GRADED: Academy Matchday #6 - Goals, Dominance and Wake Up Calls

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Another action packed matchday in the Simulation Soccer League Academy is behind us, and we had everything: dominant performances, late comebacks, and some teams still struggling to find their first win. Let’s break down the four matches.

Victoria Falls  2:1 Stockholm

Victoria Falls started strong with a 5th minute goal from Jay-Jay Okocha Jr., setting the tone for the match. They controlled possession, kept the pressure on, and looked confident throughout the first half. However, just before halftime (45+2’), Stockholm’s defender Michael Schuhmacher found the net, leveling the score.
Despite that, Victoria Falls continued their dominant play in the second half. Eventually, their patience paid off as Jay-Jay Okocha Jr. struck again, securing the 2:1 victory. With an incredible 71% possession, Victoria Falls completely dictated the game.
Jay-Jay Okocha Jr. was the clear Player of the Match, but all eyes were also on a new addition to the squad TERMINUS ULTIMUS (yes, that’s his name). He’s been making a lot of noise off the pitch but has yet to prove himself on it. Time will tell if he lives up to his own hype.

Adowa Accra  3:0 Jakarta

This match had a predictable outcome. Jakarta, still sitting on zero points, once again failed to make an impact, while Adowa Accra dominated from start to finish.
Zlatan Gibrahimovic (possibly a long lost cousin of the Zlatan Ibrahimovic) opened the scoring in the 19th minute and struck again right after halftime (48’). Dippy Dip (yes, that’s his actual registered name) sealed the deal with a goal in the 62nd minute for a comfortable 3:0 win.
Gibrahimovic took home Player of the Match honors with a solid 8.4 rating. Meanwhile, Jakarta’s goalkeeper, Parka Bus, was the only real bright spot for the struggling team, making some incredible saves and finishing with a respectable 7.5 rating, and ironically, the best in his team.

Sydney City  5:3 Istanbul

This was the match of the night. Sydney dominated early, building what seemed like an unbreakable lead, only for Istanbul to wake up way too late.
Harold Haroldinho got things rolling in the 29th minute, followed by Louis Ashworth adding two quick goals (40’ and 45+1’) to give Sydney a commanding 3:0 lead at halftime. They didn’t stop there, Ryan Van Eyndhoven (51’) and Axel Blaze (60’) made it 5:0, and it looked like Istanbul was completely out of it.
But then, something clicked. Istanbul finally decided to show up. Predrag Dobric scored twice (62’, 79’), and Marcel Voda added another in stoppage time (90+2’), making the final score 5:3.
It was too little, too late, but at least Istanbul proved they can play when they want to. Hopefully, this is the wake up call they needed. Player of the Match was Ryan Van Eyndhoven with an incredible 9.5 rating.

Port Royal  3:1 Atletico

No big surprises in the final match. Port Royal did what they do best, controlled the game and secured a solid win.
Bread Lasso (11’) and Xavius Kenderlin (17’) gave Port Royal an early 2:0 lead, and Sam Albinson added a penalty goal in the 59th minute to make it 3:0. Atletico managed a consolation goal in the 78th minute through Gustavo Brazil, but that was all they could muster.
It wasn’t the most exciting match of the night, but Port Royal took care of business, proving once again why they’re one of the top teams in the league.

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And with that, here’s the league table after this matchday: