ANSPI u13: Ambrit - Real Guadalupe

Elias celebrates his birthday with a goal!

An incredible game today with Pietro securing the first 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the match. Great skills from our goalie Cesare, keeping balls out of our goal. Mateo’s pressing on the goalie won him a ball to the net before ending the first period.  

Ambrit kept a tight defense in the second period and Giacomo scored Ambrit’s 4th goal, but not before letting our opponents get one in for the 4-1. To end the game, the third period was played by Elias and Eric in attack, Giacomo & Pietro in defense and Mateo in midfield allowing Elias to get an assist and score on his Birthday ending the 5-1.

ANSPI u13: Santos 2-3 Ambrit

Ambrit vs Santos return game was more of a friendly match, as Ambrit secured their first 2 goals in the first period, Giacomo and Pietro scoring with ease. In the second period Ambrit maintained their defense and did not allow any goals to go through. In the third period, showing admirable fair play, Joel admitted to fouling a Santos player in the box, giving them the chance to score the penalty kick for the 3-1. With an additional 2 min injury time Santos was able to dribble through our defense and score another goal before the whistle, ending the game in 3-2 for Ambrit and an exciting last period.

u11 ANSPI: Ambrit pick up a vital three points

On a blistering afternoon at Ambrit Stadium, the u11s ran out easy winners over Vigna Pia Bianca.
Nikos opened the scoring when he chipped the ball over his marker and then cracked the ball on the half volley into the opposite corner.
Lorenzo made it 2-0 but Ambrit paid for some early sloppiness when Vigna Pia pulled one back, none of the Ambrit players attacking a good cross from the right.

Lorenzo restored the two goal advantage and, just before the break, Zach made it 4-1 when he dummied the goalkeeper and slotted home from close range.
In the second period, Vigna Pia attacked more often but Mattia made some great saves and Santiago, Jonas and Lucas played well at the back. Santiago also provided the assist for Caio to score his first of the game: 5-1 at the second break.
Early in the third period, Nikos cracked a great shot off the post and Caio was first to the rebound to make it 6-1. Caio completed his hat-trick when Zach played him in and Lorenzo's solo effort finished off the scoring.

MedCup Preparation - practice matches

WEDNESDAY
MedCup Boys versus Grade 7 'A'

Louis
Tommy, Gavyn, Andrea
Michele, Ale N, Alex
Julian


THURSDAY
MedCup Girls versus Grade 6

Cesare
Eleonora, Ludovico, Maria Carolina
Giorgio, Lucy, Giacomo
Ameli


FRIDAY
MedCup Boys versus Grade 7 'B'

Max
Filippo, Elias, Lorenzo
Alioune, Anthony, Jacopo
Daniel 

u11 ANSPI: Ambrit go down fighting!

Let's break this one down into three periods: period 1 - awful, period 2 - better, period 3 - much better!!
Ambrit's players were asleep a the start and made every conceivable error, allowing their opponents too much time, too much space and unopposed shots on goal. Vittorio and Lorenzo did have chances but, in truth, we were lucky to come in for the fist break just 4-0 down... it could have been more.
Stern words at the break and Ambrit emerged for the second period with new purpose. Lorenzo continued to harry and chase and the midfield pressed up on their opponents. Chances were created and Nikos stepped up to tuck in a half-chance from the left to make it 4-1/ He almost made it 2-4 with a trademark free kick and Zach's acrobatic follow-up shot went just over.
Ambrit continued to pressure their opponents in the third period. Goalmouth scrambles ensued and, with passes flying around inside the penalty area, it was only a matter of time before Ambrit got another break. This time it came in the form of a penalty decision but Lorenzo pushed his kick wide. San Leonardo re-grouped quickly and, on the break, they made it 5-1.
But Ambrit kept on fighting to the end and were rewarded with a second goal when Alberto's shot from the right fooled the goalkeeper and dribbled in.
All in all, a day with a lot of negatives early on but some positives later. Particularly noticeable today was Lorenzo's ability to turn a defender with his back to the goal and this is always going to cause problems to our opponents and Lorenzo wins a lot of free kicks too with well-controlled dribbling.

ANSPI u11: Empire 2-2 Ambrit

Following Roma's historic exploits against Barcelona, it was Ambrit's turn to take to the field tonight against an Empire team 11 points ahead of them in the table.
In a somewhat confused opening period, it was Ambrit who took the lead. Once again, free-kick expert Nikos stepped up after Lorenzo had earned yet another free-kick with some excellent work in midfield. Nikos planted a splendid drive into the top corner and Ambrit celebrated. Ambrit really should have added at least one more goal before the first interval, with Nikos and Lorenzo having good chances but neither of them finished well.
In the second half, Empire came out strongly and put Ambrit under pressure. Santiago made a couple of miraculous saves but Empire then fired in two quick goals to take the lead. Once again, the character of this Ambrit team was about to be tested.
They passed the test!
They fought valiantly through the third period and were rewarded when, following a mad goalmouth scramble, Vittorio popped up to bang home the equaliser.
A special word for Alberto tonight. He worked tirelessly in midfield, tackled strongly, passed cleverly and, best of all, showed an instinctive tactical awareness when covering gaps on the right side of midfield in the last few minutes. Great stuff!

Ambrit u7 team take 2nd place in RISA Cup!

Christian Baldwin, Ashton Samkange, Luna Ciocca, Max Stone,
Maverick Stone, Rowan Cooper, Daniele Piccolo, Kendi Delve, 

Congratulations to Ambrit's u7 team who had a great morning's football in SGBIS this weekend.
Competing in the RISA Cup, they won their group and got to final, losing narrowly after a penalty shoot-out. Well done!

