Fans react to Season 2

Just 3 weeks into Season 2 for the MAFL and the results have upended all our expectations. Fans in Novyimir are overjoyed as the Dynamos currently reign supreme in the standings with 3 wins and zero losses.

The Dynamos were a middle-of-the-range team in Season 1, with a few outstanding fowards such as 25-year-old Ilya Petrovich, and 24-year-old Avideh Karaaria. However, the team is singing to quite a different tune for Season 2.

“It’s been very exciting,” says club manager, Sergey Ludomir, “we’ve been putting in a lot of hard work during the off-season, and it’s immensely satisfying to see that it's paid off and we’re getting results.”

The fans are equally pleased.

Calling themselves “Dynamaniacs”, evidence of their support and pride is seen in the packed live-casts and sold out Spectator Tours for the home games. Some dedicated fans are even shelling out the M-creds to travel to Huacheng and Tiangong to show their support.

“There’s nothing like being in the stadium and seeing the Dynamos in action,” explained one Dynamanic, Rinn Khomenko, “I was able to see them play in Tiangong, and it was amazing!”

Dynamaniacs celebrate the dynamos latest victory

Meanwhile the Immortals have had a rough go of the season so far. They also finished Season 1 solidly in the middle of the pack. But despite having star player, Uday Lanka, and solid offensive players in Hagendoorn and Naik to back him up, the Immortals have not been able to secure a single victory.

“We’re still working out some kinks in the roster,” Immortals coach, Cezar Vaduva, says about the team’s dismal performance so far, “we’ve had a couple new recruits but we’re confident that once we hit our stride things will start turning around.”

Most fans in Amrita are determined to keep a positive outlook, though many are questioning Vaduva's expanded role and taking many responsibilities that previously fell on Manager Andam Mirza. 

“It’s still early in the season and things can swing around really quick. I think the Dynamos are going to burn out pretty soon. They’re on a streak right now, but those never last,” a Immortals fan staunchly predicted.

Fans in Marineris and San Olympus have been quietly disappointed, perhaps in disbelief. Season 1 runner-ups, the Titans, have been sitting consistently at second last. The Comets have fared slightly better as they currently stand at fifth place in the rankings. Nevertheless it’s still a far cry from the title of ‘champion’ they’ve proudly held over the off-season.

MAFL fandom, itself, is still relatively new to colonists, but it is consistently revealing behaviours responses that are atypical of real and virtual stimulus baselines.  According to Doctor Luden Madenoxialax of the Psychiatric Studies Department of Marineris, there is a noticeable drop in the aggregate data from the colony's Emotional Surveillance program. 

"I don't have access to actual data from the other colonies that monitor emotional wellbeing," says Madenoxialax, but the values we see coincide with the Comet's performance, with the last few weeks presenting depressed averages.

In general, Madenoxialax and other specialists do not regard this as a negative for the community, that these are natural responses for engaged fans, however, ongoing monitoring is necessary to identify potential issues, especially for those who are predisposed to depression.  


 

MAFL Titans vs. Immortals Semi-finals

Saturni, Aquarius 28, 2077, m249

After a festive awards celebration last week, the questions leading up to the first semi-final match began.

Who would prevail? The Best Team or the Team with the Best Player?

Would the Titans, recipients of the MAFL Best Team Award, climb another step closer to the mountain top, or would MAFL MVP Uday Lanka, lead his Immortals to a shot at Championship Immortality.

Would MVP Lanka shine as he did in their Week 3 matchup in San Olympus, with a legendary 4 goals that day?

Or would the Titans deploy their league leading team defence to neutralize the Amrita offence and hold them to a single goal like they did in Week 10 and Week 17.

Many questions which were finally answered today; The Titans responded with another 2 – 1 win.

“Sorry to spoil everyone’s expectations but the prevailing wisdom in any team sport, especially in Football, is that the best team usually prevails over the team with the best player,” said a happy Titans manager, Paulo Salgado in the post-game interview.

But Salgado wasn’t always smiling throughout the match.  In fact, Salgado wasn’t smiling for most of the match, as his team narrowly escaped defeat at the last minute.

At the 17th minute, a sliding tackle on the Immortals’ Tia Mancebo from Titans defender María Carballal, led to a Yellow Card given to Carballal and a Free Kick awarded to Mancebo.

