crossed to the centre as Ale arrived to finish off the move.

In the second period, Spain found a solution and maintained a good shape, with Ralf and Trym prominent in defence. Seb was still given lots to do in goal - and did it very well - while Cameron and Emilio put some good moves together. But the Germans went two goals ahead, this time Daniele putting the finishing touch.

In the final period, Cameron put Emilio in and the ex-Arsenal ace managed to sort out his feet and put it past Theo. Game on! Spain threw everything into attack, defended desperately (yellow card for Trym, more great saves from Seb) but the Germans hung on for a win.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Daniele B 9, Seb 5, Ale 4, Kevin 3, Adam O 3, Cameron 2, Ralf 1, Emilio 1

Russia 3-0 Bolivia

 Russia 🇷🇺 e Bolivia 🇧🇴  hanno giocato un bel match, benché il risultato sia stato forse più pesante di quanto visto in campo. La Russia ha vinto meritatamente, per aver espresso un gioco più corale e compatto, mentre la Bolivia si è affidata alle folate offensive di Camila e Aurora, lasciando indietro il resto della squadra. La prima rete russa è stata siglata da Irene, abile a sfruttare una respinta corta della difesa sudamericana. Immediata la reazione della Bolivia, che con Aurora colpisce un palo clamoroso a portiere battuto. La reazione tuttavia viene smorzata immediatamente dal raddoppio di Rose, con un tiro da lontano - non irresistibile - che il portiere non trattiene. La Bolivia ci prova ancora, soprattutto con Camila, oggi molto ispirata, ma è Rose, su calcio d'angolo di Carolina, a trafiggere ancora una volta la difesa boliviana con un tiro al volo e la doppietta personale.

Complessivamente bene tutta la Russia, con Aali sempre più sicura tra i pali, con Maya brava in difesa e anche a supporto del centrocampo, con la fisicità di Irene, Sofia e Carolina. Nella Bolivia si sono distinte Camila, Vittoria e la sorpresa Bianca in porta, che ha ben figurato nonostante il ruolo improvvisato.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Camila 4, Rose 3, Maya 3, Aali 2, Irene 2, Vittoria 2, Aurora 2, Carolina 2, Sofia F 1, Bianca P 1.

ACLI league (2007/08): Mentana 1-4 Ambrit

 Ambrit traveled to Mentana today for a midweek fixture and they made the journey worthwhile by taking home all three points. Ale and Pedro had early shots but, despite the Ambrit dominance, it was the home side who went ahead when their no. 9 rose unchallenged to head home a corner. But the league leaders didn't panic. Ale picked up the ball in midfield, got past three defenders, was fouled twice but still managed to get a good shot away. The ball beat the goalkeeper but came back off the post. Mattia was first to the rebound and swept it home for the equaliser. Mattia had a great game today, winning every ball on the right flank and making the defenders' lives a misery with good passing and good running.

On Form Today!

Ambrit stayed focused after the break. Jonah almost scored with a well-struck shot but it was Ale who put i rossoblu ahead with another well-placed strike that gave the goalkeeper no chance. Ale and Emilio were combining well now and from one of Ale's passes, Emilio crossed  to Bertie and his touch set up Alberto for the third goal. The game opened up now, spaces everywhere. Mentana attacked, tempted Santiago out of position but Giorgio was there to clear the shot off the line. Bernardo came close with a header, Alberto hit the post and Vittorio made it 4-1 when he ran on to Zach's long throw.

Belgium 0-1 Brazil

 Not one of the best games today; very little goalmouth action and just the one goal. Daniel's shot that rebounded off the crossbar was the highlight of the first period and nothing much of any note happened in the second period, apart from a valuable clearance by Josh when the goal was empty behind him. In the final period, Rocco was unlucky to see a well struck shot rebound off the bar, Daniel and Bertie picked up yellow cards and Santiago's long free kick got past a bemused Gabriele who was distracted by his own defender. Santiago was sent off and will miss the next match.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Alberto 5, Rocco 4, Carlo 3, Leo 3, Bertie 2, Adriano 2, Tommaso 1, Daniel 1, Gabriele 1, Josh 1, Santiago 1, Michael 1, Bernardo 1, Marco 1, Louis 1, Alex 1

 Yellow: Bertie; Daniel  Red: Santiago

Basketball: AOSR 50-33 Ambrit

 Ambrit traveled to Via Cassia, hoping to repeat their December victory on American soil, but it was not to be. Though leading early on, Ambrit - with only seven players to rotate - tired as the match wore on and had to concede defeat to their hosts this time.