Brazil 6 - 1 England

Il Brasile domina il match contro l'Inghilterra, nonostante l'assenza di Manfredi, e infligge una dura lezione alla giovane compagine britannica, ancora con poca esperienza internazionale. Nonostante la buona prova di alcuni elementi dell'Inghilterra, il Brasile gioca un calcio veloce, con palla a terra e molti triangoli, che manda nel pallone le avversarie. Le poche chances delle ragazze non vengono sfruttate a dovere da Mia. Ecco dunque le reti di Ottaviano, Michele, Lapo, Alessandro, intervallate solo dal gol di Natalie. Positiva la prova di Gabeen, Annie e Virginia, buono l'esordio di Yutong.
Speriamo che venerdì - con l'inserimento di Allison, Matilde e Lucrezia - le cose per l'Inghilterra possano cambiare.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Ottaviano 4, Lapo 4, Ale Z 3, Virginia 2, Annie 2, Gabeen 2, Michele 1, Riccardo 1, Tommaso S. 1, Yutong 1.

ANSPI u11: Ambrit suffer second defeat in a row

After last week's fighting performance against the league leaders, Ambrit went down much more tamely to the league's second place team and will have to tighten up their approach for the next game, away to Empire (Wed March 28th).
The big exception today though was Mattia: Ambrit's goalkeeper was fantastic and God only knows what the final score would have been were it not for his heroics.
Two goals down at the first interval, Ambrit had not had a shot at goal and were looking for some inspiration at the start of the second period.
Unfortunately it didn't happen. The home side scored again early on and Ambrit heads dropped.
As the period wore on, more and more gaps opened up in midfield and San Girolamo racked up the goals.
The third period was Ambrit's last chance to salvage something from the game and they did, at last, find another gear. The team worked together to limit their opponents to just a handful of chances and Zach played Lorenzo in for a goal which brought some consolation at the end.

ANSPI u13: Ambrit Beat Vigna Pia to capture Provincial Crown!

Giacomo: hat-trick hero

In a thrilling match at Ambrit Stadium, Ambrit came from behind to maintain their 100% record and take the provincial title with six weeks to spare.
Against a well-organised Vigna Pia, Ambrit struggled to impose themselves in the first period and found themselves trailing 1-0. But, as the match unfolded, Ambrit slowly found their rhythm and, when Giacomo was released by an excellent pass from Pietro, he raced towards the goalkeeper ahead of the last defender. The defender tried to foul him once, he tried to foul him a second time but Giacomo had only one thing in mind and he wasn't to be stopped. With a glance up to check the keeper's position, he calmly slotted home just as he was fouled for the third time!
Giacomo repeated the feat twice more as Ambrit made clever use of the time and space that was opening up and, in the end, they were full value for the 3-1 win.

C A M P I O N I ! ! !

ANSPI u11: Ambrit lose to Vigna Pia

The two teams celebrate a closely-fought encounter

Another excellent performance from the scarabocchio team this week... for 2/3 of the game!
Knowing that Vigna Pia - runaway leaders of the league - liked to play out of defence and keep the ball to feet, Ambrit decided to press high to try and strangle their play.
It worked and Ambrit managed to dominate possession and territory for long periods. Ambrit should have scored three goals in the first period. But this was the difference between the teams: when Vigna Pia did create chances - on the break - they scored and led 2-0 at the first break. The first goal was cruel - a deflected free kick - but the second came from an unstoppable passing movement that should have served as a warning to Ambrit to stay awake!
With Ambrit asleep at a corner, Vigna Pia scored again immediately after the break but then Ambrit woke up and dominated again. Nonethless it was VP who scored again; this time Ambrit were unlucky - a fantastic tackle from Vittorio saw the ball trickle past the keeper and into the net.
And then Ambrit almost scored... five times in a row. Nikos and Zach were slipping good passes through the lines and Lorenzo was making great runs to get on the end of them, but the ball just wouldn't go in! Two free kicks from Nikos also came close, but no goal and 3-0 at the second interval.
In the third period, Ambrit tired and did collapse a little at the back. Nikos pulled one goal back with a clever header off Vittorio's pass but Ambrit now need to look to next week's match for three points!

RISA u14: Ambrit go top of the table!

Ambrit’s players were focused to win. Rain or shine, they were prepared and played well, winning both games at the tournament. Ambrit vs St. George’s 3 ended in 8-0 with Manfredi scoring 4 of the goals flowed by Alessandro with a great header from a corner and Peter from defense with a great shot from midfield for 6-0.

Great team work from Lapo and Niko saw them both score minutes apart from each other, ending the game 8-0. Playing back to back Ambrit faced Aosr under the rain. Aosr managed to get a quick goal at the beginning which helped Ambrit stay on their toes. Manfredi went on to score 2 goals, one of which was a rebound shot from Alessandro, who himself went on to get a goal on a corner by Lapo and ending the game 3-1.

ANSPI u13: San Michele Trigoria 1-4 Ambrit

Ambrit was yet again challenged with extreme weather and unfamiliar grounds. Playing on a smaller field, Ambrit had to adapt to playing five on five. The first team went in for the first period with no fear. Giacomo on throw in passed it to Pietro for our first goal. Unfortunately, right before the whistle we conceded an equaliser. In the second period Alex and Pietro played up front; there was no stopping them as they both scored within minutes in the game. Our third period was tense. Ambrit concentrated on defending and only moved up when necessary. On a throw in, Alex passed the ball to Pietro and, with ease, he dribbled to the net ending the game 4-1 - which might have been 5-1 had the referee not disallowed a good goal from Elias or had Ludovico tucked away a chance at the end when he replaced Alex.