And Mancebo delivered a fabulous free kick that whipped over the wall of Titans players, over a leaping IcilioDe Sisto, and into the far top corner to give the Immortals the 1 – 0 lead.

And things got worse for the Titans. Ten minutes later, the Titans’ Tia Shandu was given a Yellow Card for a questionable push against the Immortals’ Uday Lanka. Shandu’s disdain for the call escalated into a heated discussion and nudge of a referee-bot, which led to a full on Red Card and dismissal from the match.

The Titans were unable to gain any control over the 1st half. While Titans’ leading scorer Readale Nash was suited up, he was in the sidelines nursing the injury he suffered two weeks ago.

His absence was missed as the offensive malaise continued into the 2nd half as the Immortals were able to keep the Titans off the scoreboard for the next twenty minutes.

Thirty Minutes.  

Forty Minutes.

Thankfully, the Titans defenders were able to neutralize Lanka and the Immortals offence for an equal period of time.  

With only 6 minutes remaining in the game, disaster struck in front of the Titan goal.  An accidental collision between Titan defender Tarik Girma and goalkeeper, resulted in a dislocated shoulder for De Sisto.  Usian Busara was called in to finish match.

This turned out to be the pivotal moment.  With five minutes left and their season on the line, Salgado made his move as he shifted to an offensive attack formation – 3 forwards, 4 midfielders, and 3 defenders. No risk, no reward.

Titans mounted wave after wave of pressure on a tiring Immortals team in the dying few minutes.

And it paid off as the Immortals’ Jag Parker committed a foul outside of their own penalty area which resulted in a free kick awarded to the Titans.

After a quick team consultation, Jube Terrell took the kick.

Instead of taking the more frequently used inswinger kick, Terrell delivered an outswinger kick that bent away from the goal, out of reach from the startled wall of Immortals players and from the goalkeeper who instinctively lunged after the ball.

Captain Raenia Ware, criticized for not producing goals in the regular season, gets the all-important equalizer to keep Titans alive.

Raenia Ware streaked in from the left side, leaped and connected with a deft header that sent the ball the other direction, top right corner, and away from an overly committed goalkeeper on the left side.  Goal!  And the game was tied 1 -1 at the 89th minute.

Just when it looked like regular time was over, with both teams resigned to Overtime Penalty Kicks to decide their fate, a fantastic long pass out of the Titans defence by Maria Carballal caught the Immortals players off guard, and caught the foot of a rushing Tarik Lema Girma who controlled the ball and dispatched a superb chip over the Immortals goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area.

For the deciding goal and win! 2 – 1 Titans over Immortals.

And as the Titans players jumped all over Grima to celebrate, the Immortals players and manager rushed the referee to confirm that the game ending whistle and signal had indeed been delivered before the goal.

No whistle, no signal. Goal stands. And then the game ending whistle and signal came shortly afterwards.

“We had control for the majority of the match but we let this one slip away in the final minutes,” said a dejected Lanka afterwards. “I wasn’t the best player today and I will take full blame for our team’s loss.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over,” said a jubilant Ware in the post-match locker room celebration. “In this game, you play hard until the final end. Our team never gave up. The Best Team won today.”

Titans advance to the Finals and await results from tomorrow's Comets vs. Al'Amal Match.

Thunder, Lighting and Flood of Goals

Amrita - Aquarius 15, 2077, m249

In honour of the fallen – Silence.  The calm before the storm.

Players pay respects in a pre-game tribute.  Yamen Warren's parents were in attendance in a private STV.

And then there was Thunder and Lightning, as a torrential downpour of goals rained onto Amrita field.

And when everything stopped, Al’amal stood tall over the Immortals in a wildly entertaining 5 – 3 victory.

In a season, where some teams were increasingly dependent on playing systems that stifled rather than promoted creative talent, Al’amal and the Immortals delivered a refreshing reminder of how football is at its best when moments of individual brilliance shine.

And it was the Captains of both teams, the Immortals Uday Lanka and Al’amal’s Musaddiq Baddour that would lead that spark.

As he’s done all season, Lanka opened up scoring at the 4th minute. Lanka exchanged passes with Akkilic Tapur who then chipped a superb ball over the defence which set Lanka free to unleash a spectacular overhead kick over the goalkeeper for the first goal of the game.

