Competition Game 11: Daily Destroyers - Wellington Phoenix
After a disappointing 1/6 we are losing touch with the top of the league. Time for us to strike back against red lantern Wellington Phoenix.
Spoiler
The game had barely started as it became clear why Wellington was the red lantern. A simple pass from Huber to Sanchez was converted by our CAM in the sixth minute, and only four minutes later striker Torres doubled the score after Bobson joined the attack and provided the assist. Torres couldn't score with his first shot, but he had a quick reaction, which saw us leading 2-0 after ten minutes. It looked like this would be a great game for our statistics.
And that's exactly what happened. A few minutes later a quick one-two with Wall saw Huber going deep and passing the ball to Torres to score. The striker was not egocentric and found Sanchez next to him, as the midfielder scored his second of the day and the 3-0 early on. Wall came close to the 4-0 a bit later, but finally the Wellington keeper was able to save something. We started playing a bit arrogantly and with less passion, but out opponents were too weak to do anything against us. Torres then also scored a brace with a hard shot in the extra time, after Wall had provided him with the assist. 4-0 was the score at half time, with shots 8-1 in our favour. Definitely our easiest game so far.
We started the second half and the players were clearly already thinking about the next game, trying not to injure themselves. Washington, Perun and Garner-Hammarling Junior came in, and the Swede was immediately decisive. He had some fun in the box of Wellington and then found Huber, with the Swiss slotting in the 5-0 in the 67th minute. The first real opportunity of the game for the visitors followed six minutes later, but Santana was clearly paying attention, trying to get his second clean sheet for the team this season.
We were happy with the 5-0 and it looked like the game was going to end with that score, but everybody was then shown again at what level our opponent was playing. Perun tried to pass the ball back in the box of Wellington to find a teammate tapping the ball in, but didn't succeed in doing so. He passed the ball to the Wellington goalie, who deviated it into his own goal. 6-0 in the extra time, seems like we are ready for our big game in the cup!
Club Brugge 1 - 1 Daily Destroyers
Celta da Vigo 1 - 0 SC Braga
Mumbai City FC 1 - 1 Inter Miami
Galatasaray 0 - 2 Burnley
Tigres 2 - 3 TSG Hoffenheim
FC Basel 1 - 2 Boca Juniors
Dinamo Zagreb 1 - 1 Torino
Seattle Sounders 2 - 0 Feyenoord
Wellington Phoenix 2 - 4 Olympiakos
Week 11:
Daily Destroyers 6 – 0 Wellington Phoenix
Olympiakos 2 – 2 Seattle Sounders
Feyenoord 1 – 3 Dinamo Zagreb
Torino 2 – 1 FC Basel
Boca Juniors 2 – 1 Tigres
TSG Hoffenheim 0 – 0 Galatasaray
Burnley 2 – 0 Mumbai City FC
Inter Miami 3 – 0 Celta da Vigo
SC Braga 1 – 1 Club Brugge
Ranking after 11/34 games
P
Goal dif.
+
-
W
D
L
1
Dinamo Zagreb
24
10
19
9
7
3
1
2
Tigres
24
7
22
15
8
0
3
3
Hoffenheim
23
8
18
10
7
2
2
4
Daily Destroyers
22
13
28
15
7
1
3
5
SC Braga
20
6
18
12
5
5
1
6
Feyenoord
20
1
15
14
6
2
3
7
Olympiakos
17
2
19
17
5
2
4
8
Seattle Sounders
17
0
14
14
4
5
2
9
Celta da Vigo
17
-2
14
16
5
2
4
10
Burnley
15
5
18
13
5
0
6
11
Boca Juniors
15
0
16
16
5
0
6
12
Torino
15
-6
13
19
4
3
4
13
FC Basel
13
-2
14
16
4
1
6
14
Galatasaray
12
-2
12
14
3
3
5
15
Club Brugge
11
-3
13
16
2
5
4
16
Inter Miami
9
-2
16
18
2
3
6
17
Mumbai City FC
2
-14
8
22
0
2
9
18
Wellington Phoenix
1
-20
10
30
0
1
10
* Tigres with a 0/6, losing the lead for the first time.
* Hoffenheim coming back strong after a bad start of the competition, one point behind new leader Dinamo Zagreb already.
* Even though we had a weaker 1/6 before we still jumped from sixth to fourth.
* Rip Wellington Phoenix.
