Spring Intramural 2025: FIGC announces the captains of the Girls' teams!

Stuttgart	Monaco	Celtic	Shakhtar
Red :::	Blue :::	Green :::	Yellow :::
Sofia S	Maeve B	Chloe F	Sophie M

 GIRLS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET:

Zoe Vittoria N Anna Megan Erin Suleyma

Alessandra Aurora Gracie Livia Caterina Carla

Spring Intramural 2025: FIGC announces the captains of the Boys' teams!

Argentina	USA	Cameroon	France	Mexico	Romania
Antoine	Ashton	Christian	Freddie	Max	Rex

 

AICS League: Ambrit 22-2 Monteverde Rosso

 

The league leaders met the bottom team in the league today and the result, though not unexpected, was nonetheless surprising for the final total. Ambrit were superior in every facet of play and were scoring at will. Diego netted 10 today, Gabriel 1, Matteo 2, Edoardo 5 and Filippo, making his debut, was Man of the Match and scored 4 goals!

Boys’ Final: Man City 3-1 Liverpool

  

City put their recent Premier league troubles to one side today and cruised to a smooth victory over Liverpool in an entertaining final. The first half was notable for two ‘bombs’: the first from Antonio, cutting in from the left and unleashing a shot with his right foot that got past Rex; the second from Edoardo - on fire today - that crashed down off the crossbar and over the line. City weaved a net of fine passes all day and, in the second half, it was Edo who was again on hand to apply the finishing touch. Filippo was industrious on the left for Liverpool and he was rewarded with a goal but his team could do no more.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Antonio 5, Filippo 4, Edoardo 3, Matteo 2, Antoine 2, Ryan 2, Martti 1, Lorenzo I 1, Rex 1

GIRLS' FINAL: Empoli 2-4 Roma (after penalties)

 

Potremmo definirla una questione "privata" fra le sorelle Collis, ma in realtà la finale femminile è stato praticamente un monologo dell'Empoli, che ha dominato la partita in lungo e in largo, sfiorando più volte il vantaggio e trovandolo a 5 minuti dalla fine con un tiro potente di Erin. La Roma, tuttavia, chiusa dai primi minuti in difesa, ha sfruttato l'unica occasione buona, capitata sui piedi di Megan all'ultimo secondo della partita. 

La gara è dunque ancora aperta, e la prossima settimana le due squadre si giocheranno il titolo ai calci di rigore...

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Una 3,  Erin 3, Vittoria N 2, Zoe 2, Megan 2, Aurora 2, Caterina 1, Greta 1, Anna 1, Angela 1, Ginevra 1

Aggiornamento:

la Roma conquista il titolo ai rigori, andando a segno con Megan, Vittoria e Una. Dalla parte dell'Empoli segna solo Caterina, mentre sono fatali gli errori di Gracie, Erin e Anna.

Calendar Update

Monday 16 December, 11.30

BOYS THIRD PLACE FINAL: Spurs versus Ipswich - Penalty shoot-out

Tuesday 17 December, 14.00

GIRLS FIRST PLACE FINAL: Empoli versus Roma - Penalty shoot-out

Wednesday 18 December, 14.00 - 14.30

BOYS FIRST PLACE FINAL: Manchester City versus Liverpool

Third Place final: Ipswich 3-3 Spurs ( 6-7 after penalties)

Layers of interest in today’s match as Steve (9 goals) and Jacopo (10 goals) faced off for the Top Scorer trophy as well as for the third place medals. First blood to Jacopo, a solo run down the left opening up to a scoring opportunity which he gladly accepted. Jacopo and then Steve both saw shots going wide before Freddie equalised for Spurs. Tor then made a fine double save, first from Lorenzo F and then from Christian. Early in the second half, Max found himself one-on-one with Ashton, rounded him and shot home to make it 2-1. Jacopo sent Max for another chance immediately afterwards but this time Ashton made a good save. Then it was Max’s turn to supply an assist to Jacopo and the captain netted his twelfth goal of the tournament. Now Ipswich looked home and dry… but Lorenzo F slipped a pass through to Steve and he charged into the box and scored to make it 3-2. Only minutes left: Steve shot again and missed but Lorenzo F was on hand to equalise and force the game into a penalty shoot out.

