Brazil 2-0 Mexico

Il Messico cede i tre punti al Brasile, non riuscendo a compensare la pesantissima assenza di Giulia, e soccombe alla bella doppietta di una Greta già in formato Garda. Ottima prestazione, punti importantissimi e primo posto nella classifica cannonieri e Player of the Match.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: 
Greta 9, Lara 3, Raffaella 3, Maria 2, Sofia 2, Francesca 1, Miranda 1

Portugal 2-1 Australia

After dominating the first half and most of the second, Australia somehow contrived to lose this match after being ahead at half time.
Filippo C put his team ahead and might have made it 2-0 but Ale P made an excellent save with his foot.
Marco equalised in the second half with a fierce shot from the right and Jonathan scored the winner from the same part of the pitch.
BEST PLAYER POINTS:
Marco 6, Jonny 4, Filippo C 4, AleP 3, Alex K 2, Giovanni 1, JacopoM 1.

Netherlands vs Italy

Selection of girls for the match:

Giulia (C)
Priscilla
Orsola
Carolina
Sophie
Valentina
Sofia
Anastasia
Greta
Maria
Lara

AMBRIT GIRLS WIN JANUARY TOURNAMENT!

Two Ambrit teams and a team from AOSR faced off in the January MS Girls Soccer Tournament.

Ambrit 'B' 4 - 1 AOSR
(scorers: Giulia 2, Lara, Maria Flavia)
In the first game, Ambrit's 'B' team (G7/8) took on AOSR and took them by surprise. Early pressure paid off with two goals from Giulia - the second set up nicely by Ran. Lara played an excellent game - always available and passing well - and scored the third goal. Maria Flavia banged in a fourth before half time and Ambrit were cruising...... or so it seemed.
AOSR re-organized in the second half, clawed back one goal and kept Ambrit's attackers at bay.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lara

Ambrit 'B' 5 - 1 Ambrit 'A'

(scorers: Francesca 2, Lara, Maria Flavia, 

Giulia; Ran)
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH: Chiara; Sophie

Ambrit 'A' 0 - 3 AOSR

Ambrit's 6th graders kept their much bigger opponents at bay for most of the match and showed their promise for the future. An incredible performance by Anastasia (G7) in goal showed Ambrit's strength in depth at the moment in the all-important no. 1 position!

PLAYERS OF THE MATCH: Anastasia

FINAL - Ambrit 'B' 0 - 0 AOSR; 3-0 after penalties

(scorers: Lucrezia, Chiara, Sofia)

After a tight final, in which Lucrezia made a series of incredible saves, the competition was decided by penalty kicks. Three fantastic penalties and two brilliant saves ensured that the honours went to Ambrit: Bravissime!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lucrezia

Spain 2-2 Chile

Andrew Cr kicked Chile into a first half lead but Filippo G equalised before half time.
Honours were even in the second half too; Joshua set up Francesco R who struck from outside the area to make it 2-1 but, with only seconds remaining, the ball struck Filippo T's arm in the penalty area and Filippo G converted.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Mattia 4, Filippo G 3, Ludovico 3, Alessio 2, Joao Francisco 2, Michael 1, Giacomo 1, Riccardo 1, Francesco R 1, Luca R 1, Filippo T 1, Joshua C 1

Croatia 0 - 0 Mexico

Buona gara, molto equilibrata, tra le formazioni femminili scese oggi in campo: molti duelli a centrocampo, buona attenzione in difesa, ma è mancato lo spunto, la zampata che avrebbe cambiato il risultato e il volto della partita.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Sofia 6, Giulia 4, Ran 3, Priscilla 2, Maria Flavia 2, Carolina 1, Noemi 1, Orsola 1, Eilith 1

Risultati del sondaggio

Il Portogallo, nonostante la netta sconfitta contro il Cile, risulta il più votato (25%) tra le squadre maschili favorite per la vittoria del secondo intramural. Al secondo posto (!) l'Italia, che certamente avrà beneficiato dei voti femminili tra i nostri lettori. Al terzo posto, con il 18% delle preferenze, l'Olanda; alle spalle degli Orange la Spagna e il Cile appaiate; più staccata l'Australia.
Al campo il verdetto finale! Buon calcio a tutti

Australia 3-0 Italy

A good start for the Men from Down Under. A brace of goals in the first three minutes from Filippo and Jacopo settled the team and they passed the ball well for the rest of he match.
In the second half, Laith got up to crown a good performance with a header from a corner.

GIOVANI E VINCENTI!

Nella categoria della quinta elementare e della prima media la soppressa - graditissima - arriva dai più piccoli, la squadra Ambrit formata unicamente da fifth graders, che si aggiudica il torneo dopo una cavalcata trionfale nel girone e una finale tiratissima, vinta solo dopo i calci di rigore e qualche (sciocca) polemica.

Ma ripercorriamo la bella mattinata di sabato dal principio: l'Ambrit ha portato ben tre squadre su otto, di cui una mista (5/6) e due formate da elementi di prima media (6) e di quinta (5), inserite in due diversi gironi che ospitavano anche due squadre dell'eterna rivale St. George's, la New School e la Scuola Tedesca di Roma (DSR).

