Teachers 1-1 Grade 8

 After yesterday's debacle, the teachers plunged into the transfer market and fielded a much stronger side today. They began the match confidently, passing the ball well and looking for an opening. Their goal finally came from a corner, Mr. Piccolo chipping a corner onto the head of Mr Max. 

But now the momentum began to swing as the students rotated their team and the teachers were visbly tiring. Vittorio almost equalised with a photocopy of the teachers' goal, but Mr Alessandro made a spectacular one-handed save. He was helpless 5' later though when Vittorio played Antonio in, and Anto made no mistake with a strong left-footed shot. The students then almost pulled off a historic win, but Adam saw his far-post header drift agonisingly wide.

LYON 2-0 AS ROMA

 Una partita in equilibrio fino alla fine, quando un guizzo di Lavinia ha sbloccato il risultato, ribadito dalla rete all'ultimo secondo di Ella.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Ella 3, Lavinia 2, Irene 2, Bianca P 2, Margherita 1, Sara P 1, Clotilde 1, Azzurra 1,  Alessia 1.

Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal

Un match senza storia, anche se le due squadre si sono fronteggiate con coraggio.

La solidità del Chelsea nella zona di centrocampo e attacco ha fatto la differenza.

Di Martina e Aurora (2) le reti.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS:

Aurora 4, Martina 2, Erica 2, Naila 1, Marina 2, Alessandra 2.

Intramural Champions 3-1 Teachers

 With half the team out injured, the Teachers faced the students today with an inexperienced line-up and they suffered the consequences. Lorenzo did fire the Teachers into a first-period lead but Tommaso's assist set Marco up for an equaliser soon after. The game was even; the Teachers dominated possession and played better football but the final ball lacked precision. The students took advantage, going ahead when Marco played in Tommaso and stretching their lead when Tommaso scored again.

ACLI Final: Serafico 5 - 3 Ambrit

 For the second year running, Ambrit made it all the way to the final of the ACLI Champions Cup but, alas, they had to settle for second place this year. It all started well though, Lorenzo scoring after only 20 seconds. Ambrit then created a few more half-chances but Serafico played their way back into the game and equalised after 16'; their no.11 got to the by-line, crossed and the ball went on off Dylan. Cameron made a couple of good saves then but Serafico went ahead just before half-time. A harmless shot was deflected into the middle of the penalty area and Serafico reacted quickly as Ambrit's players merely looked on.

Serafico fired home two bullets early in the second half and they also hit the bar to leave Ambrit 4-1 down and looking a little pumch-drunk. But they dug deep and came back at their opponents. Emilio scored with a header at the far post and Giorgio blasted home a free kick to make it 4-3 and it looked like Ambrit might yet take the tie to a penalty shoot-out. But Serafico woke up again and made their physical advantage count with two late goals.

AOSR tournament: Ambrit Boys Champions again!

 Ambrit took three teams to the AOSR event at Campo Gentili and, for the second year running, the Boys team won all of their games.

Here are all of the days results

Ambrit A 3-1 SGBIS (scorers: Marco 2, Antonio A)

Marco rifled home the opener and then supplied the assist for Marco; Marco scored again off Emilio assist.

Ambrit A 5-10 Ambrit B (scorers: Marco 3, Vittorio, Hugo)

Marco's hat-trick included a left-foot drive, a header and a spectacular bicycle kick!

Ambrit A 2-0 Acorn (scorers: Hugo, Antonio A)

Didn't play well in this one; the team looked tired but the energy of Hugo and Vittorio carried them home and Hugo and Anto scored)

Ambrit A 6-1 AOSR (scorers: Marco, Antonio A 2, Emilio 2, Hugo)

A decisive win in their final match sealed the title and six goals were enough so that the Doctor's penalty miss was irrelevant!

Ambrit B 1 - 0 Acorn (Antonio F)

Antonio was qiuckest to react when Leopoldo's shot was saved.

Ambrit B 1 - 3 AOSR (Tommaso)