As we wanted to give as many players as possible the chance to play in Parc des Princes, Huber, Martens and Torres were then subbed on at half time. Martens immediately used his pace to cause some panic in the PSG defense, but Marquinhos cleared his pass. We obviously still had trouble trying to hold the Parisians at 2-0, but held on quite well for a long time. PSG managed to score the 3-0 in the 72nd minute, as substitute Herrera beat goalie Maes in two times.
PSG then subbed of Leo Messi and started playing with a bit less passion, knowing the win was theirs. They finally allowed us to play the ball around on their half, and it even led to a goal! Perun waited until the perfect moment to pass it to Garner-Hammerling Junior, as third time really was the charm for the Swede who's always down to score a goal to remember. 3-1 in the 84th minute, Daily Destroyers showing what their ambitions are! The home team then tested Maes again, who had two wonderful saves in the last minutes of the game. Losing 3-1 against PSG is definitely nothing to be ashamed of, let's just hope we can bounce back in the competition against Braga, and hope we get an easier team in the first round of the cup next season.
After we did quite alright against one of the best teams in the world, we had a chance to bounce back against one of our top-6 opponents, SC Braga. Our starting eleven looked like this:
Spoiler
We almost had a perfect start, but Torres just came short to tap in Bobson's assist. We were dangerous again in the eleventh minute, as a solo action by Huber was followed by a shot from distance that went wide. Then it was Braga's turn to create some opportunities, with goalie Santana ensuring the 0-0 was still on the scoreboard after half an hour. Torres was a bit unlucky, as he injured himself with a shot from distance in the 33rd minute and had to be subbed off. Washington took his place, and Torres will not be able to play in the coming game due to a sprained ankle. Torres still left his mark on the game, as we managed to score on the corner that had been created from his shot! Braga couldn't get the ball away, after which Brajkovic scored his first goal for the team from a sharp angle! 0-1 in the 34th minute!
Just before half time Braga was almost able to equalize with a stunning bicycle kick, but it ended on the post. Nobody could believe what then followed though, as a blatant foul by Braga's Piazon on our centre back Macduff was not punished by the referee. Braga was able to continue playing and it was Piazon himself who equalized the score in the 46th minute. Even though 1-1 seemed to be a correct score, the referee really robbed us.
The second half was a bit less eventful. In the sixtieth minute Sanchez and Nuts came on for us, which was quickly followed by a hard shot from Garner-Hammarling Junior in minute 63. We couldn't get more than a corner out of it. Braga suddenly got their first two opportunities of the second half around the 75th minute, but Santana saved us twice. Washington was close to scoring a one on one on the counterattack, but the league top scorer inexplicably missed the target. Another counterattack, this time by Braga, followed, and led to the 2-1 as Santana was beaten by a shot from distance in the 78th minute.
Our heads went down, but Sanchez fired the boys on. He didn't give up and after a nice action by him put Huber one on one with the goalie as well, the Swiss sadly missed the perfect opportunity to still get something from the game. We deserved more, but lost 2-1 against a direct top-6 opponent.
Competition Game 13: Daily Destroyers - Seattle Sounders
The gap between the top-6 and the teams behind has diminished a bit, and one of the teams coming closer to us is also our next opponent: Seattle Sounders. Let's have a look at our starting eleven.
Spoiler
The first opportunity of the game was one for Callahan, his shot from distance was saved by the Seattle goalie. From then on we had a lot of trouble finding an opening, but so did our opponents. Peruvian striker Ruidiaz tested Maes for the first time in the twentieth minute, our Belgian keeper did what he had to do and saved the ball. Their boring five at the back led to a boring game for the Destroyer fans in the stadium, as Ruidiaz missed the next decent Seattle chance in the thirtieth minute.
We finally got through their defensive line three minutes later, after a quick one-two between Sanchez and Callahan was converted by the former, who didn't hesitate to score the 1-0! Perun then almost gave a goal away because of bad passing play in the 40th minute, but after a Wall recovery the Slovenian gave a better through ball to Washington, who on his turn passed it back to Sanchez. Nice opportunity for him to score a brace, but he missed. Then, just as in our previous game, we conceded the 1-1 in the extra time of the first half, as Maes was unable to save a Seattle shot from distance.