Al’amal looked to respond quickly applying pressure before the Immortals Vivek Tagore dove in with a late tackle on Baddour to break up the play. Tagore was sent off with a red card.

Tagore’s desperate foul just delayed the inevitable as Baddour delivered the equalizer at the 10th minute. A well-worked move by Mahmood Ramin to Ikram Muhammad and then to Baddour allowed him to hook the ball in with his back to the goal. 1-1.

The Immortals took the lead again at the 38th minute as Lanka scored his 2nd goal of the game.

Ran Naik aimed a long pass from his own half at Lanka. Lanka cushioned the ball with wicked ease, used the sole of his boot to trap the bouncing ball and turned inside his marker in a single move. Before Al’amal had time to grasp the accuracy of Lanka’s control, Lanka bounced the ball up a second time and struck a sweet volley past the goalkeeper.

In a game of anything you can do, I can do better, Baddour matched Lanka with his 2nd goal of the game to equalize the score at the 55th minute.

When the Immortals defence failed to clear the ball out of their box, Baddour intercepted and unleashed a pile driver of a shot from 30 yards past the Immortals goalkeeper.  2-2.

And then what transpired next hinged on a moment of madness which some say was the turning point of the match. At the 59th minute, the referee missed what looked like a trip by Baddour on Lanka and shockingly punished Lanka with a yellow card for his “theatrical dive”.

An irate Lanka pleaded his case in vain to the ref-bot as Al’amal was awarded a free kick where Rashaa Adel curled a pinpoint shot into the top corner from 35 yards to take over the lead. Al’amal 3 Immortals 2

And when it rains, it pours.

Just five minutes later, still freshly fuming from his yellow card, Lanka got into another tangle resulting in a second caution, red carded.  He was sent out, but not before giving ref-bot an 'accidental' nudge with his shoulder.

A penalty shot was awarded to Ramin and he delivered putting Al’amal up 4 -2.

That would be the difference maker.

Al’amal would add another goal at the 81st minute as Birwant Rahar ran from inside his own half and curled a low shot inside the far post. Al’amal 5 Immortals 2.

The Immortals’ Alan Fox closed the deficit at the 84th minute with a well-placed chip over the goalkeeper that dropped in off the underside of the crossbar. Al’amal 5 Immortals 3.

Too little, too late for the Immortals as they went down on their own home field.

“That was ridiculous”, screamed Immortals manager Andam Mirza after the match. “Lanka’s yellow card was their missed call and the second was clearly accidental. Because the ref and his stupid ref-bots can’t tell the difference between incidental and intentional, we lose this match.”

An ecstatic Al’amal team celebrated their victory in the locker room as their victory guaranteed them a playoff spot and the 3rd seed.

““They can blame the referees all they want but if you give up 5 goals in a game, you usually lose”, said Baddour. “Our team had to step up, especially without Farra and Fayad in thelineup, we did our best - we score goals. And that’s why we won.”

A Terrible Cost

Marineris - Solis, Aquarius 1, 2077, m249

The playoff stakes were high entering the final match in Week 20 of MAFL play as the Immortals entered hostile ground @ Marineris stadium. The prize: 2nd seed overall. 

With the poor play of late for the Titans, some doubt the Titans will even make it past the 1st round thus the 2nd seed could very well be a golden ticket to home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The intensified level of play was in full display as both teams came in taking more risks, playing more aggressively, playing like there was no tomorrow.

And before the end of this match, there would be no tomorrow for a number of players.

Immortals Chamunda Badal was the second goalkeeper to fall today, the other being Wuji's Trenton Seaton.  Badal was injured after a mad scramble for a loose ball in front of the goal resulted in the Comets Marysa Waaijer and Badal ultimately crashing into each other. A remorseful Waaijer immediately consoled a motionless Badal, before being sent off with a Red Card.

The referee granted a 10 minute timeout for Immortals Manager, Andam Mirza, to suit up a replacement.  #15 Defender Tia Mancebo came in to make her debut as a goalkeeper having only played the position in practise.

At the 30th minute, Comets Caleb Houghton quickly turned and blindly ran into the Immortals Uday Lanka who inadvertently collided with the Comets Susanna Shelton. The severe collision resulted in Shelton being carted off with a broken arm, ending her chances to participate in the championship run.