Ambrit B 0 - 3 SGBIS

Ambrit Girls 1 - 4 AOSR

Ambrit Girls 1 - 4 SGBIS

Students versus Teachers

 Students team for Thursday - IM winners versus teachers

PERIOD 1

Goalkeeper Ryan

Defence Ziyi, Aditi, Carlo C  

Midfield Carlo T, Nicola, Costanza

Attack Marco, Ashton 

PERIOD 2

Goalkeeper Aurora A

Defence Remi, Vittoria, Carlo T   

Midfield Martina, Naila, Hugo

Attack Tommaso, Aurora R

PERIOD 3

Goalkeeper Ryan

Defence Carlo C, Rex, Erica 

Midfield Hugo, Costanza, Martina 

Attack Marco, Aurora R 

Students team for Friday - Grade 8 versus teachers

PERIOD 1

Goalkeeper Patrick

Defence Giulio, Leo, Clara  

Midfield Oliver, Tiago, Sara

Attack Gianmarco

PERIOD 2

Goalkeeper Alessia

Defence Vittorio, Louis, Lubiana   

Midfield Bianca, Emilio, Adam

Attack Alessandro

PERIOD 3

Goalkeeper Patrick

Defence Matteo, Michael, Annika, Sofia 

Midfield Anto, Ella, Irene 

Attack Adriano

GIRLS' FINAL: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal

 This was a fitting match for a final: end-to-end football and total commitment to keep a capacity crowd entertained. Aurora scored the game's only goal just before half-time, when a well-timed pass from midfield released her through the centre of the Arsenal defence and she drilled the ball home ruthlessly past Freydis in goal. In the second half Arsenal might have scored twice, on both occasions Chelsea clearing the ball away desperately after goalmouth scrambles where shots were blocked, re-taken and re-blocked. Arsenal had strong penalty claims in the middle of one of these scrambles but referee Corcoran was unmoved and VAR did not intervene. Sara then had another chance to equalise but Aurora pulled off a miraculous save from point-blank range. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Costanza 4, Sara M 4, Aurora R 4, Aurora A 3, Alessandra 3, Naila 3, Martina 2, Annika 1

BOYS FINAL - Liverpool 1 - 3 Real Madrid

 Liverpool were looking to repeat their semi-final tactics: park the bus and look for a goal off the long ball. But Real Madrid had Carlo in defence and he mopped up all the long balls before they could cause any danger. Up front, a shrewd tactical variation saw Tommaso leading the line, with Marco and Hugo on the flanks just behind and it worked like a dream. Tommaso won lots of ball and he released Marco for the first goal, the big No. 9 beating Patrick to the ball. Marco turned provider for goal 2, setting up Hugo on the left and Tommaso slotted home a third, breaking quickly after a Liverpool free kick. Liverpool rallied towards the end and Gianmarco lit a candle of hope with a well-taken goal. The reds then almost nabbed a second but Lorenzo's shot was cleared off the line. A lot of good individual performances from both teams today.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Carlo T 3, Tommaso M 3, Marco 2, Hugo 2, Nicola 2, Kevin 2, Patrick 2, Gianmarco 2, Lorenzo 2, Louis 1, Ryan 1, Christian 1, Nicholas 1,  

Boys' Intramural, 3rd Place final: Ajax 1 - Man City 6

 The game was balanced for the first period and for some of the second period but City's relentless possession slowly wore down their opponents and opened up the scoring chances. Rocco took advantage. Five times! Dani grabbed the other goal and Tiago scored for Ajax.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Rocco 4, Giovanni 4, Daniele 3, Tiago 2, Giulio 2, Adriano C 2, Antonio 1, Emilio 1, Gabriele 1, Aron 1

Boys Semi-Final: Ajax 1 - 2 Liverpool

 Klopp did it again today. With his team one goal down (and it could have been three, were it not for Patrick's saves) thanks to a sloppy own-goal, he managed to motivate his team to come back from the dead and win this exciting match. Kevin was the motor in midfield for the first goal and Lorenzo then took over, forcing his way past three defenders to blast home the equaliser. The two of them combined again a few minutes later and, this time, it was Kevin who found himself with a chance to shoot. And he did. And he scored. And Liverpool march on.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Lorenzo 5, Kevin 4, Patrick 4, Alessandro 2, Christian 2, Louis 2, Adriano C 1, Gianmarco 1

ACLI Champions League SF, second leg: Nomen 3-3 Ambrit

 A draw today, yes; but after a 6-1 win in the first leg, this was more than enough to secure Ambrit's place in the final for a second year running. With no Trym and no Ale, Dylan started today in goal and he did a fine job for the first half, a first half that saw Giorgio score twice and Nomen once. It was also a first half that saw Antonio play his best game of the season so far, winning lots of ball up front and laying it off into good positions time and time again. It was also a first half that saw Oliver strike the post with a cracking long range effort: pity it didn't go in - Oliver deserved a goal today. 

Vittorio played in goal for most of the second half and kept a clean sheet. Antonio went in and made some good saves but Nomen did equalise. No problem, Vittorio scored to put Ambrit back ahead. Nomen did equalise again but qualification for the final was never in doubt. Emilio almost sealed it with a fourth goal but, like Oliver earlier, he saw his shot come back off the post.

AMBRIT: Dylan, Vittorio, Cameron, Kevin, Emilio, Giorgio, Oliver, Antonio, Nicholas.

ACLI Champions League semi-final, 1st leg: AMBRIT 6-1 Nomen

 Nomen came into today's game with a season-long unbeaten record... but that didn't last long against a concentrated Ambrit side today. A slick passing move from Carlo to Cameron to Giorgio and Giorgio thundered home the shot to leave the visitors 0-1 down and unsettled. Giorgio made it 2-0 with a fiercely-struck free kick from the left and Cameron scored a third when Vittorio's pass found Hugo and he sent it on to Cameron. Giorgio completed a first half hat-trick off Carlo's assist and Hugo completed a first-half rout with a well-timed fifth goal - just as the visitors were threatening to come back - just before the break.

In the second half Antonio, Trym, Daniel, Oliver and Emilio all came in and Ambrit continued to look in control. But Nomen did now have a bit more possession and Ambrit began to look a bit ragged as the half wore on. Nomen almost scored when their No. 12 rose to place a good header that looked a goal all the way, but Ale scrambled to the post and somehow kept the ball out. Nomen did pull a goal back and things might have begun to unravel, but Cameron latched onto an Emilio pass and the sixth goal settled the team again. 

