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Legends beat Super 48 in a difficult game

It was a beautiful day on Sunday as spring is almost around the corner and we just need the grass to turn green in the coming weeks to make it complete. We did struggle a bit in the morning as we had Hira-san and Nikko out injured the day before the match and one alarm clock not working. Still, we had plenty of legends ready to play… Just lacking a bit of striking force as we knew it would be a difficult game.

Super 48 had no lack of players as they changed several players each quarter. We started slow partly because Super 48 had no intention to attack in the first 20 minutes and we instead of passing the ball around opted for long balls which is not the best option against fast(er) Japanese players. We had no shot on target.

In the second 20 minutes, Super 48 brought in a better team and the game started to evolve. We had some spells of better possession and combinations. Our reward came when a through ball from SKIV with a shot blocked by the hand of an opponent. Haroun was ready to keep his 100% penalty scores alive. The 1-0 lead was a relief for us and we paid more attention on our defense.

In the third 20 minutes, the objective was to get a second goal and keep the cleansheet. We had a good chance when a Pat free kick hit the target but the goalkeeper saved it. On the rebound, Haroun almost scored. Super 48 had a couple of free kicks on the side and a couple of corners but our defense helped by an alert Clement dealt with the pressure.

In the final 20 minutes, we decided to defend our lead and left only our President on top. We tried to keep the ball in our possession as long as we could and managed to get a few corners and a free kick which give us some breathing space.

We were happy to hear the final whistle and were happy to face a difficult game thanks to the energy and never give up mentality of Super 48. It was a 1-0 win for the legends. Our 8th consecutive win so you can imagine that the beers tasted good after the match.

[ SPL V ] Shanghai Lions FC 1-0 FC Shanghai Super 48

Next week we are off. In 2 weeks, we will face Pudong United (another good Japanese team). Lets go Legends!

Cheers
Freek

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