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YC&AC, Saturday 23rd January.
Lions had a very challenging game playing at YCAC, the usual pitch or an unfamiliar new look?.....a 5th corner flag!
Lions felt they were playing on 5 sided pentagon pitch with Zion’s linesman keeping his flag up throughout the entire game!
It was amazing how runs from behind defenders and from our own half were still offside....
Lions were just about 11 players, with a first rare start for Aziz and Hussein as the central midfielders, but with the late arrival of Momo and Charley, midfield positions were swapped around with great effect.
Keishi had a great run on the right and his across the goal low driven shot was just missed by the sliding Abu.
Ahmed Alzahrani was getting very frustrated by being called offside everytime he touched the ball, and the one time the referee ignored the linesman, Ahmed was through and put a tame shot past the keeper, that was cleared bravely off the line by a defender.....Ahmed later admitted that he thought he heard the offside whistle again!
Sima missed a header from a yard out, as he over hit it above the bar.
Ken was rugby tackled off the ball in the box (non-intentional), and our shouts for a penalty were waved away.
Eventually Sima made up for the early miss with a fine finish at the far post from a corner.
1-0 at half time, and I was looking across to see if the Zion linesman was getting any massage for his surely tired arm by now!
The second half Lions started playing better football, and a perfect near post cross from Keishi was finished professionally by Ahmed Alzahrani into the top near corner to make it 2-0.
Zion moved the ball well, but Sima and Orlando were having a magnificent game at the back, nullifying all Zion efforts.
Ahmed was through again, and as he passed the ball across the goal, Ken running from behind a defender, got to the ball and finished his 5th of the season....BUT amazingly was ruled for an offside!..Yes..really!
Momo and Charley had fine runs past 2-3 players and as they both entered the box, their finish was disappointingly wide.
In the last minute, a cross into the Lions box saw Notti and a Zion striker tangle legs and fall together, but a penalty awarded!
Orlando had no chance with a well struck penalty to give Zion a flattering 2-1 loss....
Zion are playing better football now, but did miss some fire power upfront with Benji missing.
Now on 13 points and with BFC losing.....the TML table looks like becoming more interesting than expected with only 3 points separating 3rd from 7th!
Great performance from Ken, Ahmed, and Keishi.
Man of the Match: Sima, looked like taking bullets for the president as he protected Orlando....and for opening the scoresheet
Report by Hussein Shehata
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