A lucky goal deprives FC from a well deserved draw versus last year champs Ahituv.
The champs survived a tough match
at FC's stadium, "stole" a single goal in the 2nd half and managed
to collect the 3 points. FC played one of its best games this season, but
could not convert in the last minutes and consequently lost the match.
The R&B came well prepared. FC
introduced a new 5-4-1 formation, with Amir R. in the full-back position,
Gabi L. and Oded K. played stoppers, leaving the wings for the defenders.
The new formation prevented Ahituv from developing their regular passing
game, forcing the champs to play long balls, which were handled quite easily
by FC's defense. It also enabled FC to fight for control in the middle
and indeed, for the first 30 minutes of the first half, the R&B blocked
Ahituv in the middle and carried out some dangerous attacks at Ahituv's
goal. Ahituv took control in the last 10 minutes of the half, but all they
gained summed up to about three or four corners. Their fast attackers were
stopped far away from the goal, and David G, filling out for Eli - FC's
keeper, was never in real danger of receiving a goal.
The 2nd half started in the same manner as the first one ended. Ahituv took control over the middle; this time however, their attacks became more dangerous while FC resides to fruitless Fast-breaks. It was all suddenly changed in the 55th minute. Ahituv's wing player sent a cross in the general direction of the goal and caught David G. off guard. The keeper managed to deflect the ball, but Ahituv's striker was close enough to head the ball in; 1-0 Ahituv. It took the R&B some time to regain their tempo while Ahituv almost scored a second header which only hit the post, but FC came back to their senses. 10 minutes later, Ahituv's player was sent off with a red card for kicking Oded K. without the ball. Since then, the control shifted to FC's feet. Amir R. was moved to midfield and Uzi G. filled the full-back position as the R&B sent more and more players up front, trying to level the score. The proud champs needed every trick in the book, including stalling the ball at every chance and playing a Bunker-style game to keep their advantage. FC's attacks were coming wave after wave, but the pressure, lack of concentration in the finishing touch, and simple bad luck deprived the R&B of a well-deserved goal. Finally, Ahituv were saved by the closing whistle, taking the three points in a tough away game.
The result left the R&B with mixed emotions. "We were naive, we lost the game, full-stop." Said Gabi L. "We had a good game and we played some football for a change. Other teams are bound to be fearful when they hear about this match, even though we lost." Said Uzi G. Eyal B. was disappointed by the score: "we lacked the confidence of a strong team. If we only believed in ourselves, we could have won this match. I think Amir played his best game so far… all we really needed was some faith." Indeed, it was probably FC's best match so far, but the score is a disappointment. FC will face a big test next week, against E. Eliashiv. The team must keep up their good shape and win. Else, the great effort of today's match was nothing but a "good effort" by the R&B…