In this fixture versus a team which is always tough competition, the 1st team had to make do with several absent players (namely Nils Ski McGrath, Came « sacrilege » Kerr and Franco Massimo Baresi) This permitted the long awaited return of both Robby Snoopy Brown and Laurent Take Pleasure Legère.

The Team started the match with its habitual 4-4-2, and start it well it did indeed! After merely 4 minutes the defence had been expertly passing the ball around and successfully delivered it to the midfield where Steve La Gazelle Lamarra combined short passes with his team mates so as to swiftly enter the oppositions penalty area.

Instinctively La Gazelle sent the ball thundering to the roof of the net although the keeper managed to get a hand to it and deflect it onto the crossbar only to watch it come swooping right back into Stevie’s path...But just as he was going to finish the job he sent the ball careering over the cross bar. A fantastic Jonny Wilkinson drop kick indeed...

The British eleven continued applying pressure and the fans witnessed an increasing number of successful links ups, particularly on the right flank where Alex injected all his explosively, leaving the more refined work to his veteran team-mate. Thanks to hard work and awareness the central defence was recuperating nearly all the balls and pushing forward which allowed Didi Wiki and Al the beast to live up to the names.

Thanks to some good work by Michelle Ma Belle Vadora who put in a great first half performance, Lolo Legère found himself in lots of space on the right flank at which point he picked Steve who had ingeniously carved himself out some space deep in the POMO; once again the goal was denied at the keeper marginally, but surely, saved the shot.

That said the 1sts were not giving up and were sensing a Portugal kick-off was looming...A couple of moments later a well recovered ball by Danny the Dog allowed the development of a new offensive movement. After a flurry of activity in the midfield the ball was sent deep for Endre who then managed to lay it off to Alex who found himself on his own in front of the keeper. Carried away by the length of his strides and the speed of his run Alex was unable to readjust for the shut and once again the goalie managed to deflect the onslaught.

It was written that the Lamarra’s would not score today...

Just as the first act was in its dying moments, Hodgy, who had appeared invisible to till that moment, picked up a ball just outside the penalty area and in a sudden volley swiftly expedited it onto the Portuguese cross bar; once again the Portuguese were saved from grace in a half where Captain America had almost no mess to clean up.

The second half began on a much slower rhythm and there was not half as much action as was witness in the first half.

The defence which was lead by its Iron Leader Sam the Man barley hardly left a genuine chance on goal to the Porto’s although their intimidated striker did prematurely strike an impressive volley which just whizzed past the post. – But that was their isolated moment of glory.

Assessing that the team was becoming a bit deflated Drury decide to mix-in some fresh blood embodied by Maarten and Roby who came on to make a difference. That said the real difference was provided by Michele who got his second yellow card for generally complaining and then insulting the opposition. The last ten were to be played with only ten men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage the firsts still managed to create two great chances down the left wing regards Hodgy the Goal Machine. The first instance was due to Endre the Salmon Amundsen slipping his way into the Portuguese penalty areas and the second was due to a super Stevie centre. Despite the superior positioning in the heavenly POMO Hodgy scuffed both opportunities.

And Cue The Miracle – As he readjusted from a dubious control, Hodgy unleashed a 30m strike which miraculously swooped past the first past and slipped beneath the cross bar only to find its way in the back of the net. A perfectly effective shot, if not perfectly executed. Hysteria ensued. It genuinely was the last second of the game - the goal liberated the British from the prison they had built in their minds - and they threw themselves on their hero of the moment. What a feeling, what an adrenaline rush; the beer flowed in rivers and the chanting echoed throughout the sports complex!

Although it was predictable, the first team obviously won the match which should have been substantially over by the end of the first half. Worth noting is the great performance of the defence (Danny, Sam, Didi and Alex) as well as that of Michele’s and his Red Card. Thanks to La Lorraine’s score draw with the Irish, the First team now finds itself six points ahead of its rivals.

MOM: Hodgy the Goal Machine

Reporter: Laurent Take Pleasure Legère (translated by Al the Beast Lamarra)