Manchester City 1 - 4 Real Madrid

A first period without clear chances and then Real almost took the lead in period 2, but Aron made a great save off a Marco shot. But Carlo was following up and scored. In period 3, an almost exact replica: Aron saved again, this time off a Carlo shot and Hugo followed up to score. Rocco pulled one back for City but their play lacked cohesion and it was no surprise when Marco headed Real back into a two goal lead and Tommaso sealed the win with a brave tap-in at the second post.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Aron 4, Carlo T 4, Rocco 3, Hugo 3, Tommaso 2, Marco 2, Gabriele 1, Giovanni Z 1 

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ACLI: Champions Cup QF, 2nd leg: AMBRIT 2-2 Fortitudo (9-2 on aggregate)

 After last week's heavy defeat, Fortitudo turned up today with a bit of an attitude and they finished the game with three yellow cards and one red. Ambrit's players, on the other hand, received the referee's compliments for their behaviour and for their continued attempts to play good football.

The visitors took the lead after 12 minutes and the game was delicately poised: another goal might have unsettled the hosts but Hugo settled things down with an equaliser just before half-time. Fortitude went ahead again in the second-half... Ale calmly shepherding the ball wide, except it didn't go wide - it went in!😂

Ale made up for it soon after with an astounding double save and Lorenzo leveled the score again, calmly controlling an awkward pass before rounding his man and beating the goalkeeper with a shot just inside the post. 

CALENDAR

Wed 24 May: Real Madrid vs Manchester City    Boys' Semi final 1

Thu 25 May: Chelsea vs Roma

Fri 26 May: Ajax vs Liverpool    Boys' Semi final 2

Wed 31 May: Boys' Third place final

Thu 01 June: GIRLS' FINAL

Wed 07 June: BOYS' FINAL

Thu 08 June: TEACHERS vs INTRAMURAL CHAMPIONS

Fri 09 June: TEACHERS vs GRADE 8

Liverpool 1-1 Real Madrid

 A very entertaining game! Real attacked well all through the first half but Patrick pulled off some exceptional saves, including a miraculous double stop from point-blank range. But Real did score in the when one of Hugo's mazy dribbles ended with a pass to Marco and his powerful shot was unstoppable. Patrick came out now to try to save a point and, in the end, he did: finding space on the edge of the penalty area, he placed a shot into the corner and then went back into goal to protect the lead!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Patrick 5, Kevin 3, Carlo T 3, Hugo 3, Marco 3, Gianmarco 1, Christian 1, Remy 1, Carlo C 1

Atletico 2-2 PSG

 A determined PSG grabbed their first point of the season and might easily have won the game. Aurora was alert when a chance came her way half-way through the first half and she rolled the ball confidently into the empty net. A good passing move from Atletico though found Jacopo in a good position and he equalised. In the second half, the girls went ahead again when an Aurora shot was saved but Bianca was on hand to force the rebound in. But the boys came back to level the scores again, this time Francesco adding the final touch.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Jacopo 3, Irene 3, Bianca 3, Aurora 3, Freydis 2, Antonio 2, Sara 1, Antoine 1, Joshua 1, Francesco 1, Matteo 1

Real Madrid 4-2 Ajax

 After drawing with Man City last night in the Champions League, Real turned up today with a few new names and ran into an early lead. In the first period, Marco blasted in an unstoppable shot and might have scored again but Trym saved well. Three goals were added in the second half (Marco, Nicola 2) and Ajax were struggling but a soft penalty awarded against Hugo gave Adriano the chance to bring his team back into the game. He scored; 4-1. Reinvigorated, Ajax threw themselves into attack and Diego scored a second but time ran out and Real take the three points.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Carlo T 3, Marco 2, Adriano M 2, Hugo 2, Nicola 2, Trym 2, Emilio 1, Carlo C 1, Tiago 1, Tommaso 1, Antonio F 1, Diego 1, Adriano C 1, Remy 1

ACLI: Champions League QF - Fortitude 0-7 Ambrit

 Strange to say, but this was an evenly and fiercely contested tie! The big score difference is explained by Ambrit's solid defending, solid goalkeeping and some clinical finishing. Hugo had another great game: he played in Lorenzo for goal number 1. Vittorio played in midfield today and he totally confounded the opposition; it was his corner, converted by Dylan, that led to 2-0 before half time.

Kevin and Oliver, after two great first half performances, made way for Nicholas and Antonio at half time and the two newcomers settled in immediately, quickly taking control of the left wing for Ambrit. Another precise long ball from Ale put Lorenzo through; he was fouled as he went around the goalkeeper and Lorenzo himself scored from the spot and then completed his hat-trick shortly afterwards with a shot from outside the penalty area. Hugo scored the fifth and then Dylan scored a jewel of a goal: moving onto Vittorio's outswinging corner from the right, he caught the ball perfectly on the volley and rifled it into the top corner! The scoreline was completed by Antonio.

