Dutch A Men versus Kowloon Cricket Club C

​After our undisputed win of 4-0 last week, the men turned up at the Kings Park stadium. They somehow managed to turn up on time, eager to secure their position at the top. It was 25 degrees and sunny, a perfect match day. After Ali thoroughly explained the tactics, the spirits were high and we were ready to start the game!
The first half started off well. We pressured the opponent well, intercepting balls which the opponent constantly hit to the front with high-speed. Our veteran player Dorus knew from the beginning that this would be a sure win and therefore decided that the match could use some excitement. He lost the ball at our own 23, giving the opponents their first attempt, which directly was a goal. The Dutch A’s immediately reorganized and started to work harder, leading to loads of circle penetrations, short corners and attempts at goal, which all went wide or were stopped by KCC C’s goalie. Our defense was strong and the defenders were intercepting the balls spotless, giving the opponents hardly any opportunities. Although the Dutch A was dominating the first half, it was a 1-0 defeat. 
The second half was started with high intensity by the Dutch A with a full press, shocking the opponent. In no time or midfielder Max put us on the scoreboard after a backhand shot which was nearly stopped by the keeper of the KCC C but found the back of the net! This gave the men confidence to secure the win! We got a free ball at the right of the pitch near the 23 of the opponent. Our defender Marc pushed the ball hard to Max who flicked the ball to our striker Jules. Struggling to get the ball under full control in such a small area he managed to shoot with his powerful backhand securing the lead for the Dutch A’s! Shortly after we got a short corner. Max flicked the ball to the right post where our forward Koene was running for a tip-in. The ball however found the foot of an opponent on its way which deflected the ball into the goal, putting the Dutch A’s in a 3-1 lead. Although the win felt secured, the KCC C’s managed to squeeze the ball through our nearly faultless defense. The opponent pushed the ball from the penalty point but our keeper Jelmer managed to keep the ball out of our goal.
It was an exciting match, with loads of opportunities and individual skills from both teams. The Dutch A team successfully secured their lead in the competition due to an excellent team effort in which everybody kept working hard to win the match! 

Max van Delft
​Our Dutch Student