After six penalties each, the teams were tied. Ipswich messed penalty n. 7... and ANTEO scored the winner!!!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Max 5, Jacopo 3, Raul 2, Steve 2, Lorenzo F 2, Freddie 2, Christian 1, Ashton 1, Lucas 1, Tor 1, Junio 1

AICS League: Ambrit 4-2 Monteverde Blu

 

The first minutes of today’s match saw two evenly-matched sides tentatively probing for openings and studying each other carefully. Ambrit had a clear physical advantage but Monteverde were keen to play the ball on the ground and their No. 10 looked dangerous from the start. Leone and Diego got a couple of early shots in but nothing to trouble the goalkeeper. Ambrit were suffering a little in defence: the absence of Giovanni left a lot of space in front of Matteo and Monteverde used it to get off some shots of their own, but Mostafa handled everything competently. The opening goal came from a nice Ambrit move: Noel hooked a ball on to Diego, who turned inside and found Leone to shoot home from the edge of the area. A similar move immediately afterwards saw the ball move from Edo to Diego to Leone but the goalkeeper saved the shot this time. Monteverde then equalised somewhat fortuitously and Ambrit’s game fell apart for a while. Coach Nardi called a time out to steady the ship and, immediately from the restart, Leone fired home another goal and then hit the post a minute later!

In the second half, Tor steadied the nerves again with a goal off a Junio assist… though the goalkeeper should really have saved. No matter, Ambrit were now 3-1 ahead and playing better football. Edo made it 4-1 when he flicked the ball over the head of the defender before rounding him and shooting home. The Monteverde No. 10 pulled one back near the end, a high shot coming out of the sun that was difficult for Mostafa to stop. A good all-round performance, with Gabriel and Leone standing out.

SEMI-FINAL: Liverpool 3-2 Spurs

A full-strength Liverpool proved too strong for Spurs today as Anfield celebrated another semi-final win. Spurs had begun quickly, Steve scoring straight from the kick-off with a distracted Rex stranded at the other post. Lorenzo I was just wide with his first shot but Liverpool equalised when Antoine laid off a perfect pass to Lorenzo G who finished clinically. Anan was close with a header from a corner and then Lorenzo G turned assist-man, finding Filippo on the right and the g6 ace planted a lovely shot into the corner: 2-1. In the second half, José was booked for a blatant handball on the edge of the penalty area but Lorenzo I was wide with the free-kick. Christian had a good chance at  the other end but Rex made a great save and then Antoine put  the Reds 3-1 ahead when he won the ball in midfield and caught the goalkeeper totally out of position. A goalmouth scramble gave Steve the chance to pull the scoreline back to 3-2 but it is Liverpool who go on to face Man City in next week’s final. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lorenzo I 5, Filippo 5, Lorenzo G 2 , Antoine 2, Christian 2, Steve 2, Rex 2, Anan 1

SEMI-FINAL: Ipswich 3-4 Man City

 

City and Ipswich met again today at Ambrit Studium and dished up a seven-goal thriller that sees City advancing to next week’s final! Man-of-the-match Antonio opened the scoring after 5’ when he latched onto a rebound on the edge of the penalty area and his shot was deflected past an unlucky Tor. Jacopo then went down the other end and equalised with another deflected shot, this time from a free kick, this time tricking Martti. City recaptured the lead with the day’s best goal. Maverick stole a ball in midfield, got to the bye-line and pulled back a perfect pass for Antonio who was arriving at the edge of the penalty area: Antonio scored again. But Jacopo evened up the scores again to send the teams in 2-2 at half time. Max came on at half time and made an immediate impact, scoring early to put Ipswich ahead for the first time. Both Jacopo and Antonio came close again with shots off the outside of the boot but Antonio completed his hat-trick when he nipped in to steal a ball and shoot first-time past Tor: 3-3. Martti made a fantastic double save, keeping out first Junio and then Gianluigi, setting up the grand finale: Antonio’s fourth goal from a free kick!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Antonio 8, Gianluigi 3, Jacopo 3, Maverick 3, Max 3, Martti 1

