It has been a month since the last time that I came to a Mucche match. Back then it was full moon, and the team fought bravely for the whole match, losing the game by conceding an unlucky goal in the very last minute. In the report I praised the team effort and concluded by saying that there would be another full moon next month. That full moon came last night, and I was full of hope that this great team effort could be repeated.
Unfortunately, however, a full moon seems not to be a guarantee for a functioning team. In last night’s match there were a few occasions when the team play worked really well, like in the situations before the 1-0 and the 3-6. But there were also several other occasions in which the observer could not help the impression that coordination and cooperation on the pitch were less than ideal. Let alone the numerous inexplicable lapses in concentration that were followed by goals for the opposition. All of this combined made for a result that looks like a crushing defeat, and yet – once again – could have been so much better.
As a matter of fact, the Mucche started off better than ever before. It was not even two minutes into the game that Mimi scored the 1-0, after none of the Mappets in defense bothered to attack her. Yet Paolo probably suspected what was to come when he immediately called “Arbitro, fischia la fine!” Of course the referee did not end the game after just two minutes, and the opposition used the remainder of the first half to score no less than six goals. It is not that the Mucche had no more chances to score themselves. In a spectacular scene, Costy hit the left post with a shot from a distance, Mi Ah got the rebounding ball and hammered it against the crossbar. On several other occasions, Mimi took shots on goal, but invariably sent the ball high. Yet whenever the MP pushed and created opportunities like that, next thing they would concede a goal.
The second half looked somewhat different than that. The Mappets started strong and the Mucche did not have any chance to score for quite a while. And yet it was them who scored the first two goals of the second half. First Mi Ah took a kick-in into the box and forced the opposition to score an own goal. Then Mimi played a beautiful one-two with Amy and finished off herself to make it 3-6. Yet whatever hope there might have been at that point was quelled by more collective sleepiness that resulted in the neck-breaking 3-7.
This was followed by the crazy ten minutes of the Mappets’ Number 10, their captain. There must be something about these captains who wear a proper fascia with a “C” on it. I have remarked already on another occasion that it takes more than just this to be a captain. This girl was another case in point. She provoked, insulted, played theatre, and eventually got herself booked – after she had scored the 8-3 herself, mind you! Of course, all of this is nothing compared to many things I have seen at the Squadra Fantastica games. But ridiculous and unsportsmanlike behavior like this unfortunately detracts from the refreshing fairness that I have always enjoyed at the girls’ games.
In the end, I should refer to another recurring theme of my past reports: the smiling faces. In my opinion there weren’t enough last night. They slowly started to come back after the game (the very latest at Gelateria Cavini, where some of the players and the entourage had a late night ice cream), but there weren’t enough on the pitch. As Paolo rightly put it: “Non giochiamo per il risultato.” Not anymore, anyhow. Defeat doesn’t matter, but if you don’t enjoy the game you lose in any case. Keep smiling!
Jannis
The squad: Giulia – Costy – Mimi (2) – Katie – Mi Ah (1) - Amy
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