GI and Friends continue winning streak after 4-0 win over The Blue Pandas
Heading into the 11th week of play, the middle of the table was starting to heat up. FC Finesse (13 points), GI and Friends (12 points) and Unmeggable FC (11 points) all found themselves separated by one point and one place. With the season starting to wind down, a win or loss could be the difference between finishing in 3rd or 5th place, which is what made GI and Friends’ next matches crucial, including their matchup tonight against bottom of the league, The Blue Pandas. GI and Friends were in the midst of their best form this season, having won their previous two games. Meanwhile, The Blue Pandas were on the wrong side of a handful of losses.
In the blistering heat, the game was underway. The game began with GI and Friends jumping out to the early 1-0 lead in the 1st minute. A failed clearance by The Blue Pandas resulted in the ball being picked up by GI and Friends in the penalty box and Castillo poked the ball past Ng’s grasp for the goal. GI and Friends almost doubled their advantage inside a minute but were denied by the post. Williams for The Blue Pandas had a long range effort but Soares, as always, was in the right place at the right time to gobble up the shot. In the 4th minute, quick and steady build up play by GI and Friends proved too quick for The Blue Pandas as Xia was found six yards from the net to calmly net the 2nd of the game. The Blue Pandas had another chance to get on the scoreboard but a shot near the net was skied and immediately after that, a GI shot just missed the underside of the crossbar. In the 11th minute, Khorshidi got on the end of a GI and Friends free kick to tap-in their 3rd goal of the game. From the 3rd goal on, GI and Friends controlled the game. They kept the majority of the possession and only allowed The Blue Pandas a few chances while they forced them into some tough positions. GI and Friends went into half-time leading 3-0 and showed no signs of letting up.
Out of half-time, GI and Friends had two legitimate chances in back-to-back minutes but one shot was stopped by the keeper while the other was sent high over the bar. In the 29th minute, Diaz for The Blue Pandas was about to get into the GI and Friends’ half but was put into a tight angle and Soares patted the ball down for the easy save. In the 37th minute, GI and Friends had an opportunity when Weiss beautifully turned his opponent but his shot took a chip and just missed the top of the net to keep the score 3-0. Luckily, GI and Friends were able to put their misses behind them in the 41st minute as Khorshidi put the finishing touches on the game. Following a counter attack, he was one on one with the keeper and easily found the back of the net for his 2nd and the team’s 4th. GI and Friends had one more chance before full-time courtesy of Sehra but the effort was punched over by the keeper. Full-time: 4-0 in favour of GI and Friends.
GI and Friends have now won three games in a row, marking their largest win streak of the season. This win moves them into their highest placing of the year at 3rd place. The team is flying and are starting to leave the rest of the league in their rear view mirror. Unfortunately, for The Blue Pandas, this is another too familiar story. With another week of being short handed, if they’re able to get reinforcements, they could flip the script for the latter half of the season.
The Blue Pandas – GI and Friends – 0:4
Goals: Castillo (1′), Xia (4′), Khorshidi (11′, 41′)