ANSPI u11: Casaletto 5-2 Ambrit

Strangely, despite the scoreline, this was a match that Ambrit could have won... had they been at full strength.
Those who showed up played really, really well; they played 5 versus 6 for the whole match and kept running, kept fighting for the whole 45 minutes.
The first period remained scoreless almost to the end. Casaletto had chances but so did Ambrit. The ball fell to Alberto close to the goal but his shot was high; Lorenzo too had a chance but his shot was blocked. Casaletto scored two good goals just before the break.
Lukas was having a great game in defence, marking their most dangerous forward, and Vittorio was everywhere: harrying, tackling, passing. Santiago, in goal, made loads of good saves and played sweeper too. Alberto tracked back well and was always looking to break quickly. Lorenzo... see below!
The second period began badly. Ambrit were asleep as a corner came in and gifted a free header at the far post to finish 3-0 down. Ambrit were unlucky though for the fourth. Vittorio made a fantastic tackle but the ball broke unkindly and trickled over the line. All seemed lost.
But it wasn't! Just before the second break, Alberto scored a fantastic goal to make it 4-1! Lorenzo, already playing well, now stepped up a level and made some great runs. Vittorio had a good shot.
Lorenzo almost scored as soon as the third period began but Ambrit was then caught on the break and went 5-1 down. But did our heads drop? NO!!
Lorenzo was incredible. Every time Casaletto tried to play out of defence, he put them under pressure and, more than once, forced a mistake and created a scoring chance. In fact, from one of these, the ball broke to Santiago and he let fly an absolute scorcher of a shot into the top corner.
What a goal! What a game!! What a team!!!

Germany 1 - 1 Japan

Senza le top-players Allison e Mia, la Germania e il Giappone si affrontano a viso aperto, in una partita equilibrata e a fasi alterne, pur con un tasso tecnico ancora in crescita.
La partita subisce un guizzo immediato con la rete di Parveen, brava nel controllare un cross teso e battere il portiere di sinistro. La partita sembra sbilanciata, ma con l'ingresso - in leggero ritardo - di Mari in porta la partita cambia volto: Michelle si alza sulla fascia e permette alla squadra di salire ed essere più pericolosa. Proprio una rimessa laterale di Michelle permette ad Annie di trovarsi a tu per tu con il portiere e di insaccare la palla dell'1-1.
La partita segue in grande equilibrio e il punteggio, tranne una bella conclusione di Michelle, ben neutralizzata da Virginia, non presenta altri brividi.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Michelle 4, Parveen 3, Annie 3, Selina 3, Gabeen 2, SofiaS 2, Giorgia 1, Carolina 1,

Belgium 3-2 Portugal

A snowy Ambrit Stadium witnessed an excellent encounter today, settled by a last minute penalty to give Belgium the three points.
Anthony fired his team into an early lead with a well-struck free kick.
Tommaso played Ale N in for an equaliser but Louis made a great save and Anthony struck again with another free kick to make it 2-0.
Ale N pulled a goal back with a delicious and finely-judged shot from the left that just crept over Louis and Alex almost made it 3-1 but his shot came back off the post.
Alex was at the centre of things again shortly afterwards, claiming a foul which was not given and which left Giuseppe in possession and able to score from far out to make it 2-2.
The game might have ended all-square but Giuseppe's impulsive tug on Daniel inside the penalty area allowed Daniel to convert the winner.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Anthony 4, Ale N 4, Alex 2, Jerry 2, Daniel 2, Louis 1, Andrea 1, Michelangelo 1, Aden 1, Elias F 1, Tommy C 1

ANSPI u13: Empire 5-7 AMBRIT

Tough game for Ambrit against APD Empire. With only six players and no subs, Ambrit concentrated on defending after their first two goals by Elias and Alex. In the second period, Ambrit was down by two goals as Empire played an entire new team on the field. But with long shots from midfield, Alex scored three more goals in to keep their noses in front. 
In the third period Ambrit, now exhausted, allowed APD Empire to squeeze in another goal. With Cesare in goal and clearing balls quickly, Mateo managed to score the last two winning goals and ending the game 7-5.

Brazil 3-0 Spain

Tiberio made two great saves to deny Ottaviano a goal but, in between, he was helpless when a moment of distraction from Niccolo' allowed Tommy to sneak in and finish clinically.
It was Tommy who struck again later on to make it 2-0, this time off a Riccardo assist, and Alessandro made it 3-0 near the end.
Spain were never out of the game though and, with Niccolo' in the team, were always dangerous. Without Guillermo and Pietro, Gavin was forced into midfield and the attack was often blunt. Brail coped better with the absence of Manfredi and Michele.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale Z 6, Tommy S 4, Ottaviano 3, Tiberio 2, Niccolo' 2, Riccardo 1, Lapo 1, Paul 1, Gavyn 1

Iran 5-0 France

Senza il giocatore più reppresentativo - Matilde - la Francia capitola sotto i colpi implacabili dell'Iran, squadra rivelazione del campionato, alla seconda vittoria consecutiva. Lucrezia domina in lungo e in largo, a tutto campo, distribuisce palloni a tutte le compagne e completa la prestazione con una tripletta personale. Bene Yutong in appoggio e molto attive anche Gea e Gaia. Dal lato francese, oltre alla grinta di Ameli troppo sola in attacco, qualche buona giocata di Lihn, anche se timida in fase di impostazione del gioco, e poco altro da segnalare. Di Yutong e Gaia gli altri due gol.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Lucrezia 6, Yutong 3, Gea 2, Ameli 2, Linh 2, Gaia 1, Sofia 1, Natalie 1.