Ipswich 1-2 Man City

Manchester City managed to turn the form book on its head today and captured three points that sees them leap frog into the semi-finals, condemning Chelsea to an ignominious elimination. Antonio was very busy all through the match but he had no luck with two early free kicks. Despite this early pressure, it was Ipswich who took the lead through Max but Antonio then equalised with a delicate left-footed lob from the touchline. Madison scored the crucial third goal. Ipswich tried hard to get back into the game and Gianluigi’s shot that crashed down off the bar was their closest effort.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Antonio 5, Lupo 3, Gianluigi 3, Jacopo 2, Maverick 2, Lucas 1, Junio 1, Max 1, Gabriele 1, Martti 1, Tor 1 

AICS League: Academy Roma Real Casaletto 0-6 Ambrit

 

Another impressive performance today from the Ambrit u13s who maintain their 100% record with a win away to the (former!) league leaders… a position that Ambrit now assume with some authority! The two teams were well-matched for technical ability but Ambrit showed more determination and tactical nous; Ambrit were 3-0 up at half-time. In the second half, the home side dominated possession and put the Ambrit defence under some pressure but Mostafa controlled his defenders and kept a clean sheet. Ambrit scored three more goals in the second half. Noteworthy performances today from Gabriel and from new signing Leone who, despite playing against older opponents, managed to let his ability shine through. Goals today from Giovanni (2), Lorenzo L (2), Matteo and Lorenzo F.

Fulham 1-1 Man City

 

Man City dropped a valuable two points today and now must beat Chelsea to get to the semi-finals. Antonio was on target early on but his shot bounced back off the crossbar. Fulham took the lead when a corner from the right was cleared but VAR intervened to penalise a handball offence and Giovanni Vittorio blasted home the penalty. Maverick sprang from midfield and found himself one-to-one versus Mattia but the Fulham ‘keeper closed him down. Federico played a lovely one-two with Diego and got a shot off but only into the side-netting. The second half began dramatically with Giovanni V on the scoresheet again… except this time it was an own-goal! Maverick shot, Mattia saved but the ball rebounded off GV and in! Maverick supplied another good assist from the left to Edo, but Edo was off-balance and sliced the shot wide. Diego had a chance later on too, but his header was saved by Martti.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Antonio 3, Federico 3, Maverick 3, Diego 2, Giovanni V 2, Lupo 2, Patrizio 2, Martti 1, Mattia 1, Edoardo 1, Mostafa 1 

Chelsea 2-5 Ipswich

 

After yesterday’s debacle, it was great to see an excellent match today! Ipswich came out of the traps at a sprint - in particular captain Jacopo. He scored the first goal with a fierce right-foot drive after a dynamic solo run; he notched a second, similar goal - but this time with his left foot. And he made it 3-0 with a shot from an acute angle that tricked Carlo in the Chelsea goal. In between, Piervalerio nearly scored for Chelsea with a high lob that Tor managed to touch over the bar and Max came close to a goal too. In the second half, Claudio found some space in attack and banged in two beautiful goals with that deadly left foot. It seemed that Chelsea might mount a comeback but these hopes were dashed when Gabriel turned on a loose ball in the penalty area and hit an accurate shot into the top corner: 4-2. Gianluigi sealed the win with an unstoppable shot and almost added another late goal but, this time, he ded beat Sam in goal but struck the post.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo 5, Claudio 3, Junio 3, Carlo 2, Gianluigi 2, Gabriel 2, Leopoldo 1, Giulio R 1, Tancredi 1, Piervalerio 1

Liverpool 2-1 Spurs

A very unsatisfactory game. Liverpool took the lead through Antoine when his long shot found its way through a very confused Spurs rearguard. In the second half, Lorenzo I converted a penalty after Steve kicked the ball out of bounds. Lorenzo F pulled one back for Spurs.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lorenzo I 3, Lorenzo F 3, Antoine 3, Jose 2, Steve 2, Ashton 1, Anan 1, Rex 1, Christian 1, Raul 1, Anteo 1

Empoli 2-1 Roma

 

