April 5th, 8:00 am
Yesterday (5th) the EABH boys' futsal team went against what is widely regarded as the best futsal team of ISSL. Having won first place for the last four consecutive years in the tournament’s corresponding season, the Nation’s futsal team confidently stepped on the court.
Despite the strong opponent, the EABH boys started the first half with high energy. As soon as the game started, they were able to steal the ball and advance, but the Cougars regained control of the ball and nearly scored a goal. The Hawks recovered and quickly counter-attacked, and Dudu Calixto (07) attempted another goal with no luck. Nevertheless, the game was only beginning, and the loud cheering and high tension were enough to make sure the boys didn’t lose their energy.
Soon, the Hawks were attempting another attack, but on their way to the other team’s goal they lost ball possession and Nations advanced toward the Hawks’s goal, almost scoring. The tension was high and the game was becoming more aggressive. Not even fifteen minutes had passed when João Lima (03) received a foul, and Nations used this opportunity to score their first goal.
With the game now at 0-1, the boys masterfully attempted an attack and almost scored again, with the Cougars’ goalie just barely catching the ball coming his way. This near success did not stop the EABH boys from attempting another attack. Unfortunately, they lost control of the ball before getting a chance to try again. The Cougars immediately responded with a counterattack, and with all the players far away from the defense line due to the recent advance, it was up to the goalie. Thankfully, Joshua (01) caught the ball heading toward the goal, and the game resumed.
The Hawks entered a fierce dispute for the ball and Pedro Almeida (11) got fouled, allowing the Cougars to score their second goal of the match. Cauã (10) tried to level the scores with a goal and got incredibly close to doing so. The Cougars also soon advanced again, and Joshua defended the goal beautifully. The EABH boys quickly recovered and moved towards the Cougar’s goal, with one of Nation’s players resorting to kicking the ball up to the ceiling to stop the Hawks’ attack. As the time left in the first half ran out, Calixto made one last attempt at the goal, but the Nation’s goalie was able to catch it, ending the first half of the match at 0-2. Despite the unfavorable results, the EABH team showed great skill, with such a strong defense that the only goals the Nations were able to score were as a result of fouls.
Both teams returned to the court with energy high for the match’s second half. The Hawks immediately moved towards the goal but two of our players tripped and fell, leaving the ball to the Cougars and the defense line empty. Cauã quickly came to the rescue and successfully defended the goal by himself. He then passed the ball to Calixto, who attempted a shot unfortunately caught by the opposite team’s goalie.
The teams continued to go back and forward for the next few minutes in a competitive dispute until João Lima received a yellow card. The game resumed regardless and almost immediately a player from Nations also received a yellow card after tripping Calixto as they disputed for the ball. Calixto did not miss the opportunity to attack, but again, the Cougar’s goalie catches the ball.
Nations won control of the ball for a short period, but soon the Hawks retrieved it once more and Ted Mason (08) charged at the goal. Nation’s goalie caught the ball and the Cougars advanced towards EABH’s goal. Joshua left the area hoping to stop the ball before it reached it but missed; thankfully, though, Calixto was able to defend the empty goal. The Cougars still had control of the ball and Joshua came back in time to defend their next attack.
The match continued getting increasingly passionate. The EABH boys were on their way to the opposite team’s goal when they lost control of the ball and Nations scored with a kick from across the court, leaving the score at 0-3. At this point, Calixto substituted Joshua as the Hawks' goalie. Soon after, the Cougars attacked and, despite Calixto initially blocking their attack, they continued to charge at the goal, scoring their fourth goal of the game.
Coach Cláudio decided then to completely switch the current team, and Joshua, Mateus Lima (04), Mathieu Lessage (14), Tiago Loures (05), and Bernardo Temporão (06) entered the court. After some dispute, the Hawks gained control and Bernardo attempted a goal. However, this was quickly responded to with a counterattack from Nations, which scored their fifth and final goal of the match. With time almost running out, Mateus Lima attempted a last attack, but before he could reach the other end of the court the game came to an end with a score of 0-5.
Despite the discouraging final score, the EABH boys did dominate the ball for most of the game but unfortunately were not able to convert that time of ball possession into goals. Nonetheless, they fought valiantly and held their own against the most successful futsal team they could go against.
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