| Date | 23 November 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competition | DSL Vets Summer League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venue | Panorama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Match | Panorama F.C. - SC Mzansi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Final Result | 1 - 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goals |
1 Olaf Olgiati |
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| Assist |
1 Clive Smith |
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| Yellow Cards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Red Cards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Match Report |
SC Mzansi didn't come to win. They came to conquer and humiliate a Panorama team they thought it didn't deserve to be ahead of them at this stage of the competition. Looking only at arch-rivals Jozi Masters, SC Mzansi completely failed to notice the recent good run of results and the achievements that Kelly's team reached since their last defeat (which was back in June to them!). They did see Panorama winning in the league below and conquering the league cup once again. They thought, after destroying East Cost 10-0 only 3 days later, that Panorama would face a similar fare. This is probably way Panorama achieved one of the greatest results ever under Kelly's regime. The stopped a juggernaut. And SC Mzansi was so bitter in their 2 lost points that most of the players blamed the referee (which had a perfect game) and refused to shake hands after a tough and thrilling game, showing how might giants can be classless in their behaviour if they don't get what they expect. Without Dixon, Stoychev and De Toit, Kelly decided to pair Robson with Smith, and assigning the crucial wide berths to Wills and De Leo. The midfield was formed by Olgiati and Lewis wide, and Almeida with the returning Atkinson in the center. Up front Bezuidenhout returned to pair up with Thornton. The game started exactly as expected, with SC Mzansi dominating the possession and using the superior speed and technique to try to go through the wall. But this is where it stopped. They thought Panorama would eventually fold, instead they erected multiple layers of protection, by committing players to each side of the field. Kelly had instructions, and the team followed to the letter. SC Mzansi arrogantly kept playing the only way they can, and since they had no plan B, they found out how hard a motivated team can be. And yet, from all the possession, it was Panorama who could have scored. From a corner taken by Almeida, Bezuidenhout jump as high as a gazelle jumping on a top of a kangaroo bouncing on a trampoline. His short frame reached heights never achieved before and his header was precise, but after beating the keeper the ball hit the post. After losing for a while Olgiati, and introducing Harris and Kennedy on a rotation with the rest of the midfield, Panorama managed to end the first half 0-0. Finally SC Mzansi realized that no, Panorama would not fold like overcooked spaghetti, and they had to try to change the game plan. Eventually their only change from "pass-pass-pass-cross-pass-shoot" was a "pass-pass-shoot from 30 meters" option that leaved Jeanes untroubled. The few times they broke through the middle, they had to face the committed tackling of Robson and Smith. Sure, Panorama did not have many chances to score, but neither did SC Mzansi, who started to get nervous in their quest to win big. Unfortunately, after their wing managed to beat Wills for the first time, SC Mzansi scored from the following cross, with a header. This was the moment they waited. They thought that finally, after breaking the deadlock, Panorama would have no options but committing more players up front, leaving the back exposed the their speed. And for a moment it almost worked, but Panorama held, with Jeanes performing a miracle from an unlucky shot by De Leo that bounced the wrong way. SC Mzansi got more and more arrogant, trying tricks, trying to go for the 2-0, trying to humilate a Panorama team that still managed to stay close. Bezuidenhout was involved in every chase. Thornton, hit by a flying punch in the face, decided not to cry like they would do and kept playing. Harris, Atkinson and Almeida kept themselves fresh by rotating in the key roles. Lewis and Kennedy instead provided the necessary runs, while even the mild Miles was involved in some fighting in order to protect the ball. Eventually, the miracle happened. From a long free kick in the final 10 minutes, Smith managed to hit the ball back in the middle of the area. The ball hit a SC Mzansi player on the hand, but the referee let the ball bounce once more time, and just when it was ready to give Panorama a penalty, Olgiati, inspired by Harris while trying to recovering from a bad calf injury, hit the ball from 1 meter through two Mzansi players positioned on the line and scored the vital 1-1. And then SC Mzansi realized that maybe they just understimated a little this team. And they had nothing left but terrible long balls in the final 5 minutes, experienced as a countdown from the whole Panorama team. It was soon over. Panorama stopped SC Mzansi. The might giants didn't manage to humiliate yet another team. If it was a movie, it would have been 300, with the ugly big persian Mzansi players came to conquer, but instead were left waiting by the sexy spartan Panorama players. Panorama deserved one of the best results in their history. It wasn't a win. But it wasn't the one-sided affair everyone thought it would be. And Panorama managed to continue an incredible unbeaten run, with one more game to play before the Christmas break. |
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