This is it, then: the first match of the season. Our
opponents are Kobe Leonessa, one of the strongest teams in the division, so we
have a tough match ahead of us. Our preparations went well, though, and I'm
confident that whatever the result, we can do ourselves proud.
Just like our opponents, I've gone for a conventional 4-4-2 formation. Aliona is in goal, with Shinobu, Choi, Yuuko and Ritsu in defence. I wanted to play Suzume, as she's been pretty impressive in training, but I'm still not confident that she'll obey my match orders. Nonetheless, she's on the bench. Natsume, Fiona, Konoko and Tomoko are in midfield, with Sanae and Yui up front. Alongside Suzume on the bench are Miyuki, Naomi, Hinata, and Yura.
It's almost a sell-out crowd as I lead the players onto the pitch. I share hands with my opposing manager, a woman named Yumiko Hanamura, and then retreat to the dugout to watch the match unfold.
3 MINUTES. Straight from the start it's Kobe Leonessa on the assault. One of their midfielders takes on Konoko and dances straight past her, racing into our half of the pitch. The ball is passed forward to one of their strikers, 20 yards out, and Shinobu and Choi swiftly close them down. They make their way past Shinobu, but not Choi, who slide-tackles the ball off of them. Shinobu picks it up and belts it downfield towards Natsume, but it goes out for a throw-in. Already Kobe are probing our defences, and we'll have to remain strong.
7 MINUTES. Another Kobe attack, this time on the left wing. Tomoko can't stop them from getting past her, and Fiona can't intercept the pass infield to their forward. The forward dribbles it on for bit, then passes it to the other striker. Choi doesn't give them any room, and they're forced to pass it back into the midfield.
The danger doesn't go away, though, and Kobe continue to build up an attack. Soon one of their strikers breaches the penalty area and takes a shot. They didn't have enough room, though, and it curves high and wide of the far post. That definitely won't be their last chance of the game, though.
11 MINUTES. A Kobe throw-in on the right wing heralds yet another opportunity for them. Their right-winger takes it almost to the byline, then manages to out-manoeuvre Shinobu and send in the cross. Choi, who's been playing magnificently in this early spell, heads it away, but one of Kobe's midfielders gets to it and tries an ambitious volley. It ricochets hard off Yuuko and behind for a corner. Considering how tight the angle had been, I imagine they'd been aiming for that the whole time, rather than a goal.
12 MINUTES. Kobe send several players upfield for the corner, and Aliona and I signal that we could use this to try and set up a counter-attack. When the corner comes in, Aliona leaps up, catches it, and shouts some instructions to her defenders before kicking it back into the opposing half. Sanae manages to get her head to it, but all she can do is head it straight to a Kobe defender. Still, we have at least managed to push back their attacks for now.
17 MINUTES. Konoko is brought down a few yards from the edge of the penalty area, giving us our first real chance of the match. There's a brief discussion about who will take it, before Tomoko agrees to do so. She lines it up, as Kobe organise a three-woman wall to try and defend against it.
Tomoko takes a run-up, then hits the free kick. It sails straight over the wall, and the goalkeeper is forced to dive to her right and push it out wide for a corner. Looking at the replay, it looks like the shot may have been heading wide anyway, but the goalkeeper was just making sure. In any case, that works out nicely for us, as now we have a corner: Tomoko's speciality.
18 MINUTES. Tomoko takes a run-up, and sends the corner into the area. A Kobe defender gets a glancing header on it, Yui then gets her head to it, but all she can do is direct it wide of the far post.
22 MINUTES. The momentum seems to have shifted in our favour a little after that free kick. Natsume is on a run now, changing down the left wing. A right-back closes in to try and tackle the ball off her, but Natsume muscles her way past without a problem. She sends the ball forwards into the area, and Sanae picks it up, but there's not enough space and she quickly loses possession.
25 MINUTES. Kobe are building up another midfield assault. They seem to have identified Konoko as a weak link in our midfield, and are exploiting her relative inexperience. Another midfielder dribbles straight past her with the ball, then passes it forwards to one of their strikers, heading towards the penalty area. Yuuko closes them down, but they offload the ball to their strike partner, who unleashes an ambitious shot from 20 yards out. It ricochets off the crossbar, and Yuuko is the first to the rebound, clearing it away for a throw-in. When the throw is taken, Ritsu is the first to the ball and the opposing move breaks down.
29 MINUTES. Things are a little more even now, and a little more settled. One of Kobe's midfielders goes on a deep run but is halted in her tracks by Fiona, who goes on a run of her own before passing it out wide to Natsume. Natsume powers her way down the touchline, but finds herself confronted by a defender and unable to send the cross in. In the resulting skirmish, the ball is eventually put out for a goal kick. I'm not sure about the call initially, but a replay shows that the referee got it right on this occasion.
33 MINUTES. Kobe suddenly break down the right wing, racing towards the byline. Shinobu rushes in to challenge but ends up committing a foul, and it's a free kick. Given the position, only a few yards from the corner flag, it may as well be a corner, and we organise ourselves accordingly, pulling back and trying to mark as many of Kobe's attackers as we can. This is difficult, given that was also have to form a three-person wall.