Nel girone A la situazione è apparsa subito molto equilibrata: fatta esclusione per la DSR, le altre squadre hanno tutte ottenuto due vittorie e una sconfitta, e il prezzo più alto è toccato alla pur brava Ambrit 6, qualificatasi per terza (questione di differenza reti) e quindi per la finale 5-6 posto.

Nel girone B la situazione è stata dominata dai piccoli ma tecnicissimi ragazzi di 5a, capaci di battere nettamente tutti gli avversari e piazzarsi primi nel girone. L'Ambrit 5/6, complice forse una minore abitudine a giocare insieme, non è riuscita a trovare la chiave della compattezza e ha ottenuto solo due pareggi e una sconfitta, finendo terza nel girone.

La finale per il quinto posto ha quindi visto fronteggiarsi due squadre Ambrit: la favorita Ambrit 6 contro la Ambrit 5/6. Il risultato di pareggio (gol di Francesco e pareggio di Nicholas) ha portato le squadre ai rigori e al verdetto: vittoria per l'Ambrit 5/6 con rigore decisivo di Nicholas!

La finalissima per il primo posto è stata molto combattuta: i piccoli dell'Ambrit 5, un po' emozionati e un po' tesi, hanno sprecato il vantaggio di Riccardo e hanno permesso alla St. George's A di ottenere un pareggio in mischia. Anche questa volta i calci di rigore hanno deciso i vincitori: dopo ben 7 rigori tirati per parte il punteggio era ancora 3-3. Qualche maligno genitore avversario ha nesso in dubbio la nostra buona fede - e questo ci dispiace e ci intristisce - ma la competizione è andata avanti, Riccardo ha segnato l'ultimo rigore e il piccolo Peter, tra i pali, ha compiuto l'ennesimo miracolo, regalando la vittoria all'Ambrit! Bravi ragazzi! Vi aspettiamo l'anno prossimo nella scuola media per altre emozionanti vittorie!

Girone A
Ambrit 6 - SGBIS A 1-0 (Francesco)
DSR - NSR 0-5
SGBIS A - NSR 2-1
Ambrit 6 - DSR 3-0 (Noah, Francesco, Filippo)
Ambrit 6 - NSR 0-1
SGBIS A - DSR 3-0

Girone B
Ambrit 5 - SGBIS B 2-1 (Edo P. - Edo P.)
Ambrit 5/6 - Southlands 0-0
Southlands - SGBIS B 3-1
Ambrit 5 - Ambrit 5/6 2-1 (Riccardo, Riccardo, Paolo)
Southlands - Ambrit 5 0-4 (Edo P., Edo P., Edo P., Emanuele)
Ambrit 5/6 - SGBIS B 2-2 (Umberto, Giovanni)

5th Place final
Ambrit 5/6 vs Ambrit 6 1-1 (3-2 dcr) Francesco, Nicholas

1st Place Final
Ambrit 5 vs SGBIS A 1-1 (5-4 dcr) Riccardo

P.S. Attendo una foto della squadra dai genitori! (email to gianluca.cristiani@ambrit-rome.com)

AMBRIT JANUARY SOCCER TOURNAMENTS: Grades 7&8 Boys

Winners: New School
2nd: DSR
3rd: Ambrit
4th: AOSR
5th: Marymount

Ambrit Results:
AOSR         0-3 Ambrit (Ludo, Jiaqi, Luca R)
Marymount  0-0 Ambrit
DSR             2-2 Ambrit (Stuart, Joshua)
NSR             3-1 Ambrit (Stuart)

Chile 3-0 Portugal

The first half belonged to Chile but they couldn't score. Matty set up Joshua twice: the first time he hit the post, the second time he shot wide. He should have scored both.
Matty then nearly took off Ale's hands with a powerful shot but it stayed 0-0.
In the second half, Joshua finally opened the scoring from inside the penalty area. Francesco R then made it two from the same side of the pitch (who was defending there??). Luca R scored the third from a corner.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: 
Jonathan 6, Mattia 5, Alessio 4, FrancescoR. 2, Joshua 2, Marco 1, LucaR. 1

Croatia 2 - 1 Brazil

Buon esordio del campionato femminile, con una gara equilibrata e incerta sino all'ultimo minuto. Nel primo confronto tra le nuove formazioni è prevalsa l'organizzazione della Croazia, coordinata e incitata da Priscilla - insuperabile libero. Dopo il vantaggio con un bel tiro da fuori di Angelica, la Croazia ha dominato il primo tempo. Determinante per la vittoria finale il gioco a tutto campo di Orsola e Ran, autrice del secondo gol; molto buona anche la partita di Sophie, capace insieme a Priscilla di bloccare tutte le iniziative avversarie. Nel Brasile invece, che secondo noi ancora deve mostrare tutto il suo potenziale, grande movimento di Greta e Margarita; ancora sottotono sono state Valentina e Francesca. Molto positiva la prova dei portieri, a cui abbiamo deciso di non dare punti-torneo per questo secondo Intramural.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Ran 7, Priscilla 4, Maria 2, Greta 2, Valentina 1, Sophie 1, Orsola 1, Margarida 1, Carolina 1, Angelica 1

Netherlands 1 - 0 Spain

The first match of the new tournament was decided by a single goal, scored by Sebastian in the first half when Luca dC found him with an aacurate pass from midfield and Alex was unable to stop the shot.

