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A small speedhump on the road to P-GS glory came last Saturday as a result of the loss to competition favourites, The Importz. Despite this loss however, the Scorers remain confident - as they certainly had the chance to go up on the competition leaders, rattling the woodwork many a time, and conceding very unlucky goals.
Replacing the injured Mackay (out with an ankle injury), Turkish superstar Nizamettin Yesilova played brilliantly, creating many opportunities, and proving to be a brick wall in defence. Michaelides in goals too had a great game, pulling off many shots destined for the back of the net.
Both teams knew the importance of the occassion, as this could very easily become a preview of the final - a huge psychological edge, as well as 3 points towards securing a spot in the final were at stake - and neither team were going to give that up lightly. As such, it was quite some time before Kunz broke the deadlock, spiralling past 2 defenders to drill the ball past the keeper. Spirts were high in the P-GS camp, and it seemed they could not be beat - hitting the crossbar, and the uprights before the break, almost unchallenged.
The Importz came out renewed after the break, with increasing pressure, and more shots on target. It wasn't long before they evened things up, a mix up between the defenders through a lack of communication saw a gap open, and the Import striker finish.
The intensity of the game lifted, with every last ounce of energy being exerted to get that elusive winner. Again the Scorers were denied by the upright, coming devestatingly close to what would have sealed the game up.
Minutes later, tragedy struck when after a near flawless game, Yesilova deflected an Importz cross past Michaelides, making it 2-1 to the opposition. Despite it clearly not his fault, Yesilova took it badly, coming out firing and pushing at all costs for the equaliser, which unfortunately did not come. In this reporter's mind - Yesilova could take the player of the match award, and should not be disheartened by a silly accident. Neither should the Scorers, who lost by only 1 to the competition leaders under very dubious conditions. So despite losing the points - the boys remain confident that they can topple the Importz should the occassion arise in the finals, and win when it counts.
Good signs for the P-GS, and an easy run into the finals to put last touches on strategy, and mental preparation. The technical staff have given the boys a few weeks off for Christmas, before returning to a vigorous training schedule in the new year.
From all at the Portu-Goal Scorers, we would like to wish all our fans a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. We hope to see you all at North Rocks supporting us forst game back, 31st January, 2004!
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