Team Ambrit

ACLI League (2007/08): Ambrit 14-0 Santa Caterina

 First of all, compliments to today's opponents who turned up today knowing that they were in for a torrid afternoon but they kept plugging away for 50' and always tried to play football. Yes, it was an easy win and Ambrit look to have recaptured the form that took them to the top of the league before crashing to a

Another impressive performance today

surprise defeat against Casaletto. Giorgio got the first goal today and his overall performance was impressive, probably Ambrit's best player today. Seven more goals followed in the first half from Ale (3), Mattia, Bernardo, Santiago and Zach.

Ambrit's formation changed in the second half but the goals kept coming. Bertie opened his account early on and added a second later; Vittorio got on the scoresheet too and Emilio marked his debut with a goal. Giorgio notched another two.

Netherlands 1-0 Italy

 Ancora una sconfitta per l'Italia 🇮🇪, nonostante la buona prova generale contro la temibile Olanda 🇳🇱. I "tulipani" riescono a passare solo nel terzo tempo, con una rete di Vittorio su calcio d'angolo di Antonio: vincente la spizzata di petto, che Myla riesce a intercettare ma non a trattenere.

La partita è stata per larghi tratti dominata dalle ragazze, che hanno mancato il colpo decisivo, anche per la bravura di Giovanni, bravo a opporsi prima a un tiro ravvicinato di Carolina, poi a diversi tentativi di Sara, Camila ed Emma. 

Da segnalare l'ottima prova tra i pali di Aali, imbattuta per due tempi, di Giulio, che con il fisico ha arginato le ripartenze di Carolina, e di Sara, particolarmente pericolosa con il suo pressing e le sue giocate.

L'Italia cresce, partita dopo partita, nonostante il tifo avversario e il rientro del capitano Alice potrebbe essere la svolta per guadagnare i primi punti.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Aali 3, Vittorio 3, Sara 3, Antonio 2, Camila 2, Myla 2, Carolina 2, Giulio 1, Abby 1, Maya 1, Emma 1, Giovanni Z 1.

Bolivia 2-0 Australia

 Today's game was an even contest right down to the last 5 minutes, when the constant harrassment of the Antipodean defence paid off for Aurora and Camila, letting the latter in for two chances and two goals. Earlier, the action had raged up and down and Isabel was in the middle of most of it. Her battle with Vittoria was epic and, although Vittoria managed to clear her lines most of the time, Isabel did get through on occasion to threaten the goal. Martina was her Isabel's accomplice, and the two combined well up and down the pitch. Vittoria had her accomplices too, and some of the tackles that Bianca P used to stop her opponents were genuine bone-crunchers.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Camila 4, Vittoria 3, Isabel 3, Martina 3, Abby 3, Aurora 3, Bianca P 3, Belen 2, Lavinia 1, Bianca S 1, Ginevra 1, Maria 1

Argentina 1-2 Germany

 Argentina, tipped by many to win this World Cup, came a cropper today against a determined Germany. Early on though, the South Americans did take the lead when a long throw from Zach was finished by Pedro. Argentina kept up the pressure and only a fantastic save from Adrian stopped Adam from adding a second goal.

Mattia came on at the start of the second period and he added some much-needed energy to the German midfield. He equalised with a stunning shot on the turn that whistled in off the crossbar and now the Germans had some momentum. At the other end, Adrian was frustrating the Argentinian attack and he made two excellent saves from Pedro.

In period three, Germany went ahead. Again Mattia was involved, the fulcrum for a give-and-go with Ale that opened up a chance for the G7 ace and he didn't miss.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Mattia 5, Theo 4, Ale 3, Adrian 3, Dylan 2, Pedro 2, Kevin 2, Remy 2, Ziyi 1, Yufan 1, Adam O 1, Zach 1, Adam H 1

ANSPI League (2009-10): Sam89 2-3 AMBRIT

 This was a strange game indeed. Ambrit came out for the first period and dominated play. Trym, Emma and Vittorio repelled all attacks and Ambrit attacked time and again down the left, with Ben, Diego and Francesco combining to make lots of chances. But it wasn't until 2' from the break that they finally got a reward when Ben struck a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

Things changed in the second period. The home side woke up and took over, winning all the loose ball. Ambrit were caught out of position time and again and Gabriele made some timely interventions. Then in in a traumatic 5' period, Ambrit went from 1-0 up to 1-2 down and Sam89 struck the crossbar too! But Ambrit had their chances too; Diego found some great positions and was unlucky to trundle the ball just wide on two occasions.

