Lions are improving week by week

We were up against last year’s champions, the Kickers, on Saturday. With Peter still out injured and Amine suspended, we had to find a solution for our midfield. In the end, we opted for a 4-4-2 formation, with our wide midfielders tasked with more defensive work to counter the Kickers’ talented, fast wingers.

The first 20 minutes saw both teams playing composed and organized football, with few chances on either side. We thought we had scored the opener when Wash was set free one-on-one with the Kickers’ keeper. It looked like the ball was in, but somehow it ended up in the side netting. It was a warning sign as we started to play better. We thought we scored again with a great cross and a good header, but we were denied by the linesman.

Our hard work paid off when we played a quick counter through the middle. Oussama launched Happy, who found himself one-on-one with the keeper and this time, he found the net. Great goal and build-up! The Kickers hadn’t had a shot on target until then, but they equalized out of nowhere when a ball dropped to their forward, who saw his effort fly into the top corner.

In the second half, both teams played faster and were looking for the win. We intercepted a ball in the middle during a Kickers attack, and with great vision and precision, Othello set Happy free on the right wing. With his speed and determination, he scored to make it 2-1.

The goal lifted our spirits, and we pushed for more. During this spell, we should have been awarded a penalty when Happy was held back while ready to put the ball past the keeper.

The Kickers had to push harder forward, and our legs were getting tired. When we lost Abdou to injury after a challenge, we focused mainly on defending our lead. A cheap free kick on the side set up one of the Kickers’ trademark crosses into the box, and unfortunately, we didn’t deal with it properly, allowing them to equalize 2-2.

In the end, we settled for a draw and were happy with our team effort, combination play, counter-attacks, and solid defending. We felt we had the edge at certain times but couldn’t convert it into another goal.

[ SIFL ] Shanghai Lions FC 2-2 Shanghai Kickers FC

We will be ready for our SIFL Cup game against Cosmos this coming Saturday.

Let’s go Lions!

Cheers,
Freek