For those of you not familiar with Japanese cuisine: Katsudon is a delicious dish consisting basically of a Milanese with an egg on top of boiled rice. In Japan people eat this dish before important exams or matches, since “katsu” means “to win,” which is why this dish is believed to bring good luck and success. Due to a favorable constellation of the stars, we have currently a Japanese cook lodging at our place who prepared exactly this dish before the match. With a lovely portion of this talismanic food in the stomachs of the supporters – including the Japanese cook –, nothing could go wrong tonight. Or could it?
The second part of the title is an attempt to widen my repertoire of metaphors from football to popular culture. Not many might remember the 1980 German comedy classic “Theo gegen den Rest der Welt” where Marius Müller Westernhagen takes up his courageous struggle against, precisely, the rest of the world. Whether he succeeds I will leave open here, in case somebody feels encouraged to watch this movie now (it’s available on Amazon on DVD and, yes, even VHS!). Let’s just say that Mi Ah took over the role of Theo tonight and, this much I can say, she was very successful. But let’s start from the beginning.
On a stormy and cold night back in the good old Rachetta grounds, the Mucche Pazze started off with Isa back in goals, Costy in defense, Sandra and Mi Ah on the wings and Sara up front. Stefi, Laura (for the first time), Alessia and Lisa had also made their way out to Florence’s China Town. The Mucche started well, with a couple of shots by Sara and Sandra being stopped by the goalie. The opposition was more efficient and what was maybe their second shot on goal after six minutes went in. This made the Mucche try even harder, and it was again Sara and Sandra taking turns in testing the opposition’s goalie. After 13 minutes, she managed to save another shot by Sara, but Mi Ah was there to put it in for the 1-1. They tried to score immediately in return but Isa bravely blocked a shot from close range.
Five minutes later, it was again Mi Ah who with a powerful shot from the left made it 2-1. And three minutes from the end of the first half it was again her to complete the hat-trick, this time scoring from the right. By then, Lisa, Alessia and Laura were playing for Costy, Sara and Sandra, and the fact that the team had never before played in this formation might have contributed to the series of misunderstandings that gave the opposition the ball in the last minute of the first half. They did not hesitate and with a powerful shot from almost centre circle made it 3-2.
Two minutes into the second half the once comfortable lead was completely gone, when their attacker hammered a rebounding ball into the net to equalize – 3-3! Something had to happen, and Mi Ah, who had been left on the bench for the beginning of the second half, came back on. This reinvigorated the Mucche game, and after ten minutes into the second half, they went back up. 4-3, this time not scored by Mi Ah, but by Sara, who with a dry shot left their goalie no chance. Shortly after, she received a brilliant chipped pass by Alessia, but alone in front of the goalkeeper she did not have the nerve to put it away, much to her dismay.
This scene opened a dramatic last ten minutes. Immediately after, Isa kept the Mucche in the lead with a spectacular parade, and with the direct counter attack, it was Mi Ah’s fourth strike of the night that made it 5-3. End of story? Not yet! There were signs of exhaustion creeping in, and when Isa searched for too long for an available teammate to pass the ball to, the referee awarded the opposition an indirect free kick from the edge of the box. The image of all five Mad Cows standing on the line to protect the goal would have been worth a picture, but unfortunately it could not prevent the 5-4, seven minutes from the end.
A time out would have been the right thing to do now, but instead, the game went on, and it got hectic. They pushed hard for the equalizer, and it was another super save by Isa that kept the Mucche Pazze ahead. Then the arbitro called “un minuto” and fortunately did his best to make this minute go by quickly, having the same kick-in replayed three times because of alleged infringements. And then the minute was over and an important and well-deserved victory was reality.
To avoid any misinterpretations of my cultural references, I should stress in the end that by saying “Mi Ah against the rest of the world” I do not mean to say that she was alone in this struggle. Rather, the enthusiastic supporters from places as diverse as Japan, Indonesia, Germany, and Suvereto witnessed an excellent team effort, which manifested itself especially in the tireless defensive effort that often prevented the worst. And if the defense could not clear the ball, there was always Isa who, coming back from several weeks of injury, arguably played the best game since taking over the Mucche Pazze goal. Well done, ladies, and now it’s time for a well-deserved Christmas break (including all the fitness-impairing pleasures to be consumed…).
Jannis
The squad: Isabell – Costy – Alessia – Sandra – Stefi – Laura – Mi Ah (4) – Lisa – Sara (1)
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