A good team performance
Playing football all week, what a treat! Especially when it's a lovely autumn week and all your friends at school are busy with reading, arithmetic and geo. For dessert this week, the D3 had to play a practice match against the E-top of Ado Den Haag. Saturday could be used to rest from the football efforts and sleepovers, and the boys looked fresh again this Sunday.
Still, it is Ado Den Haag that has an upper hand from the start. PSV D3's defensive block gets more attuned to each other as the match goes on, however, and makes it particularly difficult for Ado to find openings. Lars, back from a nasty injury, Baggio, Luc and Armando defend sharply, take over each other's positions and also in the away defense they build up well. Stan and Arne also feel more comfortable with the game in that giant goal, and that gives peace in midfield and in front.
After 10 minutes it is a quick outburst via Roland who launches Steven, passes to Rafael and he taps the ball in in a controlled manner. 1-0. Ado pushes for the equalizer but after a good cross just taps in front. Then still, a free kick. Is there a player who manages to work the ball high into the goal, yes then a D-keeper is really beaten; so is Stan who jumps desperately to the ball but the ball is still too high and the 1-1 is a fact.
It is Ado who plays good football and has an optical advantage, but PSV gets the biggest chances through fast breakaways. Jordan goes like an express train 2x on the right and it is the second time that after good lay-back on the sixteen Cody can tap in in a controlled way. Halftime, in a fun and exciting half that was evenly matched.
In the second half, it is PSV who suddenly has a big advantage. The midfield with Bjorn, Robin, Huseyin, Ruud and Cody dominates and Ado is pinned down. Time after time our boys appear dangerous in front of the goal, only in their understandable enthusiasm they constantly forget that pesky offside rule. (Ado's linesman must have gotten pain in his arm from all the flagging).
A mistake in the build-up is then exploited by Cody, to give the ball to James, who does not miss this opportunity and makes it 3-1.
Fortunately for Arne, Ado can also make a fist a few times. The dangerous number 7 of The Hague can strike outside the penalty area, the ball whizzes into the top left corner, Arne looks, assesses the ball and starts his gliding flight to the cross just in time. When he gets there, the ball is also there by now, which by the way was the intention and with ball and all, he starts the landing and Arne comes back on the field of the Herdgang. A brilliant save!
From a corner kick Ado manages to test the bar once more, but it is at the other end via Cody and Jordan that Roland can attentively make it 4-1. Ruud just can't crown his good game with a goal, he fires into the side netting. Cody has energy to spare and slaloms past a few Ado players to make it 5-1 in magnificent fashion. This is also the final chord of this match.
The D3 showed today that they have taken another step in playing football as a team. And that produced happy faces at the side.
Report courtesy of Hans Bosma
Cody Gakpo (2x), Roland Kartalozzi, Raphael Nartey and James Fofana