Legends Start 2025 with a Solid 4-1 Win Over Old Rivals Emerald FC

We can’t complain about the winter in Shanghai this year, as we had blue skies, no wind, and a perfect 15 degrees to play our match against Emerald FC! Despite a few regulars being unavailable, we had a strong squad. Our coach, Skiv, came up with a solid game plan—though when he revealed the lineup, we quickly realized he had put 12 players on the pitch!

Emerald came out strong in the first five minutes, pressing forward and coming close to scoring when one of their players broke through our defense. Fortunately, his effort went just wide! Their aggressive start left space on the wings, which we took advantage of. Seungbok played a brilliant ball over the Emerald defender, setting Mamdouh free on the left. His first-time cross found Cyril, who finished with a well-placed strike to give us the lead!

We almost doubled our advantage when Hira-san crossed from the right, and the ball fell perfectly for Mamdouh just meters from goal. Somehow, his effort went wide—a moment that will surely go into the classic soccer phrasebook: “Harder to miss than to score!”

Emerald stuck to their attacking tactics, but Cyril found more space on the right and delivered a perfect cross to our captain and last man, Laurent, who finished like a true striker to make it 2-0! Our confidence grew, and once again, we exploited the space on the wings. This time, Hira-san ran forward and, instead of crossing, opted for a shot—sending the ball perfectly into the far-left corner of the goal!

We hadn’t expected to be 3-0 up after just 20 minutes, but our goals were the result of excellent team play. However, a 3-0 lead can be tricky, as teams often lose intensity, and a single goal from the opponent can bring them right back into the game. Luckily, Marcel was in fine form, ensuring we kept a clean sheet.

At the other end, we had more chances—Mehdi’s shot narrowly missed the crossbar, and when Seungbok played Pierre through one-on-one, he outplayed his defender and then the Emerald keeper to make it 4-0 for the Legends!

In the third 20-minute period, we focused on maintaining our lead with solid defending and goalkeeping.

We could have added one or two more goals but didn’t finish our chances well enough. Meanwhile, Emerald managed to score a consolation goal with a great strike into the top corner after we lost possession in defense. Unfortunately, we also lost Jerome and Romain to injuries, and we hope the Chinese New Year break will give them time to recover!

The final score was 4-1—a great start for the Legends in 2025!