Liverpool 1-2 Man City

 Today we saw an ugly game with some beautiful goals. Rocco opened the scoring in the first period when a burst of speed took him clear on the left and he managed to squeeze his hot into the corner. Gianmarco had a chance to equalise in the second period but Giovanni was out quick to smother the shot. Rocco struck again in period 3, this time turning on the edge of the penalty are to unleash an accurate shot into the far corner. Patrick put Lorenzo through on the right near the end and Lorenzo scored with a confident shot, but time ran out and City win again.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Rocco 6, Gabriele 2, Lorenzo 2, Giovanni 2, Daniele 2, Kevin 2, Patrick 2, Christian 1, Gianmarco 1, Matteo 1 

Salzburg 5-0 PSG

 Salzburg today got a chance to vent a season's frustrations and they seized on that chance with glee. The three-touch rule suited them and they played neat, thoughtful football with two goals each from Oliver, Adam and Leopoldo and one from Leo. 

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Oliver 5, Leo 4, Adam 3, Leopoldo 2, Sam 1, Tommaso 1, Michael 1, Lubiana 1, Freydis 1, Lavinia 1, Ella 1

ACLI League: Ambrit 1-0 S. Catarina

 Ambrit got back on the winning trail today with a narrow victory over a much-improved team from S. Catarina. The hosts might have scored an early goal in either half, Alberto lifting an early opportunity over the bar in the first half, Lorenzo doing the same at the start of the second period. The visitors came close to an early goal in the first half too, their no. 15 rattling the crossbar with a well-taken free kick.

Ambrit finally scored when Lorenzo invented a clever strike from a free kick on the left, his low shot into the corner taking the keeper by surprise. Another good game from Kevin, Carlo and Dylan in defence.

TEAM: Cameron, Dylan, Kevin, Carlo, Emilio, Alberto, Nicolas, Lorenzo, Antonio

Serafico Bianco 4-3 Ambrit

 Ambrit dominated the first half but they were let down by some very poor shooting, some overly casual passing and some lazy tackling. The home side took the lead after 15' against the run of play but Vittorio equalised when he timed his run well to get on the end of Alberto's corner. Cameron made it 2-1 when he shot from the edge of the penalty area into the opposite corner but Serafico pulled it back to 2-2 at half time.

Cameron was on target again early in the second half bit Serafico's midfield began to find more and more holes in the Ambrit formation. They had strong runners and Ambrit's tackling was poor. They scored two late goals to take all three points. The only really bright spark for Ambrit today was Hugo's performance in midfield - easily his best game of the year.

Man City 2-1 Salzburg

 Rocco set the tone early on with a couple of shots that were narrowly wide. The Austrians were pinned down for much of the first half and City  had a deserved 2-0 lead at the turnaround, goals from Rocco (an angled shot from a short corner) and Aron ( a tap-in off a Rocco assist). Salzburg improved in the second half and their goal was emblematic: a well-constructed passing move from Michael to Leo to Adam to Leopoldo... goal!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Rocco 4, Adam 3, Steve 2, Leo 2, Adrian 2, Gabriele 2, Daniele 2, Aron 1, Sam 1, Michael 1, Giovanni Z 1 

Chelsea 2-0 Lyon

 Chelsea dominated possession and territory today, rarely conceding any attacking chances to their French opponents and creating numerous opportunities for themselves.

Aurora drove the team forward and was always able to depend on intelligent support from Martina. Lavinia was everywhere in midfield, breaking down play after play and, when Chelsea did break through, Alessia made some super saves to keep the teams level at half time.

Chelsea scored immediately in the second half, Aurora'a shot spinning away from Alessia and into the corner of the net. The Blues added a second when Martina's free kick was deflected by Costanza, giving Alessia no chance.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Aurora 4, Martina 3, Alessia 2, Lavinia 2, Costanza 2, Ella 1

ACLI League: Ambrit 1-5 Monteverde

 Ambrit suffered their first defeat of the season today and they fully deserved to lose. Only Dylan, Kevin and Carlo played to their usual standard - everybody else was strangely off-form. Coach Corcoran looked like the recent Jurgen Klopp on the sideline, with that 'where-is-our-winning-team-gone?' look on his face. Half-time 0-2 down; second half: 0-3, 0-4, 1-4 (Dylan), 1-5.

Next week: big test of character: can we bounce back!?

Ajax 4-0 Atletico

 The first period was even but Ale took advantage of some confusion in the penalty area to give Ajax 1-0 lead. In period 2, Tiago should have a added a second but he somehow blasted the ball over from 2 meters out! Diego shot well but Francesco made a good save. At the other end, Antonio was pouring in a series of shots but all were just too high or just wide of the post. Ale made it 2-0 off an Emilio assist; Emilio made it 3-0 off an Ale assist. Diego's third period goal closed off the match.

Best Player points: Ale 5, Antonio A 4, Emilio 3, Matteo 3, Adriano M 2, Francesco 2, Tiago 1, Joshua 1 

Man City 2-2 Real Madrid

 Another intensely competitive game, another draw, another match down and the classifica is getting tight! Daniele gave City the lead in the first period when he followed up on Rocco's run and shot, after the shot was well-saved by Ryan. But Real fought back quickly and Marco, scoring freely these days, bagged an equaliser.

