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Villareal
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0
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Hamburg
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3
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Aron,
Max F (2)
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With both teams level at the top of the table this
should have been a close game to call, but in truth
the scoreline flattered Villareal, who were pegged
back right from the off against a free-flowing Hamburg
attack. "Sven The Cat" was the only thing
between Hamburg and a deserved early lead as time
and time again he dealt with everything that was thrown
at him. First was the lively Simon, whose shot on
the turn was turned round the post. Next Max F and
Aron were denied by the superb Sven.
With
Adam isolated up front and Noe playing out of position
on the right side, Villareal never really threatened
Glenn's goal, especially as Bernardo and Niklas were
spending most of their time tracking Yuki and Aron's
runs. The best save of the game came when Kostya fed
Simon who split the defence with a great ball into
Lewis' path. One touch steadied the winger before
firing a shot which Sven somehow pushed just over
the bar with a combination of gloves, shoulder and
head!!! Nil-nil at half-time and nobody knew how...
except maybe Sven!
The
second half started as the first had finished, but
this time Hamburg finally broke Sven's resistance.
Yuki danced around Edgar before ptting Max through.
His shot was saved by Sven, who was helped out by
David and backtracking Edgar to smother two more efforts
from Simon, but the ball broke to Aron who smashed
a low shot through the crowd of legs and into the
net. Hamburg continued to push and were rewarded with
two more goals in five minutes to put the game beyond
doubt. Max F grabbed them both to continue his good
form in front of goal. First he raced onto Alec's
long clearance and slipped the ball past the onrushing
Sven. Simon then created the third for Max to finish
off and grab a deserved three-goal margin of victory
for Hamburg.
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For the second round in a row Chelsea upset the
table-topping Hamburg to keep themselves in with
a slim chance of taking the title. Their defence
was solid throughout, with Benny, Max N and Johnathan
shackling the dangerous duo of Max F and Simon and
when there was a hint of danger behind them Thorben
was there to help out. At the other end Alec and
Kostya were finding it much harder to cope with
Soma, Lars and Till, with Aron and Yuki getting
caught too far up the pitch.
It
took to just before the break for the deadlock to
be broken and what a goal it was... Lars collected
a pass to feet from Kevin and rolled Kostya 25 metres
out. He then accelerated away from Yuki and skipped
past Alecs' lunge and in a flash bent the ball past
Glenn into the far corner.
The
second half was predictably hard fought, with Chelsea
sitting back defending their lead while looking
for a breakaway goal. Hamburg pushed hard for the
equaliser but only Simon had a clear sight of goal
which he blazed over. Alec and Jonathon indulged
in some heavy-handed tactics to keep Lars and Simon
from threatening again. The midfield was where the
real battle took place with Kevin and Dani battling
with Yuki and Aron, but man-of-the-match would have
to go to Bendeguz who defended well and linked up
well with Till on the right, relieving the pressure
as the game wore on. A deserved win for Chelsea
keeps them still in the chase...
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Chelsea
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0
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Villareal
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1
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Adam
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If the previous two matches were a guideline then
Chelsea should have had no problem securing a second
win of the day against a demoralised Villareal...
but such is the magic of football that all three
teams ended the day with one victory each.
With
Noe giving Till a tough time Chelsea couldn't find
their rhythm and Bernardo and Niklas bagan to run
the game. Only a couple of last-ditch tackles from
Johnathan and Benny kept Adam at bay before the
game swung the other way and Soma and Lars both
put good chances wide. Till swung over some good
crosses but nobody really threatened to break the
deadlock as half-time approached.
Adam
opened the scoring early in the second half, hooking
in a right-foot volley from Edgar's long ball with
Chelsea's defence seemingly pushing up to play the
offside trap (a few years too soon!!!). From then
on it was backs to the wall stuff for Villareal,
as wave after wave of attacks were hoofed clear
by David, Edgar & co. Sven was once again solid
with his long kickouts, almost setting Niklas through
but Thorben swept up well behind his defence. As
the foul count mounted and corner after corner were
cleared Chelsea became increasingly desperate, with
Jonathon and Benny leaving Max N alone at the back.
With
seconds remaining Niklas brought Soma down twenty
meters out. Till hit a great free kick over the
wall towards the top corner and with Sven seemingly
beaten a hand appeared to bat the ball away from
the net. The hand belonged to Bernardo and the referee
duly pointed to the spot! Till had already scored
from a penalty on day one of the league and stepped
up again. Sven, however, had done his homework and
dived low to his right to parry a well struck effort
and secure 3 points for Villareal and set up a dramatic
final matchday.
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