Ambrit Girls 1-0 SGBIS Girls

Risultato positivo delle ragazze Ambrit - al debutto con la nuova uniforme - che sconfiggono le pari età della St. George's, avversarie storiche.
La trasferta è piuttosto insidiosa - e fredda - ma le nostre giocatrici la affrontano con la consueta grinta, nonostante le pesanti assenze di Mia e Lucrezia, pur trovandosi di fronte ragazze di statura decisamente superiore. All'inizio infatti la partita non decolla, troppi i timori, gli errori, l'ansia: se la St. George's non riesce a sfondare è merito di una difesa attenta, specie sulla destra dove Malena fa buona guardia e non lascia passare un pallone. Il primo tempo di chiude sullo 0-0 e il Mister decide di cambiare, spostando l'asse del gioco in avanti: Allison in attacco, Annie a centrocampo e Ameli davanti alla difesa. L'Ambrit inizia a dominare il gioco e le occasioni fioccano: un tiro di Annie finisce di poco alto, un bolide di Matilde sfiora il palo, una conclusione di Allison viene deviata miracolosamente e numerose conclusioni vengono bloccate dal bravo portiere avversario. L'assedio dura a lungo e l'Ambrit sente tremendamente la mancanza di un bomber che metta la palla in rete. Finalmente arriva l'occasione giusta: Matilde si incarica di rimettere la palla in gioco da fallo laterale, la rimessa arriva al centro dell'area dove viene raccolta da Annie, che da due passi spara sul portiere, costringedolo a entrare in porta col pallone tra i guantoni.
Il finale presenta qualche rischio, ma la difesa se la cava bene. Basti dire che Virginia, in porta, non ha subito nemmeno un tiro!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Annie.

Portugal 5-2 Sweden

Without Max in goal, Sweden held out for the first 10 minutes but Lorenzo's half-hearted attempt to stop Giuseppe's goal opened the floodgates. Jacopo and Ale N made it 3-0 before Peter had time to respond with Sweden's first goal although it should have been 3-2 had Alioune not missed an open goal from 3 meters out.
Cristian lost the ball in midfield to Giuseppe and he swept forward to grab his second goal but Cristian made up for his mistake with a spectacular shot from inside his own half to make it 4-2. Tommy C's final goal was a sweetly-struck shot from 15 meters out.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale N 5, Giuseppe 3, Tommaso C 3, Peter 3, Cristian 3, Filippo 2, Theo 1, Aden 1 
YELLOW CARD: Ale N

Belgium 6-2 Spain

Tournament favourites Belgium swept aside Spain today and left La Furia Roja languishing on three points and facing a battle for survival.
The Belgians were 3-0 up after only six minutes, goals from Antony (2) and Alex.
Niccolo' pulled one back for Spain but Daniel restored the three goal advantage.
Tiberio made some great saves but he couldn't stop Antony from adding two more goals and Niccolo's second - a stinging shot from out wide on the right- - was ere consolation.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Anthony 4, Niccolo 3, Daniel 3, Alex D 3, Elias F 2, Tiberio 2, Pietro dP 1, Gavyn 1, Jerry 1, Julian 1 

Iran 5-2 Japan

Gaia's early goal rocked the Japanese and they say back and allowed Iran to come at them. Lucrezia accepted the invitation and scored twice more before Japan woke up. Mia, always a threat, hammered home a goal to make it 3-1 and then she supplied the assist for Giorgia - steaming in from midfield - to make it 3-2. Game on!
Or so it seemed. But as the players around her became more tired, Lucrezia was getting stronger. She banged home two more goals to make sure that the three points went to Iran.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lucrezia 5, Annie 3, Mia 2, Gaia dR 2, Sofia S 2, Giorgia 2, Naomi 1, Francesca 1, Mari 1, Michelle 1, Carolina 1

Sweden 4-0 England

A disciplined, measured performance today from Sweden saw them dispatch England with an Alioune hat-trick and a goal from Cristian. England, for their part, recovered from the early onslaught of goals, steadied the ship and threatened with an in-form Amelie.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Amelie 5, Virginia 4, Annie 3, Selina 2, Allison 2, Alioune 1, Peter 1, Cristian 1, Lorenzo 1, Theo 1

Brazil 2-0 Portugal

Manfredi doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth and, when Giuseppe presented him with the ball in front of goal, he whacked it past Andrea to open the scoring.
Michele went close with a shot shortly afterwards and then Manfredi had a hand in Brazil's second goal too, teeing the ball up for Ale Z who banged it into the top corner.
But Portugal had their chances too. Both Aden and Jacopo were guilty of missing chances that were set up by Ale N and Federico made some good saves.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale Z 6, Lapo 4, Manfredi 3, Ottaviano 3, Ale N 2, Aden 1, Giuseppe 1, Federico 1

Belgium 5-1 England

England looked like shipping a heavy defeat today when they conceded some early goals but they steadied themselves, snatched a goal, threatened to come back and went home with a decent scoreline.