In the second period, Real took the lead through Hugo but City forced an equaliser this time, Remy unlucky when the ball rebounded in off him. Both sides tried hard in period 3 to capture all three points, but neither side could manage it.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Rocco 5, Marco 4, Carlo 3, Daniele 3, Gabriele 3, Hugo 1, Giovanni Z 1, Remy 1

Chelsea 4-0 Arsenal

 Nell'atteso derby inglese il Chelsea si dimostra squadra molto solida e liquida con un perentorio 4-0 le smarrite avversarie: Aurora mette a segno un terribile 1-2 nel primo tempo, consolidato dalla doppietta di Martina nel secondo tempo. Alle avversarie non resta che rimanere a guardare, visto anche il momento difficile dal punto di vista fisico della stessa delle Gunners, Sara.

A guidare le offensive dell'Arsenal ci hanno provato con grande insistenza e convinzione Marina e Alessandra, davvero lodevoli per impegno e tecnica, ma che di fronte a loro hanno trovato il "muro" di Naila ed Erica.

Nulla da fare per Annika, Lubiana e compagne, che sono però alla prima sconfitta e quindi possono ancora ben sperare di qualificarsi per la finale.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Aurora R 4, Martina 4, Marina 2, Freydis 2, Alessandra 2, Lubiana 1, Erica 1, Naila 1, Sara M 1, Vittoria 1.

ACLI League: Serafico 1-2 Ambrit

 This was one of Ambrit's best victories in their last two seasons of highly successful ACLI football: a bigger, unfamiliar pitch; some bigger, stronger opponents; a tired team after the morning's RISA endeavours and a hot Spring sun - but hey, no problemo! 

The home side did take the lead in the first half but some fantastic defending from Kevin and Trym kept the score down and allowed Ambrit to gain a foothold in the game as the first half wound down. A good run by Vittorio then won a free kick on the edge of the area and Dylan fired home an equaliser.

The half time break afforded some valuable rest time for the players and some of them were looking nearly as deflated as the ball(!). But they came out for the second half looking determined and ready to go. Dylan now had the big n.9 in his pocket and Kevin continued to play like a man possessed. Carlo was insuperabile again (just like this morning!). When Serafico did get some chances, Trym made two more fantastic saves. Emilio came into the game more towards the end, setting up Vittorio for one goal - converted! - and then for another - wasted, with a ballet move that did not come off😠.

TEAM: Trym, Dylan, Carlo, Kevin, Cameron, Vittorio, Emilio, Oliver, Antonio.

Ambrit pulls off a Spectacular Double!

 In an exciting morning of football, Ambrit pulled off a spectacular double win, taking both the u11 and the u14 RISA Football trophies on offer!

On the Big Pitch, the MS boys began the day with a 1-1 draw against a big, strong team from Marymount. Adam bagged the Ambrit goal and the team followed up with a 2-1 win over RIS (Daniele, Hugo on target) and a 1-1 draw with New School (Daniele again). Meanwhile, Marymount had won their other games easily and were already qualified for the final. St George's too were doing well and so the Ambrit vs SGBIS match was decisive. A draw was enough to put the team from La Storta into the final; Ambrit needed a win. After 10', SGBIS led 2-0, their no. 10 wreaking havoc. But then Vittorio broke through three tackles and fired home to set the stage for a brilliant Ambrit comeback, cemented by a brilliant performance from Ryana and a wonderful doppietta from Marco! The first was a shot into the top corner to make it 2-2, the second a last-minute header past a despairing goalkeeper!

And so to the final versus Marymount... 0-0 after 20'... penalty shoot-out... 3-0 to Ambrit!!!

MedCup News: Ambra signs a new contract with Ambrit!

 

Alessandro Ambra was welcomed back to the team today by a smiling Vittorio. With Ambra proudly displaying the No. 7 shirt that is surely destined to become as famous as Ronaldo's, di Paola commented: "Aho, e 'mo je famo vede' a questi de Verona!" 

Salzburg 1-0 Atletico Madrid

Salzburg's long wait for a win is over! With the return of Leo in defence, the team was transformed but they had a tough trial against this Atletico team. Vittorio was shooting at every opportunity: vicious shots that ere often blocked or just wide or saved by Adrian. He made one good stop in each period: the first two from Vittorio shots, the third from a Vittorio header. Salzburg's moment came in period 3: a move involving Michael and Leo worked the ball to Oliver in the area and his pass found Adam in just enough space to allow him to poke the ball home!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Leo 5, Adrian 5, Vittorio 2, Antonio A 2, Adam 2, Francesco 1, Oliver 1, Michael 1, Emilio E 1, Giovanni V 1

Real 2-1 Atletico

 This was a typical derby game: hard tackles, constant effort, barely-concealed rivalry. Only one goal in the first half and it came when Tommaso stole a ball and found Ashton in space just 2 meters out and Ashton made no mistake. Vittorio almost equalised when he hit a good free kick but Ryan saved well. Atletico did score after the break, Max pouncing on a loose ball and turning it home. But Real came back again and Tommaso, always alert today, won the ball in the area, turned well and squeezed the ball home.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Tommaso 4, Ryan 3, Vittorio 2, Antonio 2, Marco 2, Hugo 2, Carlo 2, Ashton 1, Matteo 1, Remy 1, Giovanni V 1 

RISA Girls Tournament

 Le ragazze Ambrit disputano un ottimo torneo con le pari età delle scuole internazionali di Roma e finiscono a pari punti con le vincitrici, ma al secondo posto per differenza reti, in una bellissima mattinata di sport.