Spain had few good chances in the second half, the best one falling to Filippo G but his shot was well-saved by Cristian. The game ended in controversy as Referee Corcoran turned down a strong penalty request when Fillipo appeared to have his shirt pulled inside the penalty area.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Sebastian 5, Stuart 4, Zahir 3, Andrew Cole 1, Joao Francisco 1, Filippo G 2, Guerrino 1, Luca DC 1, Cristian 1, Riccardo 1, Lorenzo 1

Yellow card: Nicholas

GOODBYE MALLIKA!

...AND SEE YOU SOON!!!
Thank you for being such a big part of our football team and... of our heart!

Calcio Mercato

Astute buying strategies from their captains has made Alessio's Chile and Ale P's Portugal two of the teams to look out for in the new intramural (vote in our survey NOW!).

Marco and Mattia went for 49 million euros each and Filippo G was the most expensive of the Grade 6 players (20 million). Last term's top scorer fetched 10 million (Francesco R) and the most expensive defender was Joao (35 million). Let's hope that they can all justify these price tags!

Spring Intramural

The FIFA World Cup will take place in Brazil this summer but Ambrit will host their own World Cup first!

CHECK THE NEW BOYS' TEAMS!

Again this year,

• A GIRLS' All Star team will compete in the BOYS' tournament. In matches involving this All Star team, the following rules will apply to BOYS' teams:

• 7 Boys versus 8 Girls
• Any one player on a Boys' team can score no more than ONE goal
• Boys limited to four touches*

*for all other matches, the four-touch rule is suspended.

See the Calendar and Team pages now for more information!

Girls' final: Real Madrid - Barcelona 1-1 (4-2)

Una straordinaria finale, l'ultima giocata dall'eccezionale Mallika, regala spettacolo ed emozioni alla folla gremita sulla terrazza dell'Ambrit. Da una parte l'imbattuto e tecnicissimo Barcelona, capace di infilare 5 vittorie e un pareggio; dall'altra il temibile Real Madrid, tutto cuore e impegno.
A decidere le sorti della partita, paradossalmente, due autoreti assai sfortunate, una nel primo tempo che ha illuso i tifosi blaugrana, l'altra nella ripresa che ha riacceso le speranze dei madrilisti.
Quale degna conclusione, se non i calci di rigore, per assegnare il titolo di campione?
Dal dischetto fatali gli errori di Lara e Mallika, ottime le parate di Lucrezia e Anastasia, e un titolo che finisce sulla bacheca delle blancos... almeno sino al prossimo anno!

Diverse giocatrici da citare, per impegno e determinazione, ma anche per qualità tecniche in costante crescita: Mallika e Giulia, anima delle due squadre; Anastasia e Lucrezia, sempre più sicure tra i pali; Carolina e Margarida, ormai qualcosa di più di giovani promesse; Francesca (HiiiiiiHOOO), Orsola, e Ginevra ormai certezze; Valentina e Angelica combattive come sempre.
Insomma: a Garda quest'anno c'è da credere in un buon piazzamento...

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Francesca 4, Carolina 3, Mallika 3, Ginevra 1, Giulia 1, Lucrezia 1, Anastasia 1.

BOYS FINAL: Inter 6-1 Roma

A one-sided final was put beyond Roma’s reach in the second half when a dubious penalty gave Inter the chance to move into a 4-1 lead and they never looked back.

Inter went into an early lead when a long ball from Joao found Filippo behind the defense and he raced on to plant an accurate shot beyond Giacomo. Alex dF was denied an equalizer shortly afterwards when Christian made a good save and Joao was constantly alert to Marco’s runs. However he could do nothing when Alex’s cross came over, slightly behind Marco and forcing him to turn to hit the ball on the volley. He caught it sweetly and it flew past Christian: 1-1.

Inter came back again and Jacopo made some room for himself on the left before unleashing a well-placed shot past Giacomo to make it 2-1 just before half time.

In the second half, Roma almost equalized early on but Jacopo hooked the ball off the line. Filippo scored with another breakaway move and then Referee Corcoran awarded a penalty to Inter. Corcoran was convinced, but no one else seemed to be. Francesco Rughetti scored with the subsequent kick and Inter wrapped up the final with two more goals from Jacopo and Filippo.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Marco 6, Joao 6, Filippo 5, Jacopo 4, 

THIRD PLACE FINAL: Lazio 2-2 Milan (5-6 after penalties)

Today's third place final turned out to be a rollercoaster of emotions for the thousands of spectators who flocked to Ambrit Stadium.
Lazio had the better of the early exchanges and Noah I put his team ahead when he stole a ball off Matteo in defense and shot past Michael in goal. Later in the first half, Finnian chopped down Noah I just outside the box. Tommaso V stepped up to hammer home the free kick and Lorenzo's men were smiling.
Early in the second half, Noah I had a chance to seal the victory but Michael made a great save to keep the score at 2-0. In attack for i rossoneri, Luca was always lively, Joshua was always dangerous, William was everywhere and the introduction at half time of Filippo C gave them an extra punch going forward.
But the goals wouldn't come.
Until finally Filippo, in possession in midfield, found the kind of defense-splitting pass that was needed to open up Lazio's solid defense. On the other end of the pass, Luca zipped in past two defenders and finished well: 2-1 with 4 minutes left.
When Milan won a corner on the right, there was one minute left and everybody knew that this was their last chance. Cometh the hour, cometh the man: when the ball floated over, it was deflected to the edge of the penalty aerea where William was waiting. As the ball fell to his feet, how many thoughts went through William's head... what if I hit it over? what if I hit it wide? what if I miss it altogether?
But he did none of those things. Instead he found the perfect shot on the volley to penetrate a sea of defenders and plug the ball into the back of the net!
In the penalty shoot-out, Alex in goal gave his team a glimmer of hope when he made a fantastic save off Filippo's attempt but, once again, William stepped up and hammered the final nail into Lazio's coffin.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: William 7, Tommaso 6, Riccardo 4, Finnian 2, Noah G 1, Michael 1