The next time that these two teams meet will be in the Final - the main course, shall we say - and today they served up a very appetizing antipasto. After some initial sparring, Megan opened the scoring with a perfectly-placed shot that sneaked between the goalkeeper and her right-hand post. Empoli’s equaliser wasn’t long coming though: Caterina picked up a ball on the left, cut inside and rolled an accurate shot into the bottom corner of the goal. Erin almost put her team 2-1 up from a free-kick but the ball glanced off the top of the crossbar. Against Como, Zoe came out and took over the second half and she did it again today! Her first shot was well-saved by Sofia and, as Empoli poured forward, Sofia’s next save kept out a shot from Anna. But Zoe wouldn’t go away and she was on hand to turn in a loose ball after a corner from Erin and Empoli took all three points to finish top! 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Megan 3, Erin 2, Vittoria N 2, Zoe 2, Caterina 2, Anna 2, Viola 1, Sofia 1, Gracie 1, Una 1 

AICS League: Ambrit 9-3 Forum

 

Up against the league leaders this week, Ambrit won their third game in a row and climb

into first place!

Ottima prestazione anche questo sabato della squadra dell’Ambrit che giocava contro la prima

in classifica - Forum. Il risultato viene subito messo al sicuro con tre goal nei primi 15 minuti di

gara; per il resto, la squadra ha gestito il risultato senza rinunciare ad essere più volte

pericoloso e segnare altri sei goal. In virtù di questa ottima prestazione la squadra sale al primo

posto nonostante una partita in meno.

TEAM: Mostafa; Noel, Tor, Junio, Matteo (capt), Lorenzo L; Lorenzo F, Giovanni, Edoardo,

Diego.

Scorers: Giovanni (3), Lorenzo F (2), Edoardo (2), Lorenzo L (1), Diego (1)

Man City 3-1 Liverpool

 

With Guardiola signing a new contract this week, City were galvanised for this meeting with their recent rivals. Liverpool were missing their captain again but Lorenzo G brought the fight to City early on, testing Edoardo in the city goal twice but failing to score. At the other end, Antonio played in Maverick but Rex saved well. Next time, Antonio himself took on the responsibility of shooting and fired City into the lead. Lorenzo G immediately created another chance for himself but Matteo made a fantastic tackle to keep him out. City went 2-0 up before half time, captain Maverick heading home an accurate throw-in from the right. Immediately after the break, Martti struck to make it 3-0 and the game was over as a meaningful match but Liverpool kept plugging away. Antoine set up Lorenzo G for a chance and Edo made a good save. But Antoine repeated the trick minutes later and Lorenzo G scored this time. But, throughout all of this, Ryan defended really well for Liverpool and the Reds were ably assisted by their on-loan players - Erin, Livia and Clotilde. The latter in particular was extraordinary today. Statistics show that she was 1st for ‘tackles made’, 1st for ‘distance run’ and 1st ‘Passes completed’. Well done Clotilde! 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lorenzo G 4, Ryan 3, Antonio 3, Antoine 3, Rex 2, Maverick 2, Matteo 2, Martti 1, Edoardo 1, 

Como 2-1 Atalanta

 

Captain Alessandra organised her troops well today and she herself provided a valuable link in midfield between a defence that was well-positioned throughout and a mobile Suleyma in attack. Clotilde supported her captain well on the right and played some good balls forward while Ludovica was alert and reactive in goal. But it was the opponents from Como who scored first, Chloe latching onto a Carla corner and scoring from close range. Sara found her feet late in the first half and made some threatening runs on the right. Early In the second half she switched to the left, made a run past two defenders, cut  inside to shoot and then stood off the ball to allow an onrushing Chloe to apply the finishing touch: great goal! The Como midfield and defence were having a great day too: Valerie blocked off the centre of the pitch and, behind her, Carla mopped up anything that did get through. The team from Bergamo made a desperate late attempt to claw back a point and Anna scored from a well-struck free kick that was helped past Maeve by a deflection off Greta. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Chloe 3, Sara 2, Suleyma 2, Anna 2, Clotilde 1, Ludovica 1, Carla 1, Valerie 1, Alessandra 1, 

Ipswich 2-1 Fulham

 