To add salt to the wound, Houghton was given a Yellow Card, a Free Kick was awarded to the Immortals and Akkilic Talpur curled a rocket over two defenders and over a leaping Comets goalkeeper into the far top corner for the 1st goal of the match.

The Comets responded three minutes later when Stephen Liu steered home a goal following a pass from Liddell Bradley to tie up the match.

Just before the end of the 1st half at the 43rd minute, another wild loose ball scramble saw the Immortals Hama dive for it but alas her boot connected more with Kemina De Marco’s ankle than the ball, adding De Marco to the casualty list.

At the end of the 1st half with the score tied 1 – 1 and with three injuries , the referee gave strict warning to both teams as each manager respectively pleaded innocence over ignorance of match rules.

Despite this, at the 52th minute, as Comets Yamen Warren went up for a header, a late boost leap from the Immortals Jag Parkar resulted in an errant blow to Warren’s helmet, shattering the faceplate and sending Warren crashing head-first onto the pitch.

The EV Suit automatically deployed the emergency life support airbag while referee-bots and ground crew immediately rushed in. Warren was stabilized and then quickly rushed to the Marineris Hospital facility.  Though his environmental exposure was limited thanks to the safety countermeasures, the club reported he had suffered severe head and neck trauma.

MAFL league officials will further review the play to determine if Parkar breached any of the MAFL head shot rules.

And yet the show must go on. But for the next 30 minutes, the players appeared to be cautiously going through the motions as Warren’s injury was a morbid reminder of mortality on Mars.

Until the expiration of time finally sparked life in the Comets as Liu deflected the ball in off his knee for the go ahead goal at the 82th minute.

Shortly afterwards, in a desperate attempt to protect their slim lead, Comets defender Néstor Ramirez grabbed and held the Immortals Uday Lanka who tripped into the Comets Amanda Coronel who was following too closely.   Coronel crashed into the ground and would need to be taken off the field with broken bones.

With time quickly elapsing, at the 91st minute,  the Immortals midfielder Tulaih Azizi attempted to dribble away from an attacking Alessandro Ferraz within the Immortals own penalty area.

Azizi’s back pass caught the Immortals’ substitute goalkeeper, Mancebo, by surprise, ending up in the Immortal’s own net.

Ferraz was awarded the third goal in what would be the Final 3 – 1 victory for the Comets.

The Immortals drop to 11 and 10 for the season while the Comets move to 13 and 7 and clinch the 2nd seed overall. But at what cost?

2 Red Cards, 3 Yellow Cards, 5 injuries – One Life Threatening.

“It’s a bittersweet moment for us,” said Comets Manager Gordan J. Pryce. “Both teams played their guts out today but unfortunately, we’re guilty of our own aggressive play. We accidently took out 2 of our own players and now we have to grind it out in the playoffs without 4 of our key people.”

If this match is any indication of the excitement that awaits in the playoffs, MAFL fans only need to wait one more week.  And in Week 21, the final two playoff spots will be determined.

The third and fourth playoff spots are still up for grabs where 2 of the following 3 teams will go in: The Immortals, Al’amal, and the Dynamo. Who will it be?  We’ll see you in Week 21.

Immortals Break Dynamo Streak

Amrita, Saturni, Makara 21, 2007, m249

The Chubarov outbreak is over; and so is the Dynamos’ winning streak.

For each of the 4 weeks of the outbreak, the Dynamos responded in parallel with one inspired win after another.

From the depths of despair to the plains of the playoffs stood the Dynamos.

In their path were the Immortals, also sporting a healthy appetite for playoff gratification.

And a fantastic feast of goals would occur with the first course served by the Dynamos.

Immortals Captain, Uday Lanka, leads his squad to victory,  ending the Dynamos 4 game streak.

Playing at Amrita stadium, Immortals fans were silenced early in just the 1st minute of play. The Dynamos’ Mariah Maalouf received a pass before dribbling into the penalty area, wrong-footed the Immortals defenders and chipped the ball past goalkeeper Chamunda Badal for the first goal of the match.