Antony scored early on, Julian hit the post when he should have scored and Antony added two more. Daniel missed a couple of chances, Julian scored to make it 4-0. Matilde and Mia combined well to pull one goal back; Daniel made it 5-1. Great game from Virginia in goal and Annie in defence; good three-touch play from the Belgians.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Virginia 4, Anthony 3, Daniel 3, Alex 3, Elias F 1, Michelangelo 1, Matilde 1, Jerry 1, Ameli 1, Annie 1, Gabeen 1, Mia 1 

RISA league, u14

SGBIS1 4-1 Ambrit

A very bad start for Ambrit in their first game vs SGFA 1. We were down 1-0 in the first 5 min of the Match. Ambrit's numerous shots saw no goals until Giuseppe dribbled from defense up the midfield and scored a phenomenal goal for 1-1.

Ambrit continued to preasure St. Georges, with Lapo and Aden playing in midfield. Ambrit took more shots but the goalie saved them all. St. Georges took advantage of a tired Ambrit and managed to score three more goals ending in 4-1.

Ambrit 4-1 Marymount 

After reorganizing the team, Ambrit went on to take marymount with confidence. It was an Aden and Manfredi show in the first five minutes, with Aden scoring our first goal from an assist by Manfredi. Aden returned the favour minutes later with an assist to Manfredi for 2-0. Not having to defend, Alessandro moved up to help in attack with a great header from a corner but hit the post.

Lapo saw an opportunity and got a hold of the ball and without hesitating took the shot: 3-0.

Ambrit continued to pressure marymount until the end, with Manfredi scroring another goal.

Ambrit 8-0 SGFA3

Our final game started, with Ambrit coming close with shot after shot. Unable to score, Alessandro again moved up to help in attack. On his first opportunity, he took a great shot to the goal

only to see it rebound of the post but luckily Manfredi was there for the rebound for an easy shot in goal. A bad goal kick from st. georges saw Ambrit take possession of the ball, quick passes between Lapo and Aden took them to the goal with Lapo scoring 2-0. St. Georges stood no chance: Ambrit wanted to win this game after losing to the first team. Manfredi's hat trick had Ambrit up by 5 goals. Alessandro wanting to get in on the action moved up to score his first goal. By the end of the game Manfedi and Lapo scored two more goals to make it 8-0.

ANSPI u13, aspiranti: Casaletto 1-4 Ambrit

Another Win for the runaway league leaders!

Ambrit faced a tough challenge in the game versus Casaletto. Playing in unfamiliar grounds and on a smaller pitch, the team had to learn to play play five on five. Ambrit quickly adopted to the 2-1-1 formation and played solidly until they saw an opportunity to score. Leaving Elias behind, Joel went to help Pietro and Alex to our first goal. Alex went on to score a second goal right after leaving us to concentrate on our defense.

In the second period the first team was subbed by Giorgio, Ludovico, Tommaso and Giacomo. A tense game but Ambrit stood their ground, letting Casaletto know that they were here for the win. Amazing saves by our captain of the match, Eric, helped Ambrit through the second period by guiding the defense in tough, intense second period.

In the third period Ambrit continued to concentrate in defending and moved up only when saw an opportunity to score. Mateo saw this opportunity and dribbled up to the right corner and crossed it for Alex to score 3-0. Another assist by Mateo on a throw in to Alex took Ambrit 4-0. In the last minute, Casaletto had their lucky chance and score off a throw before the referee could blow the whistle.

ANSPI u11, scarabocchio: SANTOS 1-4 AMBRIT

Ambrit took a valuable three points today, a victory that owed much to a tremendous performance from Mattia in goal. Three times he was presented with a one-on-one duel with an opposing striker, three times he won the duel - each time holding his nerve, standing his ground and saving the ball!

Ambrit's opening

Santiago and Alberto look on as Nikos wins the toss

goal came in the first period when Alberto swept the ball in off a Nikos corner. Mattia made two great saves and Vittorio made a fantastic tackle to keep the Ambrit boys 1-0 up at the end of the first period.

The second period was very tight. The home side increased the frequency of their attacks and they equalised from a corner as Ambrit's defence stood back and looked instead of attacking the ball.

The score stayed at 1-1 right to the last minute. Then Ambrit were awarded a free-kick and up stepped Nikos, our dead ball expert, to make it 2-0 at the second break!

Ambrit took control of the game in the third period. Nikos scored from another free-kick (does he ever miss!?) and Alberto fired a neat shot into the bottom corner to make it 1 4-1 victory.

Brazil 3-1 Sweden

Brazil dominated today but Sweden kept the score to a respectable 3-1 and, with a bit of luck, they might have taken a point.
After some good early defending and a series of great saves from Max, Peter was unlucky to deflect a Michele shot in for the first goal.
After a series of uncharacteristic misses and a string of lovely touches, Manfredi finally put Brazil 2-0 up. Cristian almost equalised with a powerful shot from the left and then, in the same move, he popped up on the right and powered in a goal to give Sweden some hope.
The score remained at 2-1 right to the end when Manfredi followed up a shot - again well saved by Max - to tap in a rebound.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale Z 4, Manfredi 3, Max 3, Peter 2, Cristian 2, Ottaviano 2, Michele 2, Lapo 1, Theo 1, Filippo 1

