It is not every day that you are served a 9 goal thriller that includes two very different teams per half. It was one game that if any player did not enjoy then they can only have themselves to blame. The coach did his best to provide support by giving everyone an hour to show what they are made of. With a first victory since the trip down to Nakuru, it is no surprise that everyone was upbeat afterward with Koroga escalating to the wee hours of the morning albeit the Parklands OSC must have been wondering what concoction is being brewed at Twiga. With Buffon named in the starting lineup, it came as no surprise as he was the first man to walk out of the dugout and start warming up 60 minutes to kick off showing immense focus a preparation that encouraged the young tucks to don their black and luminous jerseys. Gitau came into partner Captain Kamdam in the center back as Waire and Mitch slotted at the left-back and right-back respectively. Mathew and Lutta sat in the middle of the pack while Chuba looked to create things further ahead. Bill and Ericko took the flanks while Droobiz had a rare start leading the line. A calm collected display for the first half with Chuba controlling things in the midfield and Lenny marshaling the defense served to contain the opponents. Mathew and Lutta looked to keep things simple with short one-two passes, Mathew supporting the left-back and Lutta supporting the right-back and may at times have been guilty of sitting a little too deep. But with constant pressure, they served to prevent several attacks and stifle the five opponent midfielders. Kamdam kept the ever-dangerous Boban at bay winning all the 50-50 balls and keeping everything nit and tidy albeit until a moment of madness. Receiving a pass from Chuba with acres of space his attempt for a no-look pass with the left foot sent the ball towards the corner flag instead of the on-rushing goal keeper. On realizing his mishap Kamdam called on the spirit of Usain Bolt as he sprinted from the halfway line to recover the ball only to be isolated with an opponent. Whatever happened next cannot be described as this article may be read by Kamdam’s children in the future and his grandchildren too. However, afterward, Lenny was on the ground, arms akimbo in search of support for his buttocks, his legs facing the gym and 90 degrees from his starting position and another 90 degrees away was the opponent who had circled him and was drifting away from the ball. If the children in the playing ground were being taught about the Pythagoras theorem in the new CBC curriculum, Ones and Patola will not need to do their Maths homework, I have no doubt that they would have seen a practical application of the concept on the field of play. Making matters worse the heavy landing sent shock waves all over his body resulting in an injury later described by the victim as “it felt like I had been slapped on the face and my ears were ringing”. What the legs cannot fathom the brain bears the pain, it was no surprise that he did not volunteer for the second half. The opponents had their first goal against the run of play, with a half volley from Boban that found the back of the net with Buffon scintillating dive only good enough for Olympics but not to protect his goal. However, Bill constantly a thorn in the opponent's flesh restored the lead after wonderful footwork and cross from Ericko. The visitors again edged ahead after beating the offside trap and chipping in for the second goal. The team would go into halftime feeling much undone after playing a great game but trailing due to lack of cutting edge at the front, Doobiz being guilty of spanning a host of chances wide. In a Timo Werner incarnate, Doobiz skewed chances that were easier to score than miss and would feel hard done for not putting his practice form into matches. The second team faced the uphill task of getting the equalizer and winning the game. Boosting of firepower upfront in the form of Lukaku-Esque Sisco and twinkle toes Trevor, it was not a matter of if we will score goals but when we score goals. Rasco and Karani looked to provide support from the width while Isaac slotted in midfield to link the play from midfield to attack. Returning Mathangani looked to provide competition for Bassanga in the central midfield displaying great discipline in protecting the defense and doing just enough to keep things tight and easy. Gitau drifted to right-back while Droopy made the left-back position personal. Steve was without his regular partner in crime Kamdam but made do with ball-playing center back Bassanga. Babu lined up in post akin to proof to zilizopendwa Buffon that Gengetone is the current genre. The orchestral second half started Trevor the conductor, Bassanga on the drums, Rasco on the flute. Trevor did what he does best nodding the equalizer from point-blank range after a great performance from Rasco. The opponents however had answers as Boban rose highest to nod in a corner. But if they can score from a corner so can we, Rasco bending a tricky corner that the goalkeeper pushed into his net. The game picked pace as each team looked to finish each other off, the opponents tiring having faced two great teams. In form, Mathangani showed that high-altitude training is effective in dominating the center of play and showing a combination of physicality and passing that had been missing from the team. Babu was called into action twice in quick successions and saving from point-blank range hence continuing his good display. However, he was soon undone, as Bassanga's mishaps with the boots continued for the second week running as he was outmuscled for the ball pulling off a Steven Gerrard slip to expose Babu and concede another goal. Smith must have watched the last match coping Alonzi to beat the Parklands hard man, and for the second time Bassanga was left lying on the ground and the ball in the net. We can blame it on boots, unfitness, or chips but if the problem is the boots, Parklands Merchant of Venice Ogochee can sort him out, if it's unfitness coach Patola has you covered and if it is chips Droopy will tell you "badilisha hoteli". For what he lost in his boots, Bassanga compensated with his ball-winning, composure at the back and accurate long ball passes that released Rasco and Karani down the flanks. Probably the only PSC player capable of accurate cross-wing passes, Bassanga managed to start attacks even from his own eighteen. Missing from actions Sisco soon joined the party equalizing for the umpteenth time, a good combination of Trevor and Isaac on the right flank so a cross find Karani who held on a defender and set up Sisco for the easiest of tap ins. Motivated by the goal, a second ball minutes later was not a luck's affair but a skilled affair with the striker control a ball from the midfield make an unexpected turn, and took a snapshot to the bottom corner a show of his ruthlessness when he wants to be. The goal meant a lot to him as he sent tonnes of kisses to the fans who responded as well as confused the technical bench. Another match and another goal for Sisco he continues to top the charts and win the game for PSC. As the team continued to engineer a win Steve made his battle with Boban personal as they fought for each ball making it a battle of “ages”. Boban looking to break some knees and Steve looking to shave a few more hairs of Boban. In the end, Steve won ensuring we walked out with a win. A solid performance from Bassanga and Steve at the back supported by Droopy and Gitau. It was a great win with so many great plays, however, there can only be one man of the match in Gitau Gitau. The only player to clock 120 minutes plus without putting any footing wrong slotting at center back and right back managing just enough grit to make the result count. In a game of high scores the highest-scoring team won.