The home side dominated possession in the first half, Jacopo and Gianluigi offering a two-pronged threat that had Fulham scrambling in defence. But scrambling or not, Fulham kept them out and then struck on the break, Diego doing a tremendous job to somehow keep the ball in play, smuggle it along the base line and then tap it in to put Fulham ahead! Ipswich, not surprisingly, re-doubled their efforts and Mattia was called upon to make an excellent save from a well-struck Jacopo shot. Fulham almost sneaked a second goal just before the break: Federico’s corner was perfectly placed to find Diego’s head on the far post but Diego headed wide. The second half opened with a fantastic save from Tor, pushing a fiercely-struck shot from Federico onto his post and out. The action then switched ends and, to the delight of his many adoring fans on the 8th grade touchline, Gianluigi equalised off a Jacopo assist. Both teams now abandoned any pretence of caution and chances were more frequent. Diego played in Federico: he shot high. Diego turned on a loose ball: he shot over too. Gabriel saw his shot towards  the opposite top corner saved and Max shot the rebound over the bar. Giovanni Vittorio hit a beautiful shot from the edge of the area but Tor made another good save. It looked destined to be a draw but then Jacopo made another surging run and, this time, a space opened in the Fulham defence. Jacopo didn’t need to be asked: he drove the ball into the back of the net.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo 4, Diego 4, Federico 3, Gianluigi 3, Tor 2, Junio 2, Gabriel 1, Mattia 1, Giovanni Vittorio 1

Spurs 3-0 Chelsea

 

A lot of people had Chelsea down as favourites for this one but the Spurs players certainly turned up today and put on a good all-round team performance to take the three points and capture first place in the league table. The first half was slow to take off and Piervalerio’s yellow card was the first really notable event, along with a couple of ultimately sterile combinations between Tancredi and Claudio down the left. Things then exploded into life when Spurs were awarded a penalty for Sam’s handball. Sam was shown a red card… but VAR intervened to commute that to a yellow; Lorenzo F nailed the penalty: 1-0 at half time. The first few minutes of the second half belonged to Christian, in goal for Spurs. He made three fantastic saves: the first to block a sledgehammer of a shot from Carlo; the second to stop a well-placed shot from Claudio; the third to keep out Tancredi from close range. After that, the Spurs outfield took over. Steve had a shot well saved by Leopoldo but his next shot was cleverly dummied by Lorenzo F; Leopoldo was fooled - 2-0. Steve struck again for 3-0.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Christian 4, Steve 3, Sam 3, Lorenzo F 3, Claudio 2, Carlo 2, Piervalerio 2, Tancredi 1, José 1

San Girolamo 0-9 Ambrit

 Oggi prestazione degna di nota della squadra Ambrit che nonostante inizio di partita con un uomo in meno pronti e via dopo cinque minuti 3 a zero.per il resto della partita la superiorità tecnica e fisica ha fatto sì che la squadra segnasse altri sei goal senza subirne uno Ottimo lavoro tattico di tutti e anche del portiere che ha salvato la sua porta con due gesti tecnici di nota.

Ambrit 8-1 Hell Valley

 

Despite the final scoreline, Ambrit’s opening match in the AICS league hung in the balance until mid-way through the second half. Ambrit started well and had the visitors pinned back for most of the first half but goals were slow to come. Diego played in Edoardo with a lovely pass but Edo’s shot was saved. From a corner, Edoardo found Diego but Diego shot wide and, 2’ later, he hit the crossbar with another effort! Edoardo shot over with his next try and Giovanni shot wide too. Still 0-0! Finally Ambrit did score with maybe the best goal of the game: a long ball found Lorenzo F on the left and he beat the goalkeeper with a delicious lob! Ambrit continued to attack and Edoardo played in a great cross from the right which Giovanni somehow failed to touch in. Giovanni shot wide again a minute later and all these missed chances looked like coming back to haunt Ambrit when their opponents hit the bar with their first attack of the game and then equalised with their second attack! But Ambrit were unperturbed and Diego continued to lay off nice passes: Giovanni almost managed to profit but his shot was just wide. Then, just before the half time break, Diego played in Lorenzo F on the left; Lorenzo’s speed took him past the defender and he calmly beat the goalkeeper again for goal number two.

It took Ambrit 15’ of the second half to score the third - Giovanni - and begin to feel comfortable. Tor added a fourth with an amazing shot almost over his shoulder from the corner of the pitch to the opposite corner of the goal. Giovanni ‘stole’ the fifth, backheeling Matteo’s goal-bound shot into the corner; Edoardo scored the sixth, at the end of an exciting breakaway run; Giovanni number seven and Edoardo the eighth. All through the game, Mostafa was a reassuring presence in goal and made two excellent saves; Noel, Junio, Lorenzo L and Matteo defended solidly.