Dagli esordi il torneo mette in mostra una squadra, la New School of Rome, che sembra in netta superiorità tecnica rispetto alle altre formazioni: la valanga di gol con cui sommerge prima la St. George's Dragons e poi la Castelli International non lascia molte speranze alle altre squadre presenti. In particolare una talentuosa giocatrice della NSR, che milita nelle giovanili della Roma, sembra letteralmente immarcabile dalle avversarie.

Tuttavia le ragazze dell'Ambrit iniziano con grinta e fiducia il loro cammino, sconfiggendo la St. George's con un netto 2-0 (doppietta di Aurora), e permettendosi di "sbagliare" almeno altre 3-4 occasioni nette.

La seconda partita - contro la Castelli - finisce 3-1, sempre in favore delle nostre ragazze, con doppietta di Aurora e gol di Irene.

Tutti ormai hanno capito che lo scontro diretto Ambrit-NSR sarà decisivo ai fini della vittoria, dato che non ci sarà una finale. La partita è accesissima: Mr. Antonio schiera una doppia marcatura sulla stella della NSR, che in effetti sarà totalmente bloccata da Bianca e Irene. Le nostre ragazze vanno in vantaggio con Aurora, ma vengono raggiunte quasi immediatamente dalla New School. La partita procede a fiammate, ma è l'Ambrit a tenere il pallino del gioco. Su calcio d'angolo di Martina una sfortunata deviazione riporta in vantaggio l'Ambrit, che ora ci crede davvero. Il punteggio regge fino alla fine della partita, quando un rimbalzo inganna la nostra grande Freydis e blocca il punteggio sul 2-2 finale. Peccato.

L'ultima partita vede la vittoria di misura 1-0 sulla seconda squadra della St. George's, ma ormai il trofeo è sfuggito.

In generale un ottimo esordio per le ragazze, che hanno dimostrato grinta, tecnica e tanto cuore.

MVP: Aurora e Martina.

Ajax 4-1 Salzburg

 Salzburg held the Dutch Champions for most of an even and highly entertaining game but then lost the ball at some crucial times and lost the points as well. Adam was very active all through the game and, in the first half, he tested Trym with four attempts. One was wide and Trym made some good saves for the other three. But Ajax stole the lead before half-time. Emilio passed to Antonio and the Brazilian ace finished it off.

Tiago made it 2-0 early in the second half but Salzburg continued to press forward. Adam and Oliver combined well with Sara, on-loan from Arsenal today, and Oliver pulled one back when he got a leg to Adam's long shot to force it home. But Ajax were back in front by two goals almost immediately, Diego shooting low past Adrian. Adrian made a great save shortly afterwards but an own-goal from Steve completed Salzburg's misery and their hunt for that elusive first point goes on.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Adam 4, Oliver 3, Trym 3, Michael 2, Giulio 2, Emilio 2, Sara 1, Diego 1, Tiago 1, Sam 1, Steve 1

Ajax 6-1 PSG

 PSG showed a little more enterprise in attack today but the defence continues to leak goals. Ajax moved the ball around well, using their three touches economically and sensibly and the goals were scored by Ale, Diego, Tiago, Emilio, Ale again and Giulio. Aurora replied for the girls.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Bianca 4, Ale 3, Emilio 3, Aurora 2, Sara 3, Lavinia 1, Ella 1, Adriano C 1, Clara 1, Diego 1

ACLI Champions League: Nomen 3-3 Ambrit

 For the second time this season, the league's two strongest teams tied in a six-goal thriller. After a scoreless first half, the game exploded into life and the home side were soon 2-0 up. The new-look Ambrit team, refreshed with four recruits from the January transfer window, looked a little bewildered but Giorgio pulled them back into the game; his strong shot was parried by the keeper but Giorgio followed up and smashed home the rebound: game on! The next goal was similar: Dylan's well-struck free kick from the left was fumbled by the goalkeeper and this time it was Daniele who followed up to bundle the ball over the line. At 2-2, both sides might have settled for a point but neither did... and neither did the referee, awarding yet another free kick in a central position to Nomen. And they scored, to make it 3-2 with just seconds to play. 

But seconds were all that Daniele needed to equalise again. Pouncing on a loose ball in midield, he unleashed a perfectly-struck and perfectly-placed shot just inside the left post to give Ambrit a well-earned point! 