Real Madrid - Valencia 5-0

Vittoria senza discussioni per il Real Madrid, che - dopo la sconfitta d'esordio contro il Barcellona - si candida a ricoprire un ruolo da protagonista nel torneo femminile di quest'anno. La quadripletta del capitano madrileno viene completata da una rete dell'emergente Margarida: la "manita" distruggerà il morale valenciano? Speriamo di no, il campionato è ancora lungo...

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Giulia 8, Margarida 3, Ran 2, Angelica 1, Lara 1, Ginevra 1, Lucrezia 1.

Real Madrid 1 - 0 Sevilla

Un gol di Giulia permette al Real Madrid di superare un buon Siviglia e volare verso la finale di giovedì prossimo, contro il favorito Barcelona di Mallika & Co.
Il Siviglia lascia pochi spazi, con una prestazione maiuscola di Celeste, Priscilla e Penelope, mentre a centrocampo la coppia Andrea-Orsola attua un pressing asfissiante. Tuttavia Giulia, nell'unica occasione concessale, scappa via sulla destra e da posizione defilata infila un'incolpevole Lucrezia, sempre più brava a organizzare la propria difesa.
Nel secondo tempo il Siviglia ha una ghiotta occasione per pareggiare i conti - meritatamente - ma il destro di Maria Flavia vola alto ben al di sopra della porta protetta da Anastasia.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Celeste 5, Priscilla 4, Andrea 3, Orsola 1, Penelope 1, Giulia 1

Valencia - Barcelona

Normale amministrazione per il Barcelona, che con una doppietta dell'imprendibile Mallika, stende il Valencia e porta a casa i tre punti in scioltezza.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Mallika 6, Francesca 1, Carolina 1, Maria 1, Ran 1, Sofia 1, Greta 1, Lara 1.

Roma 3-2 Milan

A plucky performance by i rossoneri wasn't enough to save them from the Ossicini-di Filippo axis, once again the determining factor and enough to send Roma into the final.
I giallorossi wasted no time, opening the scoring in the first minute when Michael did well to get his hands to Marco's shot but not well enough to keep it out. Luca carved himself a good chance to equalise but his shot from the left was high. Alex dF made it 2-0 from a corner and Roma looked to be well in control of the match.
But then Milan woke up, urged on by Luca's energy and Joshua's enthusiasm and insistence which was rewarded by a goal in the tenth minute. Nico then put a ball wide but Milan kept coming forward and Joshua played in Luca to make it 2-2. Alex dF could have made it 3-2 before half time but he shot straight at Michael.
Marco began the second half strongly again, hitting the post with a header. Luca had a good shot saved by Giacomo but it was Roma who found the winner half-way through the second half with, once again, Marco setting up Ale dF.
BEST PLAYER: Marco 9, Alex dF 2, Finnian 4, Luca dC 3, Andrew C 3

Inter 1-0 Lazio

Lazio had to settle for a place in the Third place final as Inter pulled out a solid performance to move into next week's final with a 1-0 win.
The only goal of the game came when Francesco Rughetti caught Ramnath napping in goal with a low shot from the right. Lazio had some chances to equalise before half time, the best of them falling to Noah G when he followed up Lorenzo's free kick and hit the bar with his shot. Inter might have made it 2-0 just before half time but Ramnath brought off a fantastic save when Jacopo shot from point-blank range.
Lazio kept possession for most of the second half but they couldn't score.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Riccardo 5, Ludo 5, Tommaso 2, Noah I 2, Joao 1, Jacopo 1, Noah G 1, Christian 1, Lorenzo 1, Francesco 1, Ramnath 1

St George's Girls' Tournament: under-11 section - 'A' team

The Primary Girls soccer team enjoyed a lovely Saturday by competing in a tournament organized by St. Georges. The girls played 4 games at first, with two wins and two losses. Lucrezia led the team goals, with some beautiful shots that went straight into the corners of the net and to the amazement of the crowd. Mia created many opportunities for her teammates and had plenty of assists and goals to prove it. Sophie showed a strong defense and Noor protected the goal with fierce determination. The fifth and final match against Ambrit Grade 6 decided that the Ambrit Primary girls would take home 4th place. The girls look forward to playing in the next tournament, where they are sure to continue their high spirits and skilled games.