The second half was extremely boring, even more than the first one. No team was able to create a chance before the 67th minute, but the first opportunity immediately was the right one! A great run and pass from left back Vertongen led to a simple tap in for league top scorer Washington! 2-1 in the 67th minute as Huber, Garner-Hammarling Junior and Brajkovic were subbed on.
Spoiler
The second shot in the second half didn't arrive until the 87th minute, proving the tightness of the game. The last fifteen minutes were far from boring though, as there was a constant dangerous pressure from the visitors, even though it didn't lead to real chances. Maes had to save a shot from distance, and Seattle got a corner. The corner was well given, and as Maes came out to catch the ball but went under it, the 2-2 seemed to be going in. Perun proved to be the hero of the day though, as he cleared the ball on the line! Huber tried to score the 3-1 on the following counter, but his shot was blocked and the referee blew his whistle for the final time. A hard fought but deserved victory against a direct opponent for the top-6, as we're back to our winning ways.
SC Braga 2 - 1 Daily Destroyers
Club Brugge 1 - 2 Inter Miami
Celta da Vigo 0 - 1 Burnley
Mumbai City FC 1 - 3 TSG Hoffenheim
Galatasaray 0 - 2 Boca Juniors
Tigres 1 - 2 Torino
FC Basel 1 - 2 Feyenoord
Dinamo Zagreb 2 - 1 Olympiakos
Seattle Sounders 2 - 0 Wellington Phoenix
Week 13:
Daily Destroyers 2 - 1 Seattle Sounders
Wellington Phoenix 1 - 4 Dinamo Zagreb
Olympiakos 3 - 0 FC Basel
Feyenoord 3 - 1 Tigres
Torino 2 - 2 Galatasaray
Boca Juniors 1 - 0 Mumbai City FC
TSG Hoffenheim 1 - 3 Celta da Vigo
Burnley 0 - 1 Club Brugge
Inter Miami 1 - 2 SC Braga
Ranking after 13/34 games
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Dinamo Zagreb
30
14
25
11
9
3
1
2
Hoffenheim
26
8
22
14
8
2
3
3
SC Braga
26
8
22
14
7
5
1
4
Feyenoord
26
4
20
16
8
2
3
5
Daily Destroyers
25
13
31
18
8
1
4
6
Tigres
24
4
24
20
8
0
5
7
Boca Juniors
21
3
19
16
7
0
6
8
Olympiakos
20
4
23
19
6
2
5
9
Seattle Sounders
20
1
17
16
5
5
3
10
Celta da Vigo
20
-1
17
18
6
2
5
11
Torino
19
-5
17
22
5
4
4
12
Burnley
18
5
19
14
6
0
7
13
Club Brugge
14
-3
15
18
3
5
3
14
Galatasaray
13
-4
14
18
3
4
6
15
FC Basel
13
-6
15
21
4
1
8
16
Inter Miami
12
-2
19
21
3
3
7
17
Mumbai City FC
2
-17
9
26
0
2
11
18
Wellington Phoenix
1
-25
11
36
0
1
12
* We stay in the top-6. Fifth, but only one point behind number two Hoffenheim.
* Zagreb with a gap. They've been performing very consistently and are hard to score against.
* Tigres started really well, but on a terrible streak now. They've dropped back to sixth.
* Numbers 7 to 12 should all still be able to join the top-6 as well.
* Mumbai City and Wellington Phoenix really the dwarves of the league, with the latter conceding three goals per game on average.
Competition Game 14: Inter Miami - Daily Destroyers
Inter Miami away is a must win if we want to remain fighting for our place in the top-6. The Americans haven't won a lot of games, but striker Higuain is definitely a name to watch out for.
Spoiler
First opportunity of the game was for the home team though, but Santana came out at the right moment to save the ball. Striker Torres, who is back from injury, then showed his class in the ninth minute. He got the ball from Sanchez and left the Miami goalie without a chance on his superb finish. Only five minutes later CAM Sanchez also showed he is feeling better every week, as he took the ball away from Miami centre back Pires after some good pressuring, to then hold off the other Miami defenders and score for the second week in a row. 0-2 with 14 minutes played!
Their attacking department was clearly stronger than their defense. Higuain had a nice opportunity in the thirtieth minute and hit the crossbar, after which we countered but the angle was a bit too sharp for striker Torres. Miami tried to reach Higuain with several crosses, but our centre back duo Macduff and Perfetto had no trouble defending on those. Torres had another great action right before half time, but after leaving his defender behind the Miami goalie saved the one on one. Finally, we are able to not concede right before half time.
