Coca Cola 3rd/4th Division Cup Semi-Final Leg 1: P.O Ormidias vs E.N. Thoi Lakatamias

Final Score: Ormidias 3 - 1 Thoi

The 1st leg in our semi-final cup tie against Ormedias, and a dramatic and nonsensical game was on the cards. A strong start from Ormedias saw us (Thoi) against the ropes for the opening 25 minutes as we relentlessly defended long throws, corners and counter attacks as we struggled to get into the game and keep possession. Against the run of play, we scored in the 27th minute, opening the scoring at 1-0. The game was neutral after scoring, until Ormedias dominated and scored three goals in 7 minutes in the 40th, 43rd and 46th minutes. 3-1 into halftime, and a serious momentum swing left us behind at the break. The second half was nonsensical and Ormedias used the dark arts of football which led to a very stop-start game, and the clock slowly ticked down. No major chances for either team in the second half as Ormedias seemed happy with the scoreline, and we didn’t want to concede anymore. Down 2 goals leading into the second leg, let’s see if we can pull it back.

I played a full 90 minutes as right centre-back, in a back-3 in the first half and traditional back-4 in the second half. 

Personally, my performance was sound and I tried my best to simply do my job, and I felt composed enough to try playing on the floor which I did when I could. I played long balls more often than not as my instructions were to do so. Defensively I was good, however I lost a 1-on-1 battle and for their third goal their striker entered the penalty box and I gave him too much space, where he then cut in on his right foot from the top-left corner of the penalty box and hit a low, powerful shot at the near post which beat the goalkeeper. A learning lesson and experience gained for next week’s rematch.