And then the Dynamos Defence mode switched on as they applied their usual defensive formation with five defenders, two defensive midfielders, two offensive midfielders and one striker.  This worked to hold off the Immortals for the next 38 minutes.  Until Uday Lanka changed the game, something he’s frequently done throughout the season.

Lanka ran from his own half, split the Dynamos midfield, then worked a give and go with teammate Ran Naik to create some separation from the defenders. This freed up a streaking Lanka who volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Boris Danilovich from inside the penalty area to tie up the score at the 39th minute.  For Lanka, that was his league leading 12th goal of the season.

The Dynamos would regain the lead at the 61st minute as Avideh Karaaria back heeled the ball over his marker before turning and heading the dropping ball over Badal.

The Immortals would tie it up at the 82th minute as Lanka provided an audacious assist to Vivek Tagore who finished on the volley with a mid-air back heeled volley past Danilovich.

And with time running low with both teams anticipating an overtime of penalty shots, the Immortals surprised the Dynamo with a fine counter-attack that saw the defenders crowd Lanka who unselfishly set up a freed up Tulaiha Azizi for the tap-in and the game winner at the 90th minute!

And the Immortals win 3-2 to go 11 and 8 for the season while the Dynamo finally lose after 4 weeks and move to 9 and 10 for the season.

The Immortals will close out the season on the road against the Comets and then at home against Al’amal.

“I’m sure the fans were entertained as they were a tough opponent,” Lanka of they Dynamos after the match. “Now we prepare for the Comets. If we win, 2nd place is within our grasp.”

The Dynamo will experience an emotional return back to home field for their final two matches against the Dong Ji and Wuji.

The Legend Returns

Europa, Saturni, Makara 14, 2077, m249

With their playoff chances at risk, the Immortals Captain, Uday Lanka, returned to action to help lead his team to a 1 – 0 win over United.

“I’m not 100% yet but this was a big match for us as United’s improved a lot and we have Al’amal and Dynamo breathing down our throats for a playoff spot”, said Lanka. “At this stage, every game is crucial.”

And that urgency was also felt by United as they came into the match sitting just outside of a playoff spot needing a win to stay within striking distance.

And yet despite having home field advantage, United was unable to produce, creating few offensive chances as their recent forward additions of Darkeem Dennis and Yvonne Barnato were shut down.  

Which meant an all too familiar story for United – their over reliance on their steady and stingy defence to keep them close.  A noticeably slower Lanka who ran gingerly most of the match also helped United.

And with all signs pointing towards overtime, lady luck would rear its head, much to the favour of Amrita.

Immortals #7 Lanka beats United Goalkeeper, #48 Sulzberger (oddly wearing a #4 jersey). 

An errant pass from United goalkeeper Kevin Sulzberger fell right into the path of a surprised yet willing Lanka, who responded with a powerful  volley past Sulzberger for the winning goal….at the 89th minute!

With the win, the Immortals moved to 10 – 8 for the season and sole possession of 3rd place in league standings for now, while United dropped to 7 – 11.

While United is still mathematically within playoff contention with three weeks left, the likelihood of this materializing is dependent on United winning all of their upcoming 3 matches.

They will have home field advantage again next week against the league leading Titans and then faceWuji (@ home) and Dong Ji (on the road).

“We can’t look too far ahead”, said Dennis, when asked about his return to Dong Ji, his previous team. “We need to channel the frustration from today’s loss to motivate us next week against the Titans if we are to have a shot at the playoffs”. 

Lanka commented on his team’s chances, “We have a tough schedule to finish off the season as we play all the contenders - the Titans, Comets, and Al’amal. Tonight we get rest. Tomorrow, we get ready.”

Week 16 - Day 1 Roundup

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Immortals @ Wuji

IMMORTALS CELEBRATING THEIR WIN OVER WUJI

Week 16 was a new beginning for many teams as a busy transfer period came to a close with a number of teams making moves for their future. 
 
For the Wuji, their future will be next season (and perhaps beyond) as they traded Defender Marysa Waaijer to the Marineris Comets for a pair of 19 year olds: Maurice O'neill, a Midfielder, and Khloe Mckay, a Defender.
 
And the absence of Waaijer forced the Wuji to play a more defensive 4-5-1 formation to adapt to the heavily favoured Immortals with a trapping focus on league leading scorer Uday Lanka. 
 