France 2 - 1 Germany

Una bella partita, molto intensa, condizionata forse dai leggeri acciacchi delle due giocatrici più rappresentative delle due squadre, Matilde e Allison, capaci comunque di andare in gol entrambe e di offrire una bella prestazione. È la Germania ad andare in vantaggio a causa di una fatale indecisione  della difesa transalpina, che permette ad Allison di scagliare un violento tiro da fuori. L'1-0 a zero scuote la Francesi che, guidate dalla grinta di Ameli e Matilde, trovano il pareggio con un tiro da fuori della stessa Matilde, su cui Virginia - sino a quel momento una delle migliori in campo - decide di andare con i piedi e lascia passare la palla...
Quando la partita sembra avviata verso il pareggio, ecco che su cross di Matilde si avventa di testa Ameli, che batte tutti sul tempo e infila il pallone all'angolino!
Peccato per la Germania che aveva ben resistito, grazie alla bella prestazione in difesa di Selina e Virginia. Bene le Francesi, con Sofia, Matilde e una scatenata Ameli, oggi Player of the Match.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:
Ameli 5, Matilde 3, Allison 3, Sofia 3, Selina 3, Virginia 2, Lucy 1, Natalie 1.

Spain - Portugal

This Iberian derby brought together two teams who had won their respective opening matches but Portugal dominated this one.
Niccolo' arrived late, with his side already 1-0 down to an Aden opener, and then proceeded to score an own-goal to make it 2-0; Giacomo made it 3-0 and Portugal looked to be in control.
Guillermo was unlucky to see a shot come back off the post but his next attempt sailed into the top corner to make it 3-1. A comeback was in the air... but Tommy's first goal crushed the nascent hope and the three-goal margin was restored. It could have been 5-1 but Niccolo' made a fantastic interception off Giuseppe's shot.
But then the game was lit up by two gems. The first from Guillermo, who finished off a neat passing move involving Gavin and Pietro. And then Ale N drifted out to the right and put in a cross that was slightly behind Jacopo. Jacopo adjusted his stance and reached the ball with an acrobatic scissors kit to make it 5-2. Tommy aded the final goal.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Giuseppe 4, Jacopo 3, Ale N 3, Guillermo 3, Gavyn 3, Tiberio 2, Aden 1, Tommy C 1, Niccolo' 1

ANSPI u13: Ambrit 7-1 Santos

Four more goals today!

With Santos sitting in second place in the table, this was an eagerly-awaited clash and Ambrit didn't disappoint!
After a quiet start, Alex suddenly woke up after 6 minutes and, in the space of 5 minutes, he banged home a hat-trick, the second of which was a jewel, driven with his right foot from 20 meters into the opposite top corner. The third was followed a nice team passing move, with Mateo supplying the final assist.
Ambrit's assault on their opponents goal continued unabated. Elias F struck the crossbar and Pietro struck the left post; Eric dealt capably with the only danger from a Santos, a well-struck free kick.
Pietro began the second period as he had ended the first, this time striking the other post. Giorgio, on at the interval, battled away down the right and was rewarded with the fourth goal when his hassling put the last defender in trouble.

Top of the Table!

Santos pulled a goal back but Alex scored his fourth with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner to make it 5-1 at the second interval.
Elias scored early in the last period, Alex struck the bar and Giacomo made it 7-1.
TEAM: Eric; Joel, Elias F, Elias EZ; Mateo, Pietro, Alex; Giacomo; Giorgio, Ludovico.

ANSPI u11: Ambrit 5-2 Vigna Pia Bianco

Ambrit u11: a resounding home win today!

Out of the blocks quickly this morning, Ambrit's Scarabocchio team took hold of the game early on and never let go.
An early save from Mattia served to wake the team up and then, after only 4 minutes, Nikos did his thing... scoring yet another goal from a free kick, this another spectacular kick from just inside the halfway line! He then followed up minutes later with an even more spectacular free kick into the top corner: 2-0! With Vigna Pia still reeling, Santiago completed the long range assault when he met a clearance and whacked it straight back in over the goalkeeper. Only 11 minutes on the clock and Ambrit were cruisin'!
Lorenzo cut inside his marker and placed an accurate shot past the goalkeeper to make it 4-0 at the first interval.
Vigna Pia collected themselves for the second period and managed to get forward more often. They did occasionally leave themselves open at the back though and Caio exploited the space very well, his pass finding Lorenzo free in the middle to make it 5-0. Vigna Pia replied to make it 5-1 at the second interval.
Ambrit looked tired during the third period and Vigna Pia scored again to close the gap but Ambrit took the three points.
TEAM: Mattia; Bernardo, Santiago, Vittorio, Carlo, Lukas; Alberto, Caio, Nikos; Lorenzo

Spain 5-0 Sweden

Spain served notice to all today that they are not to be underestimated as they handed out a five goal thrashing to Sweden.
Spain dominated the opening exchanges. Niccolo' brought a fine save out of Max and Pietro should have scored but missed. Guillermo opened the scoring with a good turn and a reverse shot low down in the corner of the goal.
Niccolo' made it 2-0 and Mateo finished well from outside the area to make it three. Tiberio was largely untroubled at the other end and Spain, while they added two more goals through Guillermo and Niccolo', would have won by an even greater margin but for some lazy finishing and some good goalkeeping from Max.
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Niccolo' 6, Guillermo 4, Max 3, Cristian 3, Paul 2, Joel 1, Mateo 1, Gavyn 1 

Portugal 2-0 England

A fascinating tussle saw Portugal edge out England with two late goals from Aden and Tommy. The English defended well but posed little threat going forward. The Portugese took time to find their rhythm but did create lots of chances; it was poor finishing and good defence that kept the scoreline down
BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lucrezia 4, Ale N 3, Tommy C 3, Virginia 2, Aden 2, Allison 2, Annie 2, Jacopo 1, Selina 1, Sofia dM 1

Belgium 3-2 Brazil

Belgium got off to a great start today, defeating Brazil with a last-minute penalty after Ale Z's spectacular handball to block a certain goal.