For the third period, Ambrit dug deep to find renewed energy and determination. From the off, they pinned the home team back and pressed them relentlessly. Emma and Vittorio threw themselves into attacking positions and did a lot to open up space. Trym, now alone in defence, coped admirably. The first chance fell to Ruben but he had to take the bouncing ball early and shot high. The second chance fell to Ben but he shot wide. Emma had a couple of shots too but it was Diego who scored the equaliser. He beat the last defender and shot past the oncoming goalkeeper with confidence. Neither side wanted to settle for a point. Ambrit continued to attack but were often forced to scurry back to defend quick breaks from an ever more dangerous opponent. Then Sara won a ball on the right, turned inside and found Ben with a ball that bounced in front of him; what happened next, we have seen from Ben before: he launched a high, high shot from the halfway line that always looked like it might come straight down onto the goalkeeper and sneak just under the bar... and it did! What a win!!  

TEAM: Gabriele, Trym, Emma, Vittorio, Ruben, Ben, Francesco, Diego, Sara

Brazil 2-2 Spain

 We're still at the beginning of this tournament but things are hotting up! It was all samba at first, with Brazil controlling the ball and pressing the Spanish back. A shot by Marco was deflected by Daniele past Seb for the fits goal. Cameron tried to grab an equaliser but Daniel saved.

Marco was involved in the second goal too, crossing to Santiago for a simple tap-in. Now Spain needed some inspiration and it came from Daniele, who made an incisive run down tha right and crossed a good ball in for Gianmarco to score.

Into period 3 and Spain won a free kick on the left, on the half-way line.  He sized it up and struck a perfectly-placed shot just under the crossbar - no chance for the goalkeeper. Both sides had chances to win it - Seb saved magnificently from Santiago, Gianmarco shot wide - but the game finished level.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Cameron 7, Seb 4, Santiago 3, Gianmarco 2, Emilio 2,  Jonah 2, Daniele 2, Ralf 2, Bernardo 2, Michael 1, Jonah 1, Marco 1 

Yellow: Gianmarco

Mexico 2-1 Russia

 Il Messico 🇲🇽 mette la seconda e scatta in testa alla classifica a punteggio pieno; questa volta a uscire sconfitta è la potente Russia 🇷🇺, nonostante un primo tempo molto equilibrato e combattuto. Di certo è pesata l'assenza di Sofia, infortunata, e di Maya, in quarantena, nell'organizzazione della squadra: l'impressione infatti è che Rose non sia riuscita a schierare una formazione equilibrata, nonostante la buona prova di Ella in difesa, troppo spesso lasciata a tu per tu con Sara, oggi in versione super. Il Messico è stato invece molto ben organizzato, con Myla tra i pali e la coppia Ella - Annika in difesa; Emma inesauribile motore a centrocampo, insieme a Clara, e Sara come terminale offensivo. Proprio sull'asse Emma Sara sono nate le reti messicane, con quest'ultima molto brava nel concludere a rete, una volta di sinistro e una volta di destro. La Russia, pur volenterosa e fisica, grazie a Carolina e Irene soprattutto, non ha sfruttato le occasioni giuste ed è giunta al gol solo a due minuti dalla fine, proprio con un bel diagonale di Carolina.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Sara 8, Emma 6, Carolina 2, Irene 1,  Ella L 1, Aali 1, Rose 1,  Sofia 1.

Argentina 3-3 Netherlands

 Two of the world's top sides produced an exhilarating match in a six-goal thriller at Ambrit Stadium today. Zach tested Giovanni early on but the Dutch keeper saved well and he then kept Pedro out two minutes later. But the South Americans were pressing hard and went ahead when Pedro met a corner with a thundering header. But the Netherlands began to string a few passes together in midfield. Ben was everywhere and Antonio was never far behind. Vittorio's assist to Antonio brought an equaliser. Then, just before the first break, Pedro and Zach combined to restore the Argentinian lead.

Giulio's yellow card was the only incident of note in the second period but the pace picked up again in period 3. Pedro forced another great save from Giovanni but then Vittorio brought the teams level with a sweetly struck 'daisycutter' into the bottom corner. Lorenzo then stunned Argentina; a high ball came off Dylan, Lorenzo controlled with his forst touch and fired it home with his second. But if Dylan blamed himself there, he made up for iyt immediately by getting onto the end of a Zach throw to turn it past Giovanni and save a point for his team.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Dylan 4, Vittorio 4, Giovanni 3, Zach 3, Lorenzo 3, Ben 3, Giulio 3, Pedro 3,  Antonio 2,  Adam 1, Diego I 1