The free kick is taken, and deflects straight off the wall. Natsume quickly belts it upfield, and it goes out for a throw-in near the halfway line. With the immediate danger having passed, we re-organise ourselves and prepare for a possible second wave of attack, however nothing comes of the resulting throw-in.
38 MINUTES. A high ball comes out towards our left wing, Natsume and a Kobe midfielder jump for it, and there's a clash of heads. Natsume seems dazed for a moment, but seems able to shake it off. The Kobe player, however, goes straight to the floor, holding a hand to her head. She seems to have sustained a head injury in the collision. Of course, there was no ill intent, so Kobe get nothing more than a throw-in from it, but they'll still have to substitute that player off.
While everything gets sorted out on their end, I call Natsume over to the dugout to check that she's okay. "You alright, Natsume?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she says, rubbing her temple. "My grandma could hit me harder than that."
I chuckle. "Glad to hear it," I say. "If you start to feel faint, or dizzy, say the word and I'll take you off, okay? I can't risk you suffering any injuries."
"I said I'm fine," says Natsume. "Relax."
"Alright. Good luck out there." As Natsume heads back out onto the pitch, I signal to the substitutes' bench. "Have Hinata start to warm up, just in case."
43 MINUTES. It quickly becomes apparent that Natsume has not sustained any injuries from her collision, which is good, because Kobe are pressing down her wing once more. She muscles the ball off the substitute right-winger and goes on a charge of her own, before passing it infield to Fiona. A midfielder closes in on Fiona but she simply darts past her, and as she passes the ball forwards to Yui, I lean forwards on my chair. This is a good opportunity.
As it happens, Yui is closed down before she can shoot, and has to pass it back to Fiona. Fiona then passes it to Sanae, who is in space at the edge of the box. She takes two touches, then shoots-! ...but it goes just the wrong side of the crossbar. Sanae looks gutted at herself for missing that, and I have to admit, it was a good opportunity wasted. But against such high-calibre opposition, I'm just glad we're still level.
45+1 MINUTES. The injury to that Kobe midfielder is mostly responsible for the four minutes of added time at the end of this half. Kobe look like they intend to make the most of it as they start to push forward, trying to win a decisive advantage going into the second half. Their latest attempt is down the left wing, but Ritsu closes them down and the resulting cross in is a poor one, going out for a goal kick.
45+4 MINUTES. Kobe Leonessa are still pushing as the half comes to a close, but at the half-time whistle it's still 0-0. We've managed to hold off that late push, and we've had some fairly solid chances throughout the first half, so we head back onto the dressing rooms very pleased with our first-half efforts. Who knows; if the second half goes our way, we might just manage to snatch a victory.
Just like our opponents, I've gone for a conventional 4-4-2 formation. Aliona is in goal, with Shinobu, Choi, Yuuko and Ritsu in defence. I wanted to play Suzume, as she's been pretty impressive in training, but I'm still not confident that she'll obey my match orders. Nonetheless, she's on the bench. Natsume, Fiona, Konoko and Tomoko are in midfield, with Sanae and Yui up front. Alongside Suzume on the bench are Miyuki, Naomi, Hinata, and Yura.
It's almost a sell-out crowd as I lead the players onto the pitch. I share hands with my opposing manager, a woman named Yumiko Hanamura, and then retreat to the dugout to watch the match unfold.
3 MINUTES. Straight from the start it's Kobe Leonessa on the assault. One of their midfielders takes on Konoko and dances straight past her, racing into our half of the pitch. The ball is passed forward to one of their strikers, 20 yards out, and Shinobu and Choi swiftly close them down. They make their way past Shinobu, but not Choi, who slide-tackles the ball off of them. Shinobu picks it up and belts it downfield towards Natsume, but it goes out for a throw-in. Already Kobe are probing our defences, and we'll have to remain strong.
7 MINUTES. Another Kobe attack, this time on the left wing. Tomoko can't stop them from getting past her, and Fiona can't intercept the pass infield to their forward. The forward dribbles it on for bit, then passes it to the other striker. Choi doesn't give them any room, and they're forced to pass it back into the midfield.
The danger doesn't go away, though, and Kobe continue to build up an attack. Soon one of their strikers breaches the penalty area and takes a shot. They didn't have enough room, though, and it curves high and wide of the far post. That definitely won't be their last chance of the game, though.
11 MINUTES. A Kobe throw-in on the right wing heralds yet another opportunity for them. Their right-winger takes it almost to the byline, then manages to out-manoeuvre Shinobu and send in the cross. Choi, who's been playing magnificently in this early spell, heads it away, but one of Kobe's midfielders gets to it and tries an ambitious volley. It ricochets hard off Yuuko and behind for a corner. Considering how tight the angle had been, I imagine they'd been aiming for that the whole time, rather than a goal.
12 MINUTES. Kobe send several players upfield for the corner, and Aliona and I signal that we could use this to try and set up a counter-attack. When the corner comes in, Aliona leaps up, catches it, and shouts some instructions to her defenders before kicking it back into the opposing half. Sanae manages to get her head to it, but all she can do is head it straight to a Kobe defender. Still, we have at least managed to push back their attacks for now.