Atletico Madrid 0-4 Liverpool

Today’s match was evenly contested until late in period 2 and then Louis’s team put their foot down and accelerated away. Two goals from Gianmarco - the second one from a horrendous series of defensive errors - put Atletico on the back foot and then Lorenzo delivered the knockout punch with February’s Goal of the Month. Patrick finished it off with a low free-kick that found its way through a crowd of players.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Antonio A 4, Gianmarco 3, Patrick 3, Matteo T 2, Francesco 2, Emilio E 2, Kevin 1, Giovanni P 1, Yufan 1, Lorenzo 1, Christian 1

Lyon 2-2 AS Roma

 Decisamente non una partita per deboli di cuore quella giocata oggi all'Ambrit Stadium, con due squadre disposte a tutto per conquistare i tre punti: gol, spettacolo e molto agonismo.

Parte forte la Roma, con le folate offensive di Irene e Bianca, ben supportate da Clotilde, ma il Lyon regge bene, anche grazie agli innesti di Aurora (che neutralizza Sara) e Alessandra. Tuttavia la buona difesa francese cede al colpo da maestra di Bianca che, su rimessa del portiere, lascia partire un tiro spiovente che s'infila sotto la traversa: 1-0 Roma. 

Il Lyon prende coraggio e rischia di più, consapevole di dover recuperare lo svantaggio e - allo scadere del primo tempo - la zampata di Ella, dopo azione insistita, s'infila in rete per il momentaneo 1-1.

Nella ripresa le due squadre si affrontano senza esclusione di colpi: Lavinia è una furia su tutti i palloni, Irene sembra un mastino, Bianca non smette di lottare, Margherita inventa colpi al limite della fisica ed Ella sembra posseduta. Ma a fare la differenza è Clotilde, che si avventa su un pallone inavvertitamente lasciato nell'area dal portiere. La rimessa sbatte proprio contro la romanista ed entra in porta: 2-1.

Manca una manciata di minuti al termine e il Lyon si riversa in attacco, ma la Roma sembra molto ben organizzata. L'ultima prodezza spetta però alle francesi, che con l'incredibile azione personale di Ella trovano il pareggio all'ultimo secondo! WOW...che partita!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Ella 5, Clotilde 4, Irene 3, Lavinia 3, Margherita 3, Bianca 3, Alessia 1, Clara 1, Sofia 1, Azzurra 1.

Ajax 6-2 Manchester City

 Returning from his recent controversial sendiing-off, Capitan Cellini led the way for Ajax today with two early goals, the first from a Diego-Ale assist and the second from another Ale assist. Alessandro himself added a third while, at the other end, Giovanni rattled the bar with a long shot from his own half. City did manage to shake things up later on: Dani was lively up front and danced around Trym to score goal and give City some hope, but Diego snuffed it out soon after with a fourth for the Dutch champions. Antonio nipped in with a sneaky header for number 5 and the scoring was completed with Gabriele's cool finish and Antonio's second.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Ale 6, Daniele 4, Antonio 3, Adriano M 3, Emilio 2, Gabriele 1, Maverick 1,  Diego 1

Real Madrid 5-0 PSG

 A bad start today from PSG, allowing too much time on the ball to their opponents, merciless in pressing home their advantage.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Carlo 5, Hugo 3, Ryan 2, Martina 2, Sara 2, Freydis 2, Bianca 1, Clara 1, Marco 1, Tommaso 1, Nicola 1 

Chelsea 1-1 AS Roma

 Una partita entusiasmante, per intensità e determinazione delle due squadre, per agonismo - sul filo della correttezza - e per una crescente capacità di produrre gioco. Insomma: oggi all'Ambrit ci siamo davvero divertiti e credo si sia divertito anche il pubblico numeroso, che dagli spalti non ha smesso di incoraggiare le protagoniste del match.

Inizialmente il Chelsea ha preso in mano le redini del gioco, con un dialogo stretto tra Aurora e Martina, sempre pericolose, ma oggi, forse, poco concrete rispetto alle occasioni create. Nel primo tempo, tuttavia, la formazione inglese non sfonda, complice la resistenza di Bianca, Irene e Clotilde a centrocampo.

All'inizio del secondo tempo il Chelsea passa, grazie a un ottimo controllo di Aurora, che serve Martina al limite dell'area: stop di destro, un passo avanti e bomba all'angolino! La partita sembra indirizzata, ma la Roma non ci sta e inizia a macinare occasioni. Naila mette giù Bianca e si becca un cartellino giallo. Il gioco diventa più acceso e la Roma guadagna una punizione sulla trequarti: si incarica della battuta Bianca, Aurora in porta compie un mezzo miracolo, ma sulla ribattuta Sara si avventa sul pallone e tira forte, infilando la palla - con deviazione - tra palo e portiere. Pareggio!

Nei minuti finali entrambe le squadre sfiorano i tre punti vittoria, ma il punteggio rimane sull'1-1.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: 

Bianca 4, Irene 4, Martina 4, Aurora R 3, Sara P 3, Erica 2, Clotilde 2, Maeve 1, Aditi 1, Vittoria 1.