Nevertheless, an incredible shot from distance by Pizarro in the 51st minute put the 1-2 on the scoreboard. Miami was playing a bit better, and we decided to sub on Washington, Martens and Nuts for some speed in the 61st minute. The game was really closed for about half an hour though, as neither of the teams was able to create a real opportunity. Pizarro tried again with a shot from distance just before the referee blew his whistle for the final time, but it went wide. We got two more corners in the extra time to make it nine in total, but were unable to score a third one. A 1-2 victory for Daily Destroyers, which is definitely deserved.
Spoiler
Week 14 results
Inter Miami 1 - 2 Daily Destroyers
SC Braga 1 - 3 Burnley
Club Brugge 1 - 0 TSG Hoffenheim
Celta da Vigo 0 - 1 Boca Juniors
Mumbai City FC 1 - 4 Torino
Galatasaray 3 - 0 Feyenoord
Tigres 1 - 3 Olympiakos
FC Basel 0 - 1 Wellington Phoenix
Dinamo Zagreb 1 - 0 Seattle Sounders
Ranking
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Dinamo Zagreb
33
15
26
11
10
3
1
2
Daily Destroyers
28
14
33
20
9
1
4
3
Hoffenheim
26
7
22
15
8
2
4
4
SC Braga
26
6
23
17
7
5
2
5
Feyenoord
26
1
20
19
8
2
4
6
Boca Juniors
24
4
20
16
8
0
6
7
Tigres
24
2
25
23
8
0
6
8
Olympiakos
23
6
26
20
7
2
5
9
Seattle Sounders
23
0
17
17
5
5
4
10
Torino
22
-2
21
23
6
4
4
11
Burnley
21
7
22
15
7
0
7
12
Celta da Vigo
20
-2
17
19
6
2
6
13
Club Brugge
17
-2
16
18
4
5
3
14
Galatasaray
16
-1
17
18
4
4
6
15
FC Basel
13
-7
15
22
4
1
9
16
Inter Miami
12
-3
20
23
3
3
8
17
Wellington Phoenix
4
-24
12
36
1
1
12
18
Mumbai City FC
2
-20
10
30
0
2
12
* Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 6 lost, we are now second, and will play against number 1 Zagreb in our next game.
* Tigres, after leading the competition before, now even out of the top-6. Other Latin American team Boca Juniors new team in the top-6.
* Wellington Phoenix has won their first game, Mumbai City is the new red lantern.
Competition game 15: Daily Destroyers - Dinamo Zagreb
After a nice winter break the Destroyers are back, and that is immediately for one of the biggest games in their careers. As the number two in the league they will play against leader Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatians have a five point gap, so if the Destroyers want to ensure they, together with the other teams, still have an opportunity of becoming champion, they should not lose this game. The starting eleven looks as follows.
Spoiler
The Destroyers had the clear intention of going for the three points, and it was league topscorer Washington who had the first shot of the game. It wasn't too hard for the Croatian goalie to catch. A bit later, in minute 17, we did manage to take the lead though. Wall saw Garner-Hammarling Junior making some room for himself, after which the Swede received the ball and converted it into a goal. He's got a nose for scoring big goals, and he did it again! 1-0 in minute 17, he couldn't believe it himself.
Spoiler
The Croatians looked for a quick reaction, but couldn't get closer than a shot from distance in minute 22, right after Washington also tried his luck from distance. Daily Destroyers simply was the better team so far, and it showed in the 35th minute. Washington asked the ball on our own half, and then found Martens, who had a lot of space on his right flank. The Belgian cut inside and was as lethal as he had to be: 2-0! Both the Destroyers and Zagreb then had some small chances, but the score remained unchanged until halftime.
The Zagreb coach must have been furious in the locker rooms, because his players came out very motivated. They pressed high and went for a shot from distance in the 53rd minute, and it turned out to be a magnificent shot. Maes had no chance, the visitors scored the 2-1 with 37 nail-biting minutes to go. Zagreb tried to continue with the high pressure to score the equalizer quickly, but had some troubles creating big chances.
On came our substitutes, and it was the Swiss Huber who had the opportunity to make it 3-1 in the 67th minute. His shot missed precision though, and we came no further than a corner. Nevertheless, our defense remained intact until the end of the game, even though Zagreb really swamped our half. We might not have won the war yet, but this definitely was an important battle.
