FC Británico de Madrid v Bar La Piscina

Recap

After a weekend without football, the Brits were eager to get back on track after two disappointing results in the first matches of the Clausura.

As Josue’s mix filled the changing room, the whole team got ready with only one thing in mind: proving to themselves and the rest of the league that they are the current Champions for a reason. Once on the Vallecas pitch, the entire squad gathered around for an inspiring pep talk by Captain Zak Harry and got ready for an intense match.

The Reds lined up with a 4-3-3 formation in front of Josué, who guarded the goal. The back line was formed by Ed on the left, Rama and Christian as centre backs, and first time starter Matthew Rogers on the right. Jordan and Fabian sweeping the midfield, with Calum in a more offensive role looking to create opportunities for Zak, Foxy and Ish to finish.

The first few minutes went by with the away team looking to surprise the FCB back line with long balls behind Ed and Rogers, but timely recoveries and positioning adjustments kept the danger away.

Steadily, FCB started creating some danger, filtering passes in between defenders. First, Foxy received a ball from the right and his shot went just over the crossbar. Soon after that, the Brits opened the score after Foxy went deep and passed inside for Calum’s one touch finish.

From the very beginning, opposing team Bar La Piscina made very clear that this wasn’t a courtesy visit. Disputing every ball aggressively and arguing constantly, they were determined to provoke the Brits by all means possible. However, Fletcher and Majid’s men kept their cool, and this combative strategy backfired as La Piscina were left with 10 men as their centre back got sent off after two yellow cards.

Despite FCB’s dominance from then on, the score remained unchanged for the rest of the first half.

Aware that 1-0 was a slim lead, the Reds came back to the field looking to translate their superiority to the scoreboard. Rogers, who had a good first half, came out at half time for “New” Andy Holdway.

Shortly after, Foxy finished after good play by Ish and scored the second goal. This was the breaking point in the game, as the Brits stayed focused while La Piscina, increasingly frustrated, fell into constant foul play and concentrated on the referee.

Foxy, Fabian, Ish and Zak left the pitch to make room for Luigi, Alvaro, Jacob and Liam. The latter scored the 3-0 with a left foot finish after a couple of frustrated attempts on one-on-ones with the goalie. There was still time for one more goal, as the away defense stumbled over Calum’s cross from the right and sealed the final score. 4-0.

All in all, it was a great win by FC Británico and the best group performance so far.

A strong back line, a gutsy midfield and a lethal forward line laid the foundation for a well-deserved victory by a team that was physically fitter, mentally stronger and overall superior.

MOTM sponsored by On Español: Jordan and Calum
The Chris Parker miss of the match: Andy Fox