Ajax 6-1 Liverpool

 Ajax paraded their expensive new signing today and Ambra did not disappoint, firing in all six goals. The first three goals came in period 1 and Liverpool never really recovered. Gianmarco did get a shot in but Trym saved well. One more goal was added in period 2 and Gianmarco almost scored, not quite finishing off a good move involving Kevin and Lorenzo. Ale scored twice again in period 3 and Gianmarco did manage a reply for the Scousers.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Alessandro 8, Gianmarco 3, Adriano M 3, Emilio 2, Kevin 2, Lorenzo 1, Antonio F 1, Matteo T 1 

Arsenal 3-0 Lyon

 Bella vittoria dell'Arsenal, che ha trovato un equilibrio e una solidità migliori rispetto alla prima partita e si è "sbarazzato" di un avversario pericoloso come il Lyon, che aveva dato parecchio fastidio all'altra contendente al titolo, il Chelsea.

Sicuramente hanno pesato le assenze importanti, Margherita sulla sponda francese e Freydis su quella inglese, ma - senza il filtro a centrocampo - l'Arsenal ha avuto gioco facile sulla difesa, una volta superata la barriera Ella-Lavinia-Clara.

Molto buone le prestazioni di Sara, autrice di una doppietta, e della promessa Marina, sempre più centrale nel gioco dell'Arsenal e capace anche di andare a rete.

Il Lyon non deve perdersi d'animo, tutto è ancora possibile, con una buona organizzazione e con tanta, tanta grinta.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Marina 4, Sara M 4, Lavinia 2, Clara 2, Ella 2, Alessandra 1, Lubiana 1, Annika 1.

ACLI League: BravettaDue 0-4 Ambrit

 Despite a decidedly below-par first half performance, Ambrit went in at half time with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a lovely goal from Cameron and an impoertant save jusr before the break from Trym.

The second half performance was much better. Lorenzo stretched the lead with a low shot just inside the post. Dylan's free kick was on target and a slight deflection helped it in. And Daniele scored the fourth goal: looking to be blocked by the defender, he turned first inside and then outside and found the net with a low cross-shot to the opposite corner.

TEAM: Trym, Kevin, Vittorio, Dylan, Emilio, Cameron, Oliver, Lorenzo, Daniele, Carlo, Hugo 

Atletico Madrid 3-1 Manchester City

 After a scoreless first period, Giovanni took the Spanish side by surprise with a goal straight from the restart. But this served only to spur their opponents to play with greater determination and Atletico soon started to threaten Giovanni's goal. Vittorio gave ample warning with a rocket from 20m out that flew back off the bar. Soon after, Vittorio got the ball wide on the right and fired in another rocket from an impossible angle: Giovanni parried but Max was on hand to tap in the rebound: 1-1. The Vittorio show continued in period 3 when he made a chance for himself and bried a low shot past Giovanni to make it 2-1 and then, not long from the end, he sewed up the points with another low shot into the bottom corner.

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Vittorio 6, Giovanni Z 3, Matteo 3, Antonio 3, Daniele 1, Gabriele 1, Francesco 1, Max 1, Rocco 1, Jacopo 1

Real Madrid 4-0 RB Salzburg

 Salzburg's disastrous start to the Champion's league continued today as they shipped another four goals to a well-organised team from Spain. Marco set the tone in period 1 with a well-taken goal and Hugo almost made it two but was denied by Adrian. Ashton came on for period 2 and made his presence felt, twice finishing well off assists from Marco and Carlo. In the final period, Madrid continued to push forward. Nico shot, Adriano saved; Carlo shot, Adriano saved... and again... and again... until Hugo did beat Adrian off another Marco assist. Marco hit the bar towards the end and Leopoldo had a chance at the other end, but Ryan saved. Assured performances at the back today from Carlo and Remy. Ryan's clever moves in the transfer market look like they might just pay off!

BEST PLAYER POINTS: Remy 3, Carlo 3, Marco 2, Michael 2, Sam 2, Adrian 2, Adam 2, Nicola 2, Hugo 1, Ashton 1, Leopoldo 1

LYON 1-1 CHELSEA

Lyon e Chelsea si sono affrontate a viso aperto in una gara equilibrata e combattuta: il pareggio finale è forse il risultato giusto per quello che si è visto in campo. 

La formazione di Costanza ha preso da subito in mano il pallino del gioco, ma l'iniziale assenza di Naila ha costretto le inglesi a giocare tutto su Aurora e Martina, con l'ottima Erica in copertura. Il tandem ha funzionato bene fino al vantaggio, siglato proprio da Martina, lanciata a rete da Aurora dopo un intervento al limite.

Nel secondo tempo il Lyon ha preso coraggio e consapevolezza di non essere inferiore, riuscendo a dominare in difesa grazie alle buone prestazioni di Margherita ed Ella, e alla solidità di capitan Lavinia (oggi player of the Match). Il parteggio giunge proprio con Ella, con un tiro dalla distanza che sorprende il portiere, e nel finale Naila deve evitare addirittura la sconfitta con una scivolata spettacolare.

Un pareggio giusto, insomma, a tratti spettacolare, mai noioso.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH POINTS: Lavinia 4, Aurora R 3, Margherita 2, Ella 2, Martina 2, Clara 2, Naila 1, Erica 1, Aditi 1, Alessia 1.