Inter 4-4 Milan

A public starved of good football was treated to a feast of a match today as Milan resurrected themselves from a 1-4 deficit, scoring three goals in the last three minutes to grab a point and seal their third place finish in the group stages.
The action began in spectacular style when Stuart won a ball in midfield,looked up to see Michael off his line and lob in a beautiful shot to make it 1-0. Four minutes later, on the opposite side of the pitch, Jacopo spotted an opening and hammered in an equally spectacular goal to make it 2-0.
At the other end, Luca was causing havoc among the Inter defense but Joao was trying to keep him under control. Then Nico played a lovely pass to Filippo C on the right and Filippo reminded us what a good finisher he is: 2-1.
Then, just before half time, Stuart struck again with another thunderbolt from the left to make it 3-1 and Francesco R finished off a good passing move to make it 4-1 at half time, the final assist coming from Filippo G on the left.
In the second half, Milan poured forward but Christian made some very good saves. With three minutes to go, Filippo made it 2-4. Then a good passing movement finished with the ball in the air and Joshua fired it in with a spectacular bicycle kick.
With the crowd now on the edges of their seats, Milan surged forward with only seconds remaining. Joshua played the ball in from the right and there was Filippo C again to make it 4-4!
Semi-final pairings now decided: Lazio vs Inter; Roma vs Milan.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ludovico 4, Stuart 4, Filippo C 3, William 2, Luca dC 2, Christian 2, Joshua 2, Matteo 1, Filippo G 1

Lazio 2-2 Napoli

Two goals from Mattia to open and close the scoring were not enough to prevent i partenopei from missing out on the semi-finals.
After Mattia's tenth minute goal, Lazio's equaliser came a minute later when Guerrino played Noah in and he was able to finish the move thanks also to Lucrezia's indecision.
In the second half, Lazio went ahead when Lorenzo played the ball to Noah on the right and then got forward to receive the return pass and score. Mattia equalised.
A sporting gesture by Lorenzo - allowing Lucrezia and Orsola play for Napoli - rewarded the spectators with two great performances from the girls.
BEST PLAYER: Lorenzo 5, Tommaso V 5, Noah G 5, Riccardo 2, Mattia 2, Guerrino 1, Emil 1

Barcelona 2 - 0 Valencia

Vittoria della squadra di vertice, ma tutt'altro che facile, data la strenua resistenza della difesa valenciana, con Sofia quasi invalicabile e Anastasia in grande crescita, autrice di almeno un paio di interventi miracolosi. Tuttavia la corazzata guidata da Mallika e ben coadiuvata da Francesca, Carolina e Valentina, alla lunga è riuscita ad avere la meglio, anche perché l'attacco del Valencia non è riuscito a produrre grandi pericoli alla difesa blaugrana.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Sofia 5, Anastasia 5, Mallika 3, Valentina 2, Carolina 2, Eilith 2, Francesca 1, Ran 1.

SGES Tournament U14 Section

Una bella mattinata di calcio alla scuola St. George's, in parte rovinata da un atteggiamento troppo aggressivo da parte delle ragazze di casa. Per fortuna la cosa non ha inciso troppo sul morale e sulla prestazione positiva della nostra squadra, brava a reagire in alcune situazioni, ancora troppo "buona" nel concedere alle avversarie occasioni per tirare in porta. L'assenza pesante di Chiara è stata molto ben compensata dalla prestazione molto buona di una Francesca in grande crescita. Peccato che l'ultimo (forse?) torneo della nostra Mallika non abbia coinciso con una bella vittoria!

AMBRIT vs SGES B 10-0 (M. Flavia 4, Mallika 2, Lara 2, Greta 2)
Una Maria Flavia ispiratissima trascina la sua squadra alla vittoria, contro una formazione giovane e inesperta; vittoria facile, in cui la difesa non corre rischi e Anastasia si abbronza per una mezz'oretta.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Maria Flavia
AMBRIT vs SGES A 3-5 (Giulia 3)
Bella partita, molto equilibrata soprattutto nel primo tempo, chiuso dall'Ambrit in vantaggio per 2-1. L'atteggiamento concentrato e aggressivo non regge anche nel secondo tempo, durante il quale l'Ambrit subisce troppo e finisce per concedere la vittoria alle avversarie.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Giulia
AMBRIT vs RIS 5-2 (Giulia 3, Lara, Greta)
Ottima reazione della squadra, dopo un iniziale svantaggio di 0-2. Ingresso decisivo di Valentina, Angelica e Francesca in difesa, ma soprattutto di una instancabile Mallika e di ottime giocate di Greta. Solita prestazione killer di Giulia, con un'altra tripletta.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Mallika

1st PLACE FINAL
AMBRIT vs SGES A 1-2 (Mallika)
Amara finale per l'Ambrit, dopo un bellissimo primo tempo molto ben giocato e chiuso sullo 0-0 (ma con troppe occasioni perse!). Nel secondo tempo la SGES ha messo la competizione sul piano fisico, con giocate troppo aggressive, al limite della violenza, riuscendo a forzare il gioco e trovando un uno-due micidiale. Inutile il gran gol finale di Mallika e i molti interventi prodigiosi di una rinata Lucrezia tra i pali. La vittoria è solo rimandata. Avanti così!
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lucrezia.

St Georges Girls Tournament: U-11 section

Ambrit had three teams in today's tournament at St George's and two of them played in the u-11 section - Ambrit 'A' coached by Ms Wilson with players from Primary and Ambrit 'B' coached by Mr Corcoran (filling in for Mr Gianluca who was busy with the older girls) with players from Grade 6.
Ambrit 'B' got off to a poor start, losing their first three games. But, all credit to them for working hard and then bouncing back with two victories to win 3rd place!
A big thank you to Aekavira who played in goal all morning and improved steadily, making a series of fine saves in the last two games. Sophie and Emily were solid in defence and Andrea and Ran never sopped chsing balls all morning. Margherita brought a touch of class to the attacking play and Eli finished off a fine morning's work with the winning goal in the final.

