Match Day Eight
Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Adrian Elmer 0 – Raffaele Lombardi 1

A real 6 point game as Adrian knew a win would see him move into 2nd place and unable to be caught by Raffaele, while Raffaele knew a win would see him just about catch Adrian but still have two games in hand. And so it played out as tightly as that scenario would set it. The match was very even with both players having chances, making saves, and neither being able to dominate the other. Raffaele, however, scored the crucial first goal midway through the first half during a period where he had the upper hand, working himself around the outside of Adrian’s defense and shooting well from the right hand side. It would prove to be decisive. Both players were sweating by half time as the game grew more tense. The second half continued as the first half had gone with Adrian pushing extra figures forward to search out the goals he needed. Midway through the half came the game’s other big moment. A mistake by Raffaele’s travelling ‘keeper left him stranded, but it was unclear under the new rules exactly how play should proceed (look elsewhere for an in-depth discussion on that one). The clock was paused as both players and referee pored over the new rules. Ultimately, through a long-winded process of inferences from surrounding rules, everyone in the room settled on an interpretation which meant that Adrian, when play eventually restarted, was able to work himself into a relatively clear shot on open goal. A moment of indecision, however, just as his final flick was about to be made, saw the ball trickle wide of the gaping goal, Adrian throwing away his guilt-edged chance of levelling.With that Adrian uncharacteristically threw caution to the wind. With both players pushing their nerves to the limit, there was much poor flicking each way as Adrian pushed for the goals he needed and Raffaele sought to expose Adrian’s threadbare defense on the counter. In the end, Raffaele held out for the win he needed.

Steve Diasinos 1 – Rob Retalic 0

The game that had been postponed for a month finally got underway, with Steve determined not to drop the 3 points he would have earned had he enforced the forfeit originally. He was in for a fight, however, as a generally even game saw Rob shade it in the shots on goal statistics. Steve was on song with his ‘keeper, though and repelled each of Rob’s forays forward. Then, with one eye on the clock ticking down at the end of the first half, Steve made a swift forward movement on the counter and buried the ball in the back of the net with 18 seconds to go. The second half saw the play continue to see-saw, both players creating chances but both making excellent saves to maintain the status quo. Remarkebly, having never seen the travelling goalkeeper situation from the previous match happen before, all players present were amazed to see an exact repeat in this game, giving Rob the chance to pull level. His eventual shot on the open goal from a difficult angle, however, was pushed wide, Steve dodging the bullet. In a mirror of the first half, with seconds left, Rob made a final foray forward. His eventual shot, taken right on the final whistle, looped off the top of Steve’s ‘keeper and on to the top of the goal meaning the contentious issue of whether a goal had been scored before or after the whistle was avoided, Steve clinging to his 3 points.

Raffaele Lombardi 3 – Gordy Dudley 0

Raffaele was looking to build on his earlier result and slide in to the top four. After an early scare with Gordy finding space through the middle of his defense, Raffaele eased his first goal home and a war of words started, ritual insults being thrown by each player. The game was being played at a furious pace, Raffaele looking to unsettle Gordy with swift movement, leading to a second goal before the break. This pace led to some inevitable missed flicks from Raffaele as well, though, and when regaining possession, Gordy was pushing for some goal action of his own. Raffaele stayed firm in defense, however, and Gordy was unable to find the decisive flick. The second half was a more even affair but Raffaele was able to stamp his overall dominance with a 3rd goal midway through the half.

So, with two matchdays remaining, Steve Dettre still sits at the top, awaiting Eliot’s final matchday results. After a flying start to the tournament, a series of close losses has seen Adrian plummet down the pecking order in recent weeks. Raffaele has quietly slipped into the top four and is well placed to climb even higher with one game to play. Paul has seen the pack catch up but his results have seen him hold his own while, further down the table, Steve has picked up his first points with the promise of more to possibly come. Rob and Gordy are yet to play each other in a game that will go a long way towards determining the final standings at the foot of the table.