Liverpool 4-2 Chelsea

 

Anfield celebrated three points today as Chelsea had to bow to a superior Liverpool, driven by Captain Lorenzo I in fine form. Chelsea scored first when Claudio latched onto a sloppy pass out of midfield and slotted the ball into the corner with his trusty left foot. He nearly doubled the lead immediately but Rex made the first of many good saves - in the first half alone, two more from Claudio and one to stop Carlo too. Lorenzo I equalised with a well-struck free-kick but Chelsea re-took the lead before half-time: Carlo’s shot was saved by Rex but the rebound fell to Giovanni and he calmly chipped it over a diving Rex. But this time the lead lasted only seconds; Lorenzo I scored with just the second touch after the re-start with a high shot that caught Sam napping. But Sam made it up for it just before the break, making a brilliant save low to his left to foil Lorenzo G. Early in the second half, an industrious Antoine forced Sam into another save and Claudio did likewise to Rex. Lorenzo I came onto a pass from Lorenzo G but his shot was deflated off Carlo and over. Then Lorenzo I scored a jewel of a goal. Collecting the ball on the left, he dummied the defender and turned inside to execute a delicate chip into the far corner of the goal. Antoine supplied the assist to Lorenzo I for his fourth and final goal.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lorenzo I 6, Claudio 3, Rex 3, Sam 2, Antoine 2, Carlo 2, Filippo 1, Ryan 1, Giovanni M 1

Como 0-2 Empoli

 

A quiet first half ended with Anna shooting over the bar but maybe that was a warning that Como should have heeded. In the second half, Empoli had a new energy and Zoe was on fire. Three times she found herself with shooting opportunities and three times her shot was a little too high. But the fourth time, no! Receiving a pass from Anna, she slotted the ball home confidently to put the Tuscans ahead. Como attacked now with new energy themselves. Livia put the Empoli under constant pressure and Valerie made some exciting runs with the ball. But Empoli coped well - Viola stood out in defence - Como left spaces for Erin to exploit… and she did. Rounding two opponents, she then passed to Zoe who gleefully accepted the invitation to seal the victory with her second goal.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Zoe 4, Valerie 3, Livia 2, Erin 2, Anna 2, Viola 2, Gracie 1, Carla 1

Spurs 2-2 Fulham

 Another London derby today and, though it maybe was not the best quality match of recent times, it nonetheless provided lots of entertainment for a packed stadium as the teams fought for superiority right to the end. An early chance fell to Fulham but Diego wasn't yet warmed up and he missed quite badly, He made amends minutes later though with an excellent assist for Federico but the Fulham captain shot high over the bar. Then it was Spurs turn to put Fulham under pressure and, just as they looked to have forced the ball over the line, Lorenzo C 'took one for the team', handling to keep the ball out and getting a red card for his trouble! José took the resulting penalty and scored... but VAR stepped in to order a re-take because of Lorenzo F's encroachment and this time José's kick was saved by Mattia! The last chance of the half fell to Spurs captain Steve but he too shot over.

The second half was lit up early on by an incredible triple save from Mattia! He blocked shots from Steve, Lorenzo F and Freddie and then recovered to make even a fourth save soon after. The first goal of the game came off a hotly-contested Fulham throw-in. The ball ricocheted into the Spurs goal off a defender but Spurs were adamant that the thrower was standing on the pitch. The referee didn't see it, nor did VAR. Diego could have made it 2-0 almost immediately off a Federico assist hew missed and then but Spurs used the earlier 'wrong' as motivation. Freddie played in Steve and he drove a fierce shot past Mattia. Then Lorenzo F started to finally get the better of on-loan player Erin. He passed to Ashton but Mattia made another good save. Next time though, Lorenzo F took the shot himself and scored: 2-1. The last word went to Diego though. He took a pass on the left fron Lorenzo L and shot the ball back diagonally to tie the game at 2-2.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Mattia 5, Federico 3, Steve 3, Lorenzo F 2, Diego 2, Raul 2, Freddie 2, Lorenzo L 1, Mostafa 1.

Roma 0-0 Atalanta

 

Nor every scoreless draw is a dull game and this one certainly wasn’t! Despite a dearth of goalscoring opportunities, the crowd was thoroughly entertained by this absorbing encounter, where the battles in midfield were evenly contested and two well-organised defences kept the goalkeepers well protected.

