Matchday Recap: Port Royal 3-2 Victoria Falls

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Port Royal 3-2 Victoria Falls

MD4 was a massive week for the academy league, with many upsets and controversial moments, and this match was no different. A 5 goal thriller between two teams gunning for the top spot, each player trying to prove themselves looking towards the draft. Let's look through all the goals that eventually lead to Port Royals win and Victoria Falls defeat.

Port Royal 1-0 Victoria Falls (4')

The first goal of the game, and wow! What a beautiful solo play from Roger Roger and one that could arguably go down as one of the best dribbles in the academy so far. He receives the ball from Sam Albinson who is practically on the half way line, he then dribbles the ball all the way to the opponents box, leaving them in a different pitch entirely as he cleanly slots it into the bottom right corner. A truly amazing goal that was able to put Port Royal up very early on.



Port Royal 1-1 Victoria Falls (12')

Victoria falls were very quick to respond, however, scoring just 9 minutes after going 1-0 down. The play started from a throw in from Port Royal which they quickly lost possession of. Victoria Falls seize the opportunity to counter attack and quickly send it up their right flank where it lands too Junior-Junior. He sends in a pass to Okocha Jr who couldn't have had an easier goal in his entire life, he needs to buy him a pint after the game, surely! A dashing display of how quickly a game can change in the blink of an eye if you give the other team any team to breathe, and Victoria Falls took their opportunity fantastically.



Port Royal 1-2 Victoria Falls (16')

And in not even 5 minutes, Victoria Falls score their second to flip the game completely on it's head. Port Royal give away a foul in a dangerous position, giving Victoria Falls a chance to cause some panic. Delibasic steps up for the free kick, curving it top right and almost scoring it right then and there, but Port Royals keeper, Asprey manage to palm it away. Unfortunately for him, he pushed it right into the path of Santori who, unmarked, smashed it into the other side of the goal, giving Victoria Falls the advantage that managed to go all the way up until half time. While not a goal that you can practise, the quick thinking and positioning of Santori made that goal, and you've got to give props to Delibasic for almost scoring an amazing free kick.



Port Royal 2-2 Victoria Falls (58')

It took almost 15 minutes of non-stop attacking for Port Royal to finally reap their reward, a goal that made the game 2-2. They learnt from their 1st goal conceded, instead scoring from the exact position they had conceded from. A throw in from Johnson leads to a quick 1-2 between him and Albinson, where he runs up the wing and bangs a low cross into the box which is easily tucked away by Roger Roger to give him his brace. This goal was a combination of quick thinking from the RB and RW, and the killer instinct of Roger Roger to see a goal coming from a mile away, even if the shot itself was quite an easy one. Port Royal had all the momentum and belief now, in their very own stadium, but would they be able to profit from it?



Port Royal 3-2 Victoria Falls (86')

And the answer is yes! Though some may say this may come down to Victoria Falls keeper, Barflett, getting injured, it is still a beautifully built goal. After some passing between the defence and midfield, Blackwood V sends it into Foster who sends a rocket of a cross straight into Kenderlins paths who then smashes the ball home with his head, leaving the makeshift keeper, Tightpants, utterly appalled with his teamates defense. And this goal wrapped the game up, leaving the game a 3-2 and giving Port Royal all three points to take home.




Overview and Stats

While the game was an absolute thriller between both teams, it is hard to ignore the stats and how the scoreline could have gone in a completely different direction. Port Royal had 27 shots compared to Victoria Falls 7. Port Royal also had 4.37 xG whereas Victoria Falls had 1.80. Now does this come down to some players performances? Luck? Just a bad day at the office? Who knows. But it is evident from the stats that Port Royal should have put the game to bed and not even let Victoria Falls into the game at all. 



Onto individual performances, there were definitely some standout performers. Roger Roger with his 2 goals took the player of the match. Xavius Kenderlin had a good game, matching his goals with his xG exactly. Victoria Falls keeper, Borey Barflett also had a great game, which leads some to believe that if he was not injured, the game would have stuck to 2-2 or perhaps have even rolled over into Victoria Falls favour. Overall, a great game from both teams that shows the passion of all the academy players.