And while the strategy did neutralize Lanka for the entire match, it opened up opportunities for other Immortals players to step up.
 
Such as defender Jag Parkar who stepped into a fine left-foot shot from outside the penalty area that curled away from Wuji goalkeeper Trenton Seaton and into the top corner for the 1st goal of the match at the 19th minute. 
 
Enjoying his new found scoring touch, Parkar did his best Lanka impersonation with another goal at the 38th minute – this time stroking the ball low into the bottom corner for his 2nd goal of the match and season.
 
In the second half, Laurien Hagendoorn added another goal by sending an overhead kick into the net at the 71th minute for the 3rd and final goal of the match. 
 
Immortals 3 Wuji 0.
 
Wuji moves to 5 and 11 for the season. The Immortals move to 9-7 with a chance to move into 2nd place overall in the league standings but that would depend on the outcome of Game 2 between the Comets and United.
 

Comets @ United

Darkeem Dennis SUITED UP in United colours, GETTING READY FOR DEBUT

The Comets welcomed their newest member, Marysa Waaijer, hoping her balanced game would help halt their two game losing streak.
 
For United, this was hopefully the beginning of a new season with the acquisition of scoring talent Darkeem Dennis at forward and the move of goalkeeper Yvonne Barnato to the midfield. 
 
And the early returns looked promising as United looked rejuvenated on offense to start the match. A Dennis cross was converted by Captain Lennard Fuchs with a superb volley into the top corner for the 1st goal of the match at the 8th minute. 
 
And then something which seldom happened all season for United, happened!  Lightning striking twice - as United scored a 2nd goal in a match, this just two minutes after their 1st goal.
Kaveri Khosla intercepted the ball from a failed clearance attempt by Comets goal keeper Zaida Agre, and curled a shot into the corner to give United a two goal advantage over a stunned Comets team.
 
United’s anemic offence had finally awoken and surely their league leading defense would protect a two goal lead. Or would they? 
 
After the 2nd United goal, Comets manager Gordan J Pryce was seen visibly agitated, jumping up and down on the sidelines while communicating with his players. 
 
When asked after the match about Pryce’s tirade, Comets Captain Liddell Bradley simply said, “He told us what we needed to hear.”
 
Which sparked a Comets charge at the 28th minute with Ellis Black receiving a pass from new teammate Waijjer and curling a shot over new United goalkeeper Kevin Sulzberger. 
 
Half time allegedly brought more heated comments from Comets manager Pryce, which translated to a strong offensive beginning in the second half. 
 
The Comets pressuring attacked rattled the new United goal keeper at the 71st minute as Sulzberger’s errant pass went to Susanna Shelton who connected with a flick just into the top corner for the tying goal of the match: 2-2. 

Comets #61 Susanna Shelton SCORING TWICE TO PUSH THE COMETS TO A 4-2 VICTORY OVER EUROPA UNITED

Just 5 minutes later, Shelton received a pass from Waaijer and finished with a deft chip over Sulzberger to give the Comets a 3-2 lead. 
 
At the 82nd minute, with his back to the goal, Yamen Warren loped his foot around his marker and scored with a fantastic backheel to give the Comets a 4-2 lead which was the final score. 
 
United Coach Matthaus Reinmann commented on his team’s ironic reversal of fortune after the match, “So we finally learned how to score but somehow we’ve un-learned everything that made our defence so sound. We have to figure out the right balance soon because we don’t have much time left in the season”. 
 
United’s former goalkeeper, Yvonne Barnato quickly left the locker room after the match refusing to comment on new goalkeeper Sulzberger’s performance and the team’s loss.
 
For United, they drop to 6 and 10 for the season while the Comets snap their two game losing streak and move to 10-6, hanging on to 2nd place in overall league standings.

Lanka's 10

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#7 Uday Lanka becomes the first player to hit 10 goals.

It was on Solis, Vrishika the 21st, Week 3, fresh in the MAFL season, and being great apparently wasn’t enough that day for Amrita Immortals’ Captain, Uday Lanka.

He had to be Phenomenal.

After already delivered a hat-trick in the first-half, giving the Immortals a comfortable 3 to 0 lead, Lanka had the to do something extraordinary.

