Legends lost to old rivals Marlins FC
It had been more than 4 years since we last played on the Golden Bridge Field in Jinqiao. Main reason was that during the Covid times, the field was not allowed to be used. Before that many “El Classico” battles were fought in the SPL senior league between the Lions and old rivals Marlins FC.
As the Marlins joined the SPL V this season, it was for the first time we played each other in the Veteran League.
It was nice that Terao-san came all the way from Beijing to play the match as he was one of the few Lions left who actually played against the Marlins before.
In the first 20 minutes, we struggled with the intensity of the match as the Marlins were sending missiles from the back into our box or wide to their wingers. Notorious for their set pieces, they got a a couple of corners and free kicks… From one of them, they took the lead when the ball dropped right in front of their defender who came up and was unmarked.
Before the 2nd 20 minutes, we had a serious talk and decided to step up our game. We had our best spell of the match and made some great combinations… Marlins on their side started to make some mistakes. Fred came close with a great strike but was denied by the Marlins keeper. We did get a free kick at the edge of the box when Peter was fouled. David took it with a low strike in the corner and although it looked the keeper saved it we were pleased to see the ball roll into the goal.
In the third 20 minutes, we realized how even the game was and it felt like that who would score first would win the match. We did think we got the winner when we had a fast counter and Pierre was set free on the left wing and he played a perfect cross to the upcoming Mamdouh who thought he scored with a great volley only to see the ball fly over the crossbar. On the other end, Marlins had a big change but their forward missed the open goal.
The decisive moment came soon after when we thought we got a goal kick but the Marlins got a corner instead. When Marcel our goalie went for the ball he was knocked down by an elbow in his shoulder the referee said play on… The ball dropped in front of a Marlin player and they scored 2-1. It didn’t feel right as Marcel was clearly hurt and there was no protection from the referee given to him.
We licked our wounds and tried to battle for the equalizer but as time was running out; we forgot to stay composed and to play our game… Instead, we played their game and opted for long balls skipping our midfielders.
In the end the final result stayed at a 2-1. A bitter defeat against old rivals Marlins FC which unfortunately put us back at the 3rd place of the league table.
[ SPL V ] Shanghai Lions FC 1-2 Shanghai Marlins FC
We will first use the two weeks break to heal our wounds and get ready for the last 5 games of the season.
Let’s go Legends!
Cheers
Freek