Ambrit 'B' results
St George's 'A' 4-1 Ambrit 'B' (Margherita)
Ambrit 'A' 3-2 Ambrit 'B' (Andrea, Ran)
Southlands 5-2 Ambrit 'B' (Andrea, Ran)
St George's 0-3 Ambrit 'B' (Margherita, Ran, Ran)

Final (3rd place)

Ambrit 'A' 4-5 Ambrit 'B' (Margherita, Andrea, Margherita, Ran, Eli)

BOYS SOCCER: Ambrit 4-6 DS Roma

Great start for Ambrit when Marco hooked in a ball on the volley from a corner on the right after only one minute. But DSR got the ball on the ground and equalised with a flowing passing movement after 4 minutes. The Germans continued to play the better football, pulling Ambrit's defenders out of position with some good movement and going 2-1, 3-1 and then 4-1 ahead after 15 minutes of play.
Approaching half time, Ambrit came back into the game and Josh pushed a shot wide when he might have scored but Stuart made it 4-2 at half time with a powerful shot into the corner.
The second half started badly for Ambrit when the Germans played their attacker through on Christian who was forced into handling the ball outside the area to prevent a goal and was sent off by Referee Corcoran.
Ambrit played the remainder of the match one man short and showed great spirit to keep themselves in the game. Marco went into goal and did very well and Mattia redoubled his efforts in midfield and seemed to be everywhere. Jonny played very well all through the game too, showing good positional sense and timing his passes well. Luca also had a good game and gave everything in the second half.
DSR made it 5-2 and 6-2 when Ambrit attacking moves broke down in midfield and let them in, but Mattia made the score respectable with two goals in the last 6 minutes.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mattia

Barcelona 2 - 1 Siviglia

Un match teso e vibrante (anche per il gran freddo), ben impostato da entrambe le formazioni ed equilibrato sino alla fine, dopo l'iniziale vantaggio siglato da Giulia (in prestito al Siviglia) e la risposta di Mallika prima dello scadere. Nel secondo tempo tanta grinta e tanta corsa, fino alla zampata finale di Francesca che ha raccolto un cross di Mallika colpendo al volo la sfera e infilandola all'angolino. Il Barcelona si conferma squadra da battere per chiunque voglia vincere questa edizione dell'Intramural!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Carolina 6, Maria 3, Francesca 3, Mallika 3, Andrea 2, Orsola 1, Penelope 1, Emily 1, Anastasia 1, Lucrezia 1.

Roma 5-0 Milan

A defensive error in the first half let in Alex dF for the first goal and opened the floodgates to a big win for i giallorossi.
Alex scored the first with his left foot and added a second later on with his right to move clear at the top of the Capocannoniere classification.
Ale P, to the joy of his innumerable fans, added two more goals while Milan continued to waste opportunities at  the other end, Luca and Joshua shooting from too far out to seriously threaten Giacomom in goal. The rout was completed by Marco who banged in a fifth with the last kick of the game. Both teams qualify for the semi-finals. All eyes now turn to next Tuesday's crucial match between Lazio and Napoli to decide the last semi-finalist.
BEST PLAYER: Marco 5, Ale P 5, Giovanni 4, Matteo 4, Giacomo 1, Michael 1, William 1

Real Madrid 0 - 0 Barcelona

Un match intenso e ben giocato dalle due formazioni forse più talentuose del campionato femminile. Molti contrasti, molta corsa, ma poche occasioni davvero ghiotte per mettere a segno il colpo del KO.
L'inserimento poi di alcune giocatrici da altre squadre ha dato alla partita la reale dimensione di quanto il calcio femminile all'Ambrit sia cresciuto e possa crescere ancora: Garda stiamo arrivando!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Valentina 4, Mallika 3, Giulia 2, Maria 1, Fatou 1, Margarita 1

Valencia 1-0 Siviglia

It was a lively game today between Oroloa's Siviglia, spearheaded by a tireless Maria Flavia, and Greta's Valencia, led by an unbeatable Sofia in defense. Only a quick goal just after hafl time, scored with a lovely shot from 15m by Ran, separated the sides.
BEST PLAYER: Sofia 6, Maria Flavia 4, Lara 3, Ran 2, Greta 2, Eilidh 1, Orsola 1, Andrea 1, Emily 1

BOYS' SOCCER: Marymount 4-4 Ambrit

Ambrit led this game by 3-0 at one point should have won it, but some lapses in concentration and hesitancy in defense allowed the home team to salvage a draw. Early in the game, Joao played an excellent long pass to Alex dF but Alex's shot was wide. However in a photocopy of the same move two minutes later, Alex shot home and Ambrit took the lead. Marymount attacked relentlessly and Ambrit continued to play on the break. Good clearances from Joao found runners from midfield and, after 15 minutes, Joshua passed to Luca and Luca made it 2-0. Luca made it 3-0 shortly afterwards and Ambrit seemed to be cruising. But Marymount were making chances too and, just before half time, they scrambled first one goal and then a second. Half time: 3-2.