With subtle coordinations, Immortals teammate Laurien Hagendoorn boost jumped her throw-in to a streaking Lanka who boosted a bicycle kick into the goal.  4 goals in a single match! 

This was the match that made Lanka a Legend.

Not only had he set a new bar for scoring, but he had single-handedly conquered the Titans; to-date, their only defeat.

Since his last PK goal in Week 11, however, Lanka's guns have fallen silent.  

Was it beginner's luck?  A matter of immature clubs yet to find their feet?  The effectiveness of deliberate counter-measures to stifle the league's top striker?  Or was it (as some have claimed) a slump?

Whatever the case, Lanka broke the silence with a stunning goal against Xue Su this afternoon to become the first MAFL player to break 10!

“It’s an incredible feeling. It’s been like being out of sync with the ball, but it has made today that much sweeter!”

— Uday Lanka, Immortals Captain

No doubt, Immortals owner Vijya Pandey hopes this re-ignites his star player.  With only 6 games left in the regular season, the Immortals are in a 3 way battle with Al'amal and the Comets to take down the Titans.

Today's match brings Immortals to 8 - 7 at the expense of Dong Ji who were clearly still stunned with this morning's announcement of #7 Dennis's impending transfer to Europa.

Dynamos Tune Out

Novyimir – Saturnis, Dhanus, 28

Immortals #77 Brian Hyun makes his first goal of the season, securing a 2-0 victory over the Novyimir Dynamos.

Just when you though that the Dynamos had turned a corner for the 2nd half of the season after besting Al’amal SC in week 11, apparently, just didn’t feel it was necessary to show up for week 12.

In a pitiful display against the 4th place Immortals, the Dynamos failed to muster any offence. 

To the dismay of the local Novyimir fans, the Immortal defence held the Russian squad to just a single shot on goal by #1 Avideh Karaaria at the 9 minute mark.  

Petrovich (C) was unable to produce any sparks.  Quite possibly one of his weakest performances to-date, at final whistle, he retreated to the club transport clearly rattled by the loss and ignored all interview requests.

“We let down the home crowd today.”, said #8 Mariya Nikitovna. “But we won’t let this bring us down.”

For the Immortals, this was an important win.  With #33 Fox and #77 Hyun each scoring their first respective goals of the season, it is a positive indicator for the club.

“I’m pleased the players are stepping up.  This will make the difference for our run to the championship.”

— Andam Mirza, Immortals Manager

Lanka (C), the leagues top scorer was silenced in the match, but had this to say, “It really doesn’t matter if I score, so long as we take the win.  Alan (Fox) demonstrated his skill today and you will see a lot more from him, I promise.”

Payback: Titans Beat Immortals in Rematch

Lunae, Dhanus 16, 249

If their first match lay birth to the Lanka Legend, with the Immortals’ Captain scoring a phenomenal 4 goals that day, then the rematch was all about Titans’ payback, delivered by the brash Readale Nash.

“If Uday Lanka is Lanka Legend, then call me Nash the Cash. Because I am Money! Payback’s a Bitch,”

— Readale Nash #8, Titans Forward

Nash deposited both goals for the Titans leading them to a 2 to 1 victory over the Immortals. With the win, the Titans move to a league leading 9 and 1 in the standings while the Immortals go to 5 and 5. The Titans’ only loss of the season – to those same Immortals in Week 3.

In this highly anticipated rematch of their Week 3 showdown, the stars were aligned and shone brightly as the league’s top two scorers, Lanka Legend and Readale Nash were the difference makers.

Another difference maker albeit unexpected, Immortals goalkeeper Chamunda Badal.

Six of the Titans’ nine shots on goal came from interceptions of botched passes and failed clearances from Badal. Two of those shots ended up as goals by Nash.

A livid Immortals owner Vijya Pandey was ballistic afterwards, “We had that bloody game won! If our stupid goal keeper can’t do her job right, what the bloody hell is she good for? We gave them the game.”

Titans Captain, Raenia Ware disagreed with Pandey’s assessment, “We put the pressure on the Immortals all game especially on Badal. There’s a reason why we’re the best team in the league and their owner is the beast of the league.”

A mortified Badal quickly ran off the field after the whistle and could not be reached for comment afterwards as Immortals Captain, Lanka Legend shielded her from the media’s stink eye.