Before the season, Burnley was considered to be the title favourite. They haven't been playing too well though, as they are only around/just above mid table. Nevertheless, looking at their line-up and stats, this should be a hard game for us at Turf Moor. We start the game with the following eleven players:
Spoiler
And boy, do we start well! Burnley had a 5v4 opportunity quickly, but a patient Macduff intercepted the ball at the right time. A quick touch from Perun saw it go to other defensive midfielder Wall, who gave a great through ball to Martens on the right. The Belgian cut inside and left the Burnley keeper without a chance, 0-1 for DD after only five minutes! As we say in Flanders, nice songs don't last for ever. Burnley went on the attack as well, and our defence wasn't really paying attention to the Burnley attackers on a high ball in our penalty area. A shot from a sharp angle wasn't deflected really well from Santana, and the rebound went in. 1-1 after only twelve minutes.
We didn't leave our heads hanging though. Macduff with another vital interception a couple of minutes later, it led to a nice action from Sanchez, unfortunately his shot wasn't as good. The CAM felt like scoring though and created another one on one with the Burnley GK after a spectacular solo dribble some minutes later, but missed again. We started playing extremely well with some high pressure, but both Huber and Torres were also unable to score that 1-2. Whereas the attackers failed, defensive midfielder Perun showed them how it's done in minute 36. A good ball from Sanchez to Martens in the box, and as every Burnley defender was looking at Torres, the Belgian delivered it to Perun for a simple tap in. 1-2! All of a sudden Burnley took the game into their hands, with four big chances in the remaining minutes of the first half. Even a spectacular bicycle kick couldn't beat Santana though, who showed our fans once again that we still have two great goalies. 1-2 at half time, a score we were happy about.
Second half then. Not for the first time this season it was definitely more closed than the first half. We tried to adapt by sending some high balls towards Torres, but the Premier League defenders showed they are used to this kind of style by defending strongly against them. Around the 60th minute, our three subs came on: Washington, Garner-Hammarling Junior and Vertongen. As the tension was rising, rightback Bobson decided to go solo slim and made a big run with the ball on his right flank. He ran into the box, and fell down after Burnley defender Cork mistimes his tackle... penalty! Normally this would be something for Macduff or Sanchez, but Bobson immediately claimed the ball himself. The other two were fine with it, and watched how our number seven put the 1-3 into the back of the net in minute 77!
The goal seemed to be a big morale boost for the team and Bobson, as he went for another run a couple of minutes later. He might have been a bit too selfish, shooting from a sharp angle, but the other Destroyers seemed to enjoy Bobson having so much fun and confidence in the attacking compartment. Both Washington and Sanchez were then unable to convert the 1-4 in the 83rd minute, and Santana kept the score at 1-3 in extra time with a sublime reflex. Daily Destroyers win again!
Daily Destroyers 2 - 1 Dinamo Zagreb
Seattle Sounders 2 - 1 FC Basel
Wellington Phoenix 0 - 3 Tigres
Olympiakos 1 - 2 Galatasaray
Feyenoord 2 - 0 Mumbai City FC
Torino 0 - 1 Celta da Vigo
Boca Juniors 1 - 1 Club Brugge
TSG Hoffenheim 2 - 0 SC Braga
Burnley 3 - 0 Inter Miami
Week 16:
Burnley 1 - 3 Daily Destroyers
Inter Miami 1 - 3 TSG Hoffenheim
SC Braga 1 - 3 Boca Juniors
Club Brugge 3 - 1 Torino
Celta da Vigo 2 - 1 Feyenoord
Mumbai City FC 0 - 1 Olympiakos
Galatasaray 1 - 1 Wellington Phoenix
Tigres 3 - 0 Seattle Sounders
FC Basel 0 - 2 Dinamo Zagreb
Ranking
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Dinamo Zagreb
36
16
29
13
11
3
2
2
Daily Destroyers
34
16
38
22
11
1
4
3
Hoffenheim
32
11
27
16
10
2
4
4
Tigres
30
8
31
23
10
0
6
5
Feyenoord
29
2
23
21
9
2
5
6
Boca Juniors
28
6
24
18
9
1
6
7
Olympiakos
26
6
28
22
8
2
6
8
SC Braga
26
2
24
22
7
5
4
9
Celta da Vigo
26
0
20
20
8
2
6
10
Seattle Sounders
26
-2
19
21
6
5
5
11
Burnley
24
8
26
18
8
0
8
12
Torino
22
-5
22
27
6
4
6
13
Club Brugge
21
0
20
20
5
6
3
14
Galatasaray
20
0
20
20
5
5
6
15
FC Basel
13
-10
16
26
4
1
11
16
Inter Miami
12
-8
21
29
3
3
10
17
Wellington Phoenix
5
-27
13
40
1
2
13
18
Mumbai City FC
2
-23
10
33
0
2
14
* Top 3 remains unchanged, although the gap towards leader Zagreb has been closed by three points
* Braga with 0/6, dropping in the rankings, whereas Tigres is on their way back with a solid 6/6 and two clear wins
* Wellington gets their fifth point of the season
* Three teams with exactly 20 goals scored and conceded
* New signing Manuel Bookman has been training hard, he won't make it for our next game against Basel, but should be there for the first game of the second round of the league
Final game before we're exactly at the half of the season. So far we're on promotion hunt, and some are even already speaking about the title. To get there, we'll need to win against the low ranked FC Basel. Special game for Joseph Huber, who gets to play against some compatriots today.