Zahir came in for Lorenzo at half time, Octavio for Christian, Filippo for Giovanni and Noah I for Luca. Filippo stabilized the fence and had an excellent game. Ambrit almost went 4-2 ahead when Alex dF hit the bar with an excellent free kick. Then, after 17 minutes of the second half, Marymount equalized. Luca came back on and scored again giving Ambrit a 4-3 lead to defend for the last 5 minutes. They nearly did it but then, in the last few seconds, in almost perfect darkness, Marymount took a free kick quickly and scrambled the equalizer.

TEAM: Christian (Octavio); Joao (Capt), Jiaqi, Filippo (Giovanni); Alex dF, Lorenzo (Zahir), Luca (Noah I); Joshua. 

MAN OF THE MATCH: Filippo

Real Madrid - Sevilla 1-1

Un bel pareggio che accontenta tutte e due le squadre. Una bella partita in cui le difese hanno giocato un ruolo importante, specie nel Sevilla, dove Priscilla ha demolito quasi tutti i tentativi madrileni di arrivare la tiro, e quando non lo ha fatto lei ci ha pensato una solida Lucrezia. Il gol di Angelica, bellissimo, è stato il frutto di una mischia su cui nulla ha potuto il nostro "portierone". Bello anche il gol del Sevilla, con un'azione insisitita di Maria Flavia, ormai sempre più leader della squadra.

Scorers: Maria Flavia, Angelica

Best Player Points:
Priscilla 3, Giulia 2, Angelica 2, Margarita 2, Miranda 1, Ginevra 1, Lucrezia 1, Orsola 1, Maria Flavia 2.

Lazio 3-1 Inter

Scorers:
Lazio - Tommaso V, Noah I, Ramnath
Inter - Francesco R
POINTS: Tommaso V 4, Noah I 3, Ramnath 2, Francesco R 2, Christian 2, Francisco 2, Jacopo M 2, Stuart 1, Lorenzo 1, Riccardo 1, Filippo T 1,

Lazio 1-1 Juventus

A scrappy game saw Lazio take the lead with a scrappy goal when Filippo's high shot confused Jiaqi in the Juve goal: 1-0 at half time.
Juve recovered in the second half: Jonathan equalised with a good shot from the right after receiving from a quickly-taken corner and i bianconeri might well have stolen all three points but for an in-form Tommaso V between the sticks.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Tommaso V 3,  Jonny 3, Sam 2, Filippo T 2, Luca R 2, Noah G 2, Umberto 1, Jiaqi 1, Lorenzo 1, Noah I 1, Riccardo 1, Tommaso R 1, Guerrino 1

Roma 4-3 Napoli

Serie A's top two teams clashed today in a preview of what might be this year's final. Roma drew first blood when a lively Alex dF timed his run beautifully to slam in a cross from Marco. AledF played well today both in defence and in attack. Napoli equalised before half time through another of the day's best players - Alessio. He made innumerable incisive runs down the left flank and crossed a lot of dangerous balls which might easily have been converted into goals.
Roma came out for the second half refreshed and took the lead again when Giovanni popped up to volley home another Marco cross. Either Marco or Alex dF could have put the game beyond doubt a while later; Alex's well-struck shot back off the post to the feet of Marco but Marco shot wide.
But Roma did get third goal a while later and again it was Ale dF who finished off yet another Marco cross. Marco himself made it 4-1 when he finished a mazy run with an accurate shot and Napoli looked dead and buried..... but then Arthur pounced onto a shot from Alessio and turned it past Giacomo to score his first goal of the season.
A comeback was still possible and even more so a minute later when Sebastiano turned on a Mattia pass and surprised Giacomo again.
But, in the end, Napoli ran out of time and Rome held onto a sweet victory.
POINTS: Alessio 5, Mattia 4, Marco 4, Seb 3, Ale dF 2, Ale P 2, Giacomo 1

Napoli 2-2 Juventus

Fortunes swung over and back in this encounter which was, though short on skill, rich enough in excitement for the thousands who turned out to watch.
After Jonny had pulled his penalty wide, Umberto saved his blushes by putting Juve ahead. Sebastian equalised but Laith shot through a crowd of defenders to restore Juve's lead. They might have gone two up had Tommaso's shot dipped just two more centimeters but they held on to their lead anyway right to the end.... or almost.
With just seconds to go, Alessio won a corner, passed to Mattia and his shot was powerful enough to ricochet off Jiaqi's gloves and into the net.
POINTS: Luca R 3, Sebastiano 3, Tommaso R 3, Mattia 3, Alex K 2, Zahir 2, Sam 2,  Max 1, Jonny 1, Laith 1

BOYS SOCCER: SGBIS 3-0 Ambrit

Ambrit lost the match today but gained a lot of pride from a very gritty performance. Playing 11-a-side on a new pitch, the team maintained good shape and discipline for the entire match and, despite the scoreline, could easily have won the game.
Ambrit defended well all through the game. Francisco was majestic in the middle of defence and was ably assisted there by Luca R. Jiaqi and Max - and Filippo in the 2nd half - were solid in the full back positions.
In the first half especially, Ambrit continually threatened a hesitant SGBIS defence. A typical move saw Luca getting a clever flick on a long ball from Francisco and putting Joshua through. Joshua might have scored from one of these chances but the teams went in 0-0 at half time.
Ambrit were less threatening in the second half, though Luca continued to hound the defenders, attacking them continually with a blend of speed and determined tackling which was truly impressive.
William and Stuart were constantly up and down the wings, snuffing out danger and getting the ball forward when possible. Zahir and Lorenzo fought to keep a hold on central midfield but gradually found themselves being submerged by the opposition.
Then, half-way through the 2nd half, SGBIS went ahead when a shot from midfield crept past Cristian who was unsighted by a surely-offside player in front of him.
Later, the home team made it 2-0 with another long shot and 3-0 with a third.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Francisco and Luca