Indeed it was two goalkeepers who produced the best moments of the game, both in the second half. First it was Aurora who, with an unbelievable dive to her left, kept out a well-placed shot from Alessandra off a Letizia assist that looked to be surely destined for the corner of the net! And, in the dying moments of the game, it was Clotilde in the opposite goal who came out bravely to block a point-blank shot from Vittoria!

And let’s not forget another vital save too: in the first minute of the game, Suleyma looked ready to score for Atalanta but Sofia saved well.

Well done to these two captains: tactically well-prepared!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Alessandra 2, Aurora 2, Ludovica 2, Vittoria N 2, Suleyma 2, Aiassatou 1, Clotilde 1, Giada 1, Ginevra 1, Letizia 1, Sophie 1

Ipswich 3-2 Liverpool

In their first season back in the Premier League, Ipswich recorded a historic win over Liverpool at Portman Road today. Without their captain, Rex did a very creditable job of organising the team but the Reds were unable to pose the same threat that Ipswich did, thanks to THEIR captain! Jacopo served notice of his threat with an early goal: he went on a long, meandering run, beating players with a combination of strength, body swerves and sudden acceleration. Liverpool hit back quickly though: a lovely combination of passes involving Lorenzo G and Antoine saw the g7 ace shoot home for 1- 1. The same combination almost produced another goal minutes later but this time Lorenzo shot wide and a third chance was well saved by Tor in the Ipswich goal. Liverpool kept pressing and Ipswich were lucky to escape as Antoine almost bundled the ball in from a corner but Ipswich scrambled the ball away to Jacopo and he finished off the move decisively to send his team in at the break with a one goal advantage.

Ipswich began the second half quickly again… and Jacopo was deadly again.

He completed his hat-trick but then Ipswich sat back and invited Liverpool

to come on. And Liverpool threw everything at them! Antoine played in

Lorenzo G: he shot wide. Then a lovely move saw the ball switch from

Antoine to Lorenzo to Filippo and back to Antoine for a clever shot into

the corner: 3-2! Liverpool continued to press but, meanwhile, Jacopo almost

scored directly from a corner Then the last few minutes were hectic!

Lucas cleared shots off the line twice; Rex played Filippo in but the shot

was wide; Ryan (who had a fantastic game today)

played in Lorenzo G but he shot high; Filippo shot wide again and Lorenzo

put a beautiful ball onto Antoine’s head but Antoine sent the ball just inches past

the wrong side of the post! 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo , Antoine 3, Lorenzo G 3, Ryan 3, Rex 2, Anan 1,

Filippo 1, Giulio R 1, Lucas 1, Tor 1

Chelsea 3-1 Fulham

 

Chelsea prevailed in today’s London derby but Fulham captain, Federico, was Man of the Match. He tackled, ran and passed like a man obsessed. But, unfortunately for his team, he was unable to link up well with his forwards for a solid end product.

For Chelsea, Leopoldo - clearly a favourite among the home support here in The Shed - was very active early on. Gifted the ball by Patrizio, his shot struck the post and went wide. Minutes later, he was through again but this time Patrizio made a good save. Not long after though, it was Claudio’s left foot that opened the scoring - a low shot past a diving Patrizio. Leopoldo’s link-up with the post then continued, but this time Claudio was on hand to roll i n the rebound to make it 2-0. Diego had a chance just before the break toi cut the deficit but Sa saved.

In the second half, Piervalerio took a yellow card for the team, stopping Diego with a cynical handball. He then stopped Diego again, this time with a perfectly-timed sliding tackle. But Fulham persisted and Lorenzo L pulled a goal back. To no avail though, Giovanni Mori restored the two goal margin which, in truth, should have been wider.. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Federico 4, Claudio 3, Leopoldo 3, Diego 2, Piervalerio 2, Mostafa 1,  Mattia 1, Tancredi 1, Carlo 1, Patrizio 1, Sam 1, Giovanni Vittorio 1

Spurs 5-1 Man City

Postecoglu’s attacking football paid dividends today as his Spurs team over-ran a City that lacked organization and failed to finish the few chances that they created. Spurs went ahead when City gave away a penalty thanks to the controversial ball-over-the-South-fence penalty rule! Freddie converted, 100% success from the spot for him. Later in the first half, Antonio equalised with an unstoppable shot from 25m out, giving Ashton no chance in the Spurs goal. 