“We win together and we lose together. We should’ve done a better job of protecting Badal out there and not letting the Titans pressure her so much”, said Lanka.

While noble in his intention, Lanka’s assessment does not hide the reality that Badal’s blunders enabled the Titans to escape another potentially embarrassing defeat from the Immortals.

Overall, the Immortals had the advantage in terms of possession time and came out much more aggressive to start the match than the Titans.

Lanka started off the scoring with his league leading 9th goal of the season at the 16th minute. Lanka intercepted a pass from Titans’ Midfielder, Sara Kelly, dribbled across the six-yard, beating two defenders and finished with a spectacular volley into the roof of the net.

The Amrita Attack did not let up as just over a minute later, Lanka picked the pocket of Midfielder, Bajen Avdi, and passed off to teammate Akkilic Talpur.

Lanka rushed down the field and controlled a return pass off his chest from the edge of the area, turned and delivered a low shot past the outstretched hands of Titans goalkeeper Usian Busara into the far bottom corner…post. No goal.  

And that scare is likely what woke up a Timid Titans team before that point.  

They responded with a scoring chance from Bajen Avdi whose shot just sailed over the top post at the 21st minute.  

Then at the 25th minute mark, Nash waited behind Badal. Waited until she dropped the ball to sneak in, picked it off her boot and then drove it back into the net for his 5th goal of the season to tie up the match.

A minute later, Badal failed to clear the ball again and a surprised Nash volleyed the ball over the top post this time, cursing himself as he walked away from his squandered chance.  

Sensing the momentum shifting away, Lanka stole a pass from the Titan’s Tarik Lema Girma minutes later, and passed over to teammate Laurien Hagendoorn. Lanka quickly sliced through two defenders and delivered a header off a crossing pass just over a leaping Busara and…just a pinch over the top post.

Another missed Immortals’ opportunity gave the Titans’ the momentum they needed as they continued to capitalize on sloppy goalkeeper and defensive play with two more shots on goal just before the end of the first half.

In the second half, more of the same from Badal as her errors caught up with the Immortals as Nash scored the winner at the 59 minute mark. Badal weakly played a backpass from teammate Tanigawa Kata, right into Nash’s path. A Nash pass to Ware resulted in a return pass to Nash who rounded Badal and kicked into the low far corner for his 6th goal of the season.

Nash almost made it a hat trick with scoring chances at the 76th minute and 80th minute.

With a committee of Titans defenders (Maria Fernanda Carballal, Terry Park, and Renatta Blundell) smothering Lanka Legend, none of his teammates stepped up and the Immortals were unable to generate any shots on goal in the 2nd half despite strong possession time.  

Unlike their first match in Week 3, there were no substitutions, injuries or equipment failures in this match. In the Week 3 match, a miscommunication between Titans’ teammates and a remarkable boost jump into safety by Lanka, resulted in an epic car crash of a play resulting in Titans’ defender Terry Park taking out his own astonished teammate Maria Fernanda Carballal with a sliding tackle attempt.

“Us not talking in that Week 3 match,” said Carballal. “That was early in the season and like I said then, we just needed time to adjust and get to know each other, and I think our communication today was solid as we shut Lanka down this match.”

On Carballal’s assessment, Lanka replied, “Congratulations to them on their victory. However, I don’t necessarily agree with her statement. In the first half, two of our shots had beaten their keeper but both missed by maybe an inch. This match could have gone our way just like in Week 3.”

“The better team won today”, said Titans Captain Raenia Ware. “For Week 3, if we don’t go down to 10 players, I’m confident we would have gone out and had a strong second half just like today, and won that match as well.”

Lanka gently smiled when told Ware’s comment, “With all due respect, we were up 2 to 0 with Park and Carballal in that Week 3 match, after just 6 minutes of play. We would like to think our team’s play had something to do with us winning that day. ”

“That’s fine,” said Lanka calmly. “We look forward to next time when we’ll be on our home field. There’s a whole bunch of new moves we’ve been practicing that we can’t wait to unveil. ” The last time, Lanka used a practice move in a match resulted in his now infamous boost bicycle kick goal in Week 3 for the 4th goal of the game.

Week 17 @ Amrita – Titans vs. Immortals – Round 3.