Inter 3-1 Roma

Roma crashed to defeat today despite taking an early lead when Marco converted a penalty awarded correctly by referee Calento. Inter attacked relentlessly and equalised with Francisco's long-range effort. Francesco Rughetti then eased his team into the lead with a well-taken goal from the right and Filippo G put the game beyond all doubt with a spectacular goal in rovesciata when he got on the end of a last-minute corner.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo M 6, Marco 3, Giovanni 3, Francesco R 2, Francisco 2, Stuart 1, Giacomo 1, Filippo G 1, Ale P 1, Ludovico 1

Re-scheduled Match

Roma - Napoli will now be played on Wednesday, 30 October.

Milan 0-0 Juventus

No goals, no clear chances, no excitement, nothing to report apart fom some good defending by Matteo H, Finnian!
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Matteo H 5, Finnian 3, Joshua 3, Alex K 2, Jonathan 2, Michael 2, William 2, Tommaso 1, Samuel 1

Roma 1 - 1 Juventus

Partita combattuta ma bruttina, quella disputata Venerdì da due delle formazioni favorite del campionato.
Al bel gol su tiro dalla distanza di Giovanni, ha risposto un clamoroso e un po' fortunoso autogol del portiere romanista. Alla fine il pareggio sembra il risultato più giusto.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Marco 4, Giovanni B 4, Jonathan 3, Tommaso R 2, Giacomo 3, Luca R. 2, Andrew Cross 1,  Nikos 1, Samuel 1.

Inter 4 - 0 Napoli

L'Inter schianta con un sonoro 4-0 il Napoli, nonostante l'assenza di Ruben (squalificato, e la prossima toccherà a Francisco), dimostrando che la buona organizzazione è la chiave per vincere. Il Napoli infatti, benché avesse tanta qualità in campo, non è quasi mai riuscito a pungere e quando lo ha fatto ha trovato un ottimo Christian tra i pali.
Molto buona l'intesa tra i centrocampisti nerazzurri Jacopo, Stuart, Filippo e Francesco, che hanno letteralmente imbrigliato gli avversari. Inutili le azioni personali di un pur bravo Mattia. Piuttosto evanescenti le prestazioni di Sebastian e Alessio, bravi tecnicamente, ma poco in armonia con il resto della squadra.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Jacopo 6,  Filippo G. 5, Mattia 4, Stuart 3, Ludovico 1, Francisco 1, Francesco R. 1.

Barcelona 1 - 0 Real Madrid

Nel recupero della prima giornata del campionato femminile il Barcelona supera il Real Madrid di misura, con una rete di Mallika. Il clasico è stato al solito molto combattuto, specie a centrocampo, dove si sono spese le energie migliori: difficile infatti arrivare al tiro, con le difese ben schierate e un palleggio che ancora deve trovare la forma migliore. Buona impressione hanno lasciato le esordienti Margarita e Carolina, brave tecnicamente e dotate di un grande impatto fisico: ne sentiremo sicuramente riparlare.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Margarida 4, Mallika 3, Giulia 3, Maria 2, Valentina 2, Angelica 2, Ginevra 2, Carolina 1, Francesca 1, Miranda 1.

Milan 2 - 0 Lazio

Il Milan in inferiorità numerica sconfigge la Lazio, ormai con un piede fuori dal torneo.
Ottime prestazioni in casa rossonera per il tandem d'attacco FilippoC/LucaDC (quest'ultimo salterà il prossimo turno per squalifica) mentre continua a vacillare la difesa biancoceleste, pur con il provvidenziale innesto di Tommaso nelle retrovie, che ha evitato una sconfitta ben peggiore con un buon primo tempo in porta.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Filippo C 5, Matteo 4, Luca DC 2, William 2, TommasoV 1.

Siviglia 2 - 2 Valencia

Il campionato femminile inizia con un bel pareggio pieno di gol e di occasioni, di impegno e belle speranze. Da una parte e dall'altra si sono viste buone azioni e - pur con la tendenza a seguire tutte la palla - si è notato in alcune fasi il tentativo di costruire il gioco attraverso passaggi ben eseguiti.
Il pareggio finale sembra il risultato giusto, che forse va un pochino stretto al Siviglia, anche se i portieri sono stati costantemente impegnati e hanno ben risposto all'appello. Diverse note positive: l'esordio di Ran, davvero molto brava, la consueta tenacia di Priscilla, sempre difficile da superare, e la classe di Maria Flavia, autrice di una doppietta strepitosa (bellissimo il secondo gol su punizione).
Quest'anno ci sarà da divertirsi!
PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Maria Flavia 7, Ran 5, Priscilla 4, Lucrezia 2, Anastasia 1, Orsola 1, Lara 1.