Antony had almost opened the scoring in the very first minute with a beautiful shot from 25 meters that struck the outside of the post. Julian had an early chance to but he didn't catch it well with his left foot and the ball spun wide.

Belgium did take the lead though when Alex fed the ball to Julian and he passed to Antony who scored.

Brazil came right back at them though and Manfredi first set up Ottaviano for an equaliser and then put Brail ahead. Alex struck the crossbar with a ferocious shot and then he played in Anthony for the equaliser.

Manfredi then forced Louis into an excellent save down low to his right and Federico made a good save at the other end from Julian. The match looked to be cruising towards a draw but Belgium's final flourish drew Federico out of position and forced the penalty that was cooly converted by Daniel.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Alex 4, Manfredi 3, Antony 3, Ale Z 3, Michele 3, Riccardo 2, Louis 1, Ottaviano 1, Daniel 1

Spring Intramural Begins Tomorrow

The Spring Intramural begins tomorrow with a cracker: hot favourites Brazil take on a fancied Belgium in a sell-out match.

Can Federico keep all his talented players happy and in-line? Can Jerry steer his G7-dominated team to success? 

Find out tomorrow!

REMINDER

The England team competing in the Boys' IM will be made up of Girls so that our Girls' team can get in some extra practice for April's Med Cup.

In matches against England, the other teams will field 7 players (versus 8) and, in these games, boys will be limited to 3 touches.

ANSPI u13: Real Muratella 1-5 Ambrit

Sunday’s game started with the coach arriving late but showed up 2 min before kickoff. The boys were already organized and ready to play. After the first 15 minutes of the match, Ambrit was up 4 goals, two by Alex and the other two by Pietro. The second half Giorgio, Mateo, and Joel went in for Ludovico, Pietro and Giacomo.
Ambrit continued to play a quick paced game with Alex scoring a third goal from midfield. By this point Real was desperate for a goal, they pushed through our defense and got one in just in time before 2nd period whistle.
Scary moment in the the 3rd period with Pietro running into the defence wall, gaining us a penalty. Beautifully shot by Mateo but their goalie predicted his shot and saved it.

ANSPI u11: San Leonardo 5-1 Ambrit

Ambrit faced a difficult challenge today - away from home and on a smaller pitch.
The home side got off to a quick start and Ambrit, who failed to match them for determination and alertness early on, found themselves trailing 3-0 at the first break.
Changes were made, words were spoken and Ambrit came out for the second period with a different mind set. Now they were challenging their opponents more quickly and closing down the spaces earlier - especially Santiago, what a game he had! - and Lorenzo was beginning to find some room up front; he tested the goalkeeper twice in the space of a minute and drew applause from the onlookers. Caio and Alberto also forged a good chance that ended with the ball striking a post. And Mattia, in goal, made a series of breath-taking saves. Nonethess, the home side did score again to lead 4-0 at the second break.
But Ambrit heads didn't drop and they re-emerged for the last period ready to contest every ball... and they did. Nikos scored another brilliant free kick to make the scoreline respectable and his team-mates can all go home happy in the knowledge that they gave it heir best shot today.
TEAM: Mattia; Vittorio, Bernardo, Santiago, Lukas; Alberto, Zach, Caio, Nikos, Lorenzo.

Teachers 2-4 Grade 8

An FIGC investigation is underway into the students' crucial second goal today, a shot from Giuseppe that was going wide until deflected towards goal by... his mother!
Things started off well for the teachers when Mr piccolo turned neatly and drove a shot past Federico but celebrations were short-lived as Giuseppe found room on the left and beat Mr Martin with a well-placed shot to the top corner.
The students then took the lead with the now infamous 'Westelaken' goal but the teachers didn't panic... not until Manfredi raced onto a throw-in with a perfectly-timed run and blasted a perfectly-struck shot to make it 3-1.
The teachers' response was to launch high ball after high ball but Ale Z and Giuseppe dealt with it and, taking advantage of a quick break from the back, Matilde slotted home a fourth goal.
The teachers kept trying though and were rewarded with a late consolation goal from Mr Paolo that provided a brief spark of hope that was extinguished shortly afterwards by the referee's final whistle.
WINNING FORMATION: Federico, Peter, Giuseppe, Ale Z, Lucrezia, Niccolo', Manfredi, Matilde

Teachers 3-2 Grade 7

The seventh graders put up a good fight but the teachers live to fight another day... well, tomorrow - against G8.
Max went off the pitch with an early injury and he was replaced by Louis. Mr Matteo took him by surprise with a snapshot from midfield and Mr piccolo sneaked a second goal in directly from a corner.
Alex Delve put his team back in the game with a perfectly placed shot past Mr Chad but the teachers stayed two goals in front thanks to a thunderbolt from Mr Paolo on the left.
G7 fought back and won a corner; Gavyn raced in to meet it: 3-2. G7 fought hard in the last few minutes for a third goal to claim a draw but time ran out and the teachers stay unbeaten!

