2025-06-23, 06:27 PM - Word count:
Istanbul F.K. opened up the Academy season this afternoon with a dominant 1-0 win over Port Royal F.C., the winner coming from rookie Silakka in the 35th minute, but it was a notable standout performance for another rookie talent, Resetti Moretti, who was clearly dominant in the air at both ends, creating and denying chances from crosses throughout the match!
Coming into the season Moretti, described as a physical player who had a lot of things to work on, was a player most could say they were not confident would be able to cut it at this level, but after the opening game, things are looking up. Moretti's debut went better than expected with Port Royal unable to take advantage of his relatively weak technical skills, leaving Instanbul unpunished for relying on such a risky player in a key central position. Although being a very raw talent, Moretti contributed on the right side in a back four that was able to pull a clean sheet in the opening fixture, only allowing 1 shot against to need saving, despite not getting the best in terms of possession.
That being said, Moretti did have a nailbiter of a challenge in the 30th minute of the game, showing his inexperience when putting in a desperate challenge just inside the box that had to go all the way to VAR to overturn a potential penalty, but he got away with it thankfully. Hopefully he is able to make more decisive tackles going forward, or keep them outside the box at least. He still will need a lot of work to look competent alongside his peers unfortunately.
The air is where he showed much more of his toolkit, as Moretti ended up leading the game in expected goals with 0.5XG, mainly due to his ability to win aerial battles with his explosive size and jumping power. He did have a couple notable chance during the game from headers, both coming off corner kicks at the opposition back post in heavy traffic, the first in the 69th minute out-jumping his marker, but unfortunately putting it narrowly over the bar, and then again in 89th putting it just wide. We should be able to at least look forward to some more chances for Moretti in future matches, though his ability to offset his negatives through aerial dominance alone is still a question we will have to keep an eye on in future fixtures.
A few other notable performances from the new class of Istanbul rookies:
It looks like Istanbul might have quite the talented group coming through their team this season, make sure to catch their games as they develop throughout the season!
Coming into the season Moretti, described as a physical player who had a lot of things to work on, was a player most could say they were not confident would be able to cut it at this level, but after the opening game, things are looking up. Moretti's debut went better than expected with Port Royal unable to take advantage of his relatively weak technical skills, leaving Instanbul unpunished for relying on such a risky player in a key central position. Although being a very raw talent, Moretti contributed on the right side in a back four that was able to pull a clean sheet in the opening fixture, only allowing 1 shot against to need saving, despite not getting the best in terms of possession.
That being said, Moretti did have a nailbiter of a challenge in the 30th minute of the game, showing his inexperience when putting in a desperate challenge just inside the box that had to go all the way to VAR to overturn a potential penalty, but he got away with it thankfully. Hopefully he is able to make more decisive tackles going forward, or keep them outside the box at least. He still will need a lot of work to look competent alongside his peers unfortunately.
The air is where he showed much more of his toolkit, as Moretti ended up leading the game in expected goals with 0.5XG, mainly due to his ability to win aerial battles with his explosive size and jumping power. He did have a couple notable chance during the game from headers, both coming off corner kicks at the opposition back post in heavy traffic, the first in the 69th minute out-jumping his marker, but unfortunately putting it narrowly over the bar, and then again in 89th putting it just wide. We should be able to at least look forward to some more chances for Moretti in future matches, though his ability to offset his negatives through aerial dominance alone is still a question we will have to keep an eye on in future fixtures.
A few other notable performances from the new class of Istanbul rookies:
- Hughes-Galloway with a near goal-of-the-year screamer from outside the box in the 19th minute going off the woodwork, and then putting in a wonderful assist in the 34th minute passing the ball past their man and through two more to find Silakka unmarked in the middle of the box for a comfortable and composed finish.
- Grimbergen's freekick in the 91st minute going so narrowly over the bar that it slid across the top netting.
- Silakka was of course the main highlight offensively this game with the only goal, as well as 7 key passes throughout the game.
It looks like Istanbul might have quite the talented group coming through their team this season, make sure to catch their games as they develop throughout the season!