Freddie followed this up in the second half with an assist to put Lorenzo F clear and the 6th-grader cooly slid the ball past Martti for 2-1. A goalmouth scramble following a free kick from the left saw the ball fall to Steve at the far post and he tapped home the third. And it was Steve again who shot home the fourth goal, with Christian rounding off the win with a fifth.

BEST PLAYER: Steve 4, Antonio 3, Freddie, 3, Lorenzo F 3, José 2,  Matteo 2, Christian 1,  Simone 1, Maverick 1, Lupo 1

 

Roma 1-0 Como

 

A full Ambrit Stadium today was treated to an action-packed first half but had to sit through a disappointing second half as Roma did just enough to take the three points.

The only goal of the game came towards the end of the first half. Having soaked up the pressure from their opponents for 10’, Roma attacked and forced a series of corners. From the last of these, an unlucky touch from a Como defender swept the ball past Chloe in the Como goal.

Before that, Como were in charge. Anna came close for with a high lob over the bar and Livia set up a good chance for Maeve but her shot was well-saved by  Sofia All through this first half, Livia had a constant battle with Megan down one side of the pitch and Vittoria N and Carla battled each other through the middle. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Vittoria N 3, Megan 2, Livia 2, Carla 2, Aurora 1, Maeve 1, Aissatou 1, Ginevra 1, Sofia 1 

Ipswich 4-4 Spurs

 

Another thrilling game today with the result in doubt right until the final whistle. The teams were level when Junio scored off a free-kick to put Ipswich ahead. Ashton made two good saves from Jacopo shots and then Spurs equalised when a ball out of defence was allowed to run all the way up the pitch until Steve collected it and rolled it past Lucas: 1-1. A lovely passing move from Ipswich saw the ball move quickly from Jacopo to Max but,again, Ashton made the save. Gianluigi had a chance then but he scooped it up and over the bar and the first half ended with a good save from Lucas to keep Lorenzo F out. 

This first half had been characterized by a lot of good running and passing from Jacopo but, on the other side, Raul was doing a fantastic job to shut him down before he could do too much damage. A great battle between two good players.

Not long after the re-start, Freddie hit the post but Ipswich re-took the lead when Jacopo set up Max to score. But almost immediately, Junio fouled in the penalty area and Freddie converted the spot-kick. Freddie was again the protagonist two minutes later, his free kick saved by Lucas but Steve was following up and he buried the rebound to put Spurs ahead for the first time. The Jacopo-Max link up worked again though and Ipswich leveled the game at 3-3. The tit-for-tat scoring continued when Freddie collected a loose ball and hammered it home with his left foot. Spurs tried to hang onto their lead to the end, but Jacopo wasn’t having any of that; another of his long, mazy runs finally ended with a goal to tie the game for the final time.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Raul 4, Jacopo 3, Freddie 3, Steve 2, Ashton 2, Max 2, Giulio R 2, Gabriel 1, Simone 1, Christian 1

RISA friendlies

 Ambrit 3-4 AOSR

A seven-goal thriller to open Ambrit’s RISA season for 2024-25. After conceding an early goal, Ambrit went ahead thanks to two goals from in-form striker Lorenzo G and Ambrit managed to conserve their lead until the half-time break, thanks also to a fantastic clearance off the line by Gabriel. AOSR equalised but Lorenzo G completed his hat-trick in the second half and Ambrit was 3-2 ahead. AOSR equalised again but Lorenzo G came very close to a fourth goal but this time his attempt bounced back off the bar. In the dying seconds, AOSR broke away and scored to win the match.

Ambrit 4-4 St George’s

Unbelievable!!!

St George’s ran away into a four goal lead in the first half. Full credit to Ambrit though, they never lost heart. The torrential rain that came down seemed to wake them up for the second half and Lorenzo G made it 4-1. Diego shot from way outside the box and scored: 4-2. Lorenzo G scored yet again: 4-3. And Noel, making his debut today, flicked home a loose ball to tie the score and seal a great comeback for the boys from Tajani!