17 MINUTES. Konoko is brought down a few yards from the edge of the penalty area, giving us our first real chance of the match. There's a brief discussion about who will take it, before Tomoko agrees to do so. She lines it up, as Kobe organise a three-woman wall to try and defend against it.
Tomoko takes a run-up, then hits the free kick. It sails straight over the wall, and the goalkeeper is forced to dive to her right and push it out wide for a corner. Looking at the replay, it looks like the shot may have been heading wide anyway, but the goalkeeper was just making sure. In any case, that works out nicely for us, as now we have a corner: Tomoko's speciality.
18 MINUTES. Tomoko takes a run-up, and sends the corner into the area. A Kobe defender gets a glancing header on it, Yui then gets her head to it, but all she can do is direct it wide of the far post.
22 MINUTES. The momentum seems to have shifted in our favour a little after that free kick. Natsume is on a run now, changing down the left wing. A right-back closes in to try and tackle the ball off her, but Natsume muscles her way past without a problem. She sends the ball forwards into the area, and Sanae picks it up, but there's not enough space and she quickly loses possession.
25 MINUTES. Kobe are building up another midfield assault. They seem to have identified Konoko as a weak link in our midfield, and are exploiting her relative inexperience. Another midfielder dribbles straight past her with the ball, then passes it forwards to one of their strikers, heading towards the penalty area. Yuuko closes them down, but they offload the ball to their strike partner, who unleashes an ambitious shot from 20 yards out. It ricochets off the crossbar, and Yuuko is the first to the rebound, clearing it away for a throw-in. When the throw is taken, Ritsu is the first to the ball and the opposing move breaks down.
29 MINUTES. Things are a little more even now, and a little more settled. One of Kobe's midfielders goes on a deep run but is halted in her tracks by Fiona, who goes on a run of her own before passing it out wide to Natsume. Natsume powers her way down the touchline, but finds herself confronted by a defender and unable to send the cross in. In the resulting skirmish, the ball is eventually put out for a goal kick. I'm not sure about the call initially, but a replay shows that the referee got it right on this occasion.
33 MINUTES. Kobe suddenly break down the right wing, racing towards the byline. Shinobu rushes in to challenge but ends up committing a foul, and it's a free kick. Given the position, only a few yards from the corner flag, it may as well be a corner, and we organise ourselves accordingly, pulling back and trying to mark as many of Kobe's attackers as we can. This is difficult, given that was also have to form a three-person wall.
The free kick is taken, and deflects straight off the wall. Natsume quickly belts it upfield, and it goes out for a throw-in near the halfway line. With the immediate danger having passed, we re-organise ourselves and prepare for a possible second wave of attack, however nothing comes of the resulting throw-in.
38 MINUTES. A high ball comes out towards our left wing, Natsume and a Kobe midfielder jump for it, and there's a clash of heads. Natsume seems dazed for a moment, but seems able to shake it off. The Kobe player, however, goes straight to the floor, holding a hand to her head. She seems to have sustained a head injury in the collision. Of course, there was no ill intent, so Kobe get nothing more than a throw-in from it, but they'll still have to substitute that player off.
While everything gets sorted out on their end, I call Natsume over to the dugout to check that she's okay. "You alright, Natsume?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she says, rubbing her temple. "My grandma could hit me harder than that."
I chuckle. "Glad to hear it," I say. "If you start to feel faint, or dizzy, say the word and I'll take you off, okay? I can't risk you suffering any injuries."
"I said I'm fine," says Natsume. "Relax."
"Alright. Good luck out there." As Natsume heads back out onto the pitch, I signal to the substitutes' bench. "Have Hinata start to warm up, just in case."
43 MINUTES. It quickly becomes apparent that Natsume has not sustained any injuries from her collision, which is good, because Kobe are pressing down her wing once more. She muscles the ball off the substitute right-winger and goes on a charge of her own, before passing it infield to Fiona. A midfielder closes in on Fiona but she simply darts past her, and as she passes the ball forwards to Yui, I lean forwards on my chair. This is a good opportunity.
As it happens, Yui is closed down before she can shoot, and has to pass it back to Fiona. Fiona then passes it to Sanae, who is in space at the edge of the box. She takes two touches, then shoots-! ...but it goes just the wrong side of the crossbar. Sanae looks gutted at herself for missing that, and I have to admit, it was a good opportunity wasted. But against such high-calibre opposition, I'm just glad we're still level.
45+1 MINUTES. The injury to that Kobe midfielder is mostly responsible for the four minutes of added time at the end of this half. Kobe look like they intend to make the most of it as they start to push forward, trying to win a decisive advantage going into the second half. Their latest attempt is down the left wing, but Ritsu closes them down and the resulting cross in is a poor one, going out for a goal kick.
45+4 MINUTES. Kobe Leonessa are still pushing as the half comes to a close, but at the half-time whistle it's still 0-0. We've managed to hold off that late push, and we've had some fairly solid chances throughout the first half, so we head back onto the dressing rooms very pleased with our first-half efforts. Who knows; if the second half goes our way, we might just manage to snatch a victory.
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