The last matchday friendly begins with showers of rain ahead of kickoff, lightening to a drizzle by the time warm-ups conclude. Birds singing, sun shining on a muddy pitch, the match kicks off.
Coach Brice and Coach JT stand on the touchlines. The starting line-up looks similar to previous friendlies. From Kisasa’s first touch, the boys communicate loudly, telling each other man on, “nice one”, calling out for the ball when they’re open. When the ball is with the keeper, his defenders alert him, getting into space for the return pass.
As Calvin runs through the midfield on a great run, his teammates guide him, slowing down the play. Encouraging. The play breaks down in the opponents’ box, but these are the basics, and getting them down soundly will allow the boys to express themselves and show their personalities as they play.
The opening minutes are unsettled. Possession changes often. Kisasa has been in the opponents’ box more than they’ve been in ours. If this goes on, a goal is inevitable. Ambassadors press, but the attempt flies over the goal.
A formidable midfield duo
The half continues with balanced spells, the ball held and played in both halves. Aleki and Dan star for Ambassadors in the midfield. Coaches and experienced players with an ability to drive, control, and distribute. They prove a formidable challenge for the Kisasa midfield, and on the muddy pitch the boys show undeniable grit to shut down the duo’s threat.
The boys concede a goal from a corner, and this isn’t the last chance they’ll let into their net from a set piece. The boys’ average height is a disadvantage against the taller Ambassadors team, but it reveals that preparation is needed to combat unnecessary goals against. A shot from long out slips past the keeper’s gloves to further the Ambassadors advantage. The boys continue to play with heart.
The passing lanes keep up. Defenders rise to cover when the opponents break play down in midfield. We continue to press. An effort from OT shoots over the bar. The persistence is paying off.
We get one back from a free-kick rebound that Calvin is quick to follow up on and easily tap beyond the keeper. Soon after, an injury forces our first keeper off and the replacement comes on to a settled back line. Taaji, who didn’t start the match, kicks around on the pitch during the break. He’ll be on for the third half.
Offsides continue to feature, and Ambassadors score a cheap tap-in from a cross during a spell of lax defending. Coach JT is heard on the sidelines, giving instruction, keeping the boys in high spirits.
Where fitness falls short, passion makes up for the rest.
Play out of the back looks good and the build-up leads to a goal kicked in by Tremendous, after a drive from the right corner flag. Soon after, the boys score another from a set piece. A few minutes later Tremendous scores a marvellous goal from open play, beating his man and then blasting it home. A penalty awarded to Kisasa FC soon after is denied by the keeper. It would have brought the score closer to level.
Play continues. Ambassadors win a free kick that doesn’t trouble the keeper, but a quick one-two orchestrated by Coach Aleki sees Ambassadors net another. Another chance follows soon after, with Coach Dan through on goal, but the defence’s last man does impeccably, staying with him and getting a foot in that gives Kisasa FC possession back. No more goals go in ahead of the final break.
The final 30 minutes
Ambassadors open play for the final 30 minutes. An early Kisasa corner is taken short, and it’s offside. More practice is needed there. You can still hear the boys speaking to one another, giving instructions, offering a pair of eyes to the things teammates may miss. The coaches continue with encouragement from the sidelines, urging them to win duels.
Taaji narrowly heads a crossed chance wide. It barely glances the far post. On the other end soon after, Ambassadors fail to convert a corner. A number of loose balls in the Kisasa midfield force a number of saves out of the keeper, and this is encouraging. Stamina is still a key point. Passes get misplaced more as the time draws on.
However, where fitness falls short, passion makes up for the rest. The runs continue. Defenders overlap, eager to receive the ball. Game management improves their play and balances out tired legs. Ambassadors resort to long balls that are continually taken care of by the defence. Another corner, put into the box at speed and bouncing, allows Ambassadors to get another in. A Kisasa chance to equalise is called offside.
OT’s close-range shot is deflected by the keeper over the bar. Soon after, Tremendous gets onto the end of a pass, toes the ball beyond his defender, beating him for pace and nudging it into the lower-left corner. Standing next to Yusuf, the attacking duo are small, but they make a big moment from almost nothing.
The goal rejuvenates the team, and passing play looks strong. The boys maintain majority of possession into the last minutes of the game, until another Ambassadors corner that also finds the back of the net. 6-4 reads the scoreline by the end of the match.
It’s another strong showing. Even after every goal conceded they continue to dig their heels in and push for more attacking plays. They don’t sit back fearfully. They look to attack. At times it plays against them, but that can be improved upon tactically. A week closer to the first league game of the season, the boys show that they are steadily moving towards match readiness.