ANSPI Scarabocchio (u11): Ambrit 3-4 Empire APD

Ambrit's u11 team put in a great performance tonight and were very unfortunate to come away with nothing at the end.
Alberto supplied two excellent assists for Lorenzo to bang home two first period goals that put the home side in a comfortable position at the first break. Bernard, Vittorio and Carlo were a solid unit at the back and the visitors never really threatened Santiago's goal.
In the second period, Lukas came in for Alberto and Empire made three changes. These fresh legs put Ambrit in a bit of trouble and it was soon 2-1. But Ambrit continued to press and, from a free kick 15m out, Nikos bent a perfect shot into the top corner to restore the two goal margin.
Alberto came back in for the last period and the game was now end-to-end excitement. Empire's dangerous number 7 - strong in defence and fast in attack - was putting Ambrit under more and more pressure and the equaliser came with just 7 minutes left on the clock. Both sides continued to attack; Ambrit struck a post and forced the opposing goalkeeper into at least two saves. At the other end, Santiago was alert to all threats and saved two or three Empire chances.
Then, with just two minutes left, disaster struck. The Empire centre-forward turned unexpectedly and his snapshot took goalkeeper and defence unaware: 4-3 to the visitors.
Ambrit now need to put this defeat behind them and start again on Saturday!
Difficult to pick out Ambrit's best player tonight because they all played so well. Santiago was not at fault for any of the goals and he played very well. Carlo was a rock in defence and nothing got past him. Bernard won tackle after tackle and passed the ball well into midfield. Vittorio was everywhere, winning balls in defence and joining the attack to great effect. Alberto's touch and vision in the first period opened up chances for everybody and Nikos was always looking to break quickly and effectively on the right. Lukas did a good marking job when he came in but the last word goes to Lorenzo, who was... outstanding! He chased, harried and never gave up on any ball; his control was good, he was strong and his link play was exemplary.
Bravi tutti!!

Teachers 5-1 Grade 6

The teachers warmed up for tomorrow's tough challenge against G7 with a comfortable win over a willing but outclassed G6.
Goals from Mr Alessandro, Mr Paolo and Mr Piccolo put the teachers 3-0 before the sixth graders managed a shot on goal. Cristian and Mateo had chances but Mr Alessandro stole in to finish off Mr piccolo's shot to make it 4-0.
Mateo then pulled one back with the Goal of the Game - a superbly curled shot into the top corner, giving Mr Chad no chance in goal. Mr Chad made amends shortly afterwards, thundering forward to score off a corner.

CALCIOMERCATO BOYS 2018 Tutti gli affari e i gossip!

Tiberio fa follie per Niccolò: 60 milioni! Cifre da capogiro, alla Neymar o alla Coutinho!!!
Lorenzo a 25 milioni alla Svezia! Anthony per 30 milioni al Belgio!
Asta segreta per Giuseppe...se la aggiudica per 40 milioni al Portogallo!
Asta feroce per Manfredi: va al Brasile di Federico per 63 milioni!!!
50 milioni per Peter: follie di Federico...
Prezzo interessantissimo per Daniel: 41 milioni! Belgio per lui!
Al Portogallo va Jacopo per 21 milioni, così come Tommaso per 10 milioni.
Cristian va alla Svezia per 35 milioni!
Ancora il Portogallo protagonista: Alessandro N per 39 milioni!
Ottaviano al Brasile per 11 milioni.
Asta segreta per Ale Z: se lo aggiudica il Brasile per 25 milioni. In questo momento sembra la squadra da battere!
Ivan si sentirà a casa nella Spagna, acquistato da Tiberio per 17 milioni.
Alex Delve sul mercato: pochi i soldi rimasti... se lo aggiudica per 22 milioni il Belgio!
Gavyn, conteso con i pochi soldi rimasti, va alla Spagna per 12 milioni.
Elias va al Belgio per 22 milioni!
La Spagna punta tutto su Pietro DP per 26 milioni!
Michele e Joel, ultimi estratti, vengono assegnati secondo i fondi rimasti: Michele al Brasile per 16 milioni e Joel alla Svezia.

A colpo d'occhio sembra che i capitani di Brasile, Belgio e Portogallo abbiano fatto davvero un ottimo lavoro!!!

Buon torneo!

Spring Intramural - Teams

With the January transfer window closing tomorrow, here are the teams so far...

Belgium	England	Brazil	Portugal	Spain	Sweden
Jerry	Girl 01	Federico	Bernardo	Tiberio	Theo
Louis	Girl 02	Raphael	Cesare	Manuel	Max
M'angelo	Girl 03	Tommy S	Aden	Mateo	Lorcan
Julian	Girl 04	Lapo	Andrea	Paul	Filippo
Pietro B	Girl 05	Riccardo	Ludovico	Alex C	Alioune
Giorgio	Girl 06	Giacomo S	Giacomo O	Guillermo	Elias EZ
Pietro T	Girl 07	Manfredi	Giuseppe	Niccolò	Saverio
Anthony	Girl 08	Ottaviano	Jacopo	Ivan	Peter
Daniel	Girl 09	Ale Z	Tommaso	Gavyn	Cristian
Alex D	Girl 10	Michele	Ale N	Pietro DP	Joel
Elias F	Girl 11				Lorenzo
	Girl 12

Iran	France	Japan	Germany
Lucrezia	Alina	Francesca	Eve
Eleonora	Lucy	Sofia C	Shosannah
Naomi	Celeste	Mari	Clio
Aurora B	Ameli	Sofia S	Gabeen
Maria Carolina	Linh	Michelle	Parveen
Vanessa	Emma C	Giorgia	Julieta
Gaia dR	Matilde	Annie	Allison
Gea	Natalie	Mia	Selina
	Sofia dM	Carolina