Spoiler
Just like in our last game we tried scoring quickly, but Callahan's attempt missed power. Basel on the other hand did succeed in scoring quickly, as after some quick passing play Maes was unable to save the shot, 0-1. Some better news came soon though, as a stupid tackle from behind saw the Basel right forward get a red card some minutes later. Nevertheless, our hero from the last game, Bobson, gave the ball away too easily in the 20th minute, which led to the 0-2 with 11 of us against 10 of them.
It was Super-Swiss Huber who tried to put one back after a nice solo action, but his shot got blocked. Huber still played himself into the statistics though, as a great team action ended with the Swiss CAM finding Washington for his tenth goal of the season with an easy tap-in, 1-2 in minute 33! The striker then tried returning the favour to Huber, but a strong save from the Basel GK withheld Huber from the equalizer. Basel then actually got two big chances right before half time, reminding us this was definitely not going to be a walk-over in the second half. A strong save from Maes and a good interception by Macduff kept the score at 1-2 going into the changing rooms.
Huber came close to a second assist right after half time, but Perun's shot hit the crossbar. Perfetto was positioned perfectly to block Basel scoring the 1-3, after which both Washington and Ottaviani also had some nice opportunities to score for us. As usual, around the sixtieth minute, on came our three subs: Sanchez, Martens and Wall. We kept trying and trying, and finally managed to equalize in the eightieth minute! Martens was allowed too much freedom by the Basel defense, and scored for the third game in a row, on a Garner-Hammarling Junior assist. Martens then really capitalized on his tremendous form in the 86th minute. As more and more gaps appeared in the tired Basel defense, G-H Junior gave a perfect through ball to the Belgian forward, who did not miss his one on one with the Basel GK, 3-2! The visitors were unable to create any more chances, which saw the spectacular game end in a 3-2 victory for Daily Destroyers.
Welcome for our first game of the second round of the league. Last time we met Tigres, we lost 2-0, after which the Mexicans took the lead in the league and stayed there for quite a while. They had some bad games, but seem to be on their way back to the top. First minutes for Manuel Bookman, who’ll start his DD career as a left back.
Spoiler
We started well. A shot from distance by Huber got blocked, and Torres came close to converting a hard Martens ball in the pack. Nevertheless, the first real opportunity for Tigres saw the Central Americans take the lead. Brajkovic thought he had the time to clear the ball, but he was surprised by a quickly acting Vigón, scoring the 0-1 in the 15th minute. Our opponents gained confidence and soon French striker Gignac came close to doubling the score, but a great reflex by Santana kept the scoreboard at 0-1. Just when we started to struggle even harder, Torres had another great opportunity on a good Sanchez assist. Our striker clearly still needs to work on his weak foot a bit, as the shot with his right foot went wide.
Sanchez thought: ‘let me have a go at that’ three minutes later. Great work by Rocky Wall, attacking at the right moment and finding our CAM, who volley-tapped it in, 1-1! Tigres’ player Gonzalez was not happy with the equalizer and tackled Sanchez, receiving a yellow card. A shame, as Sanchez had just tried to spread some love after his goal. A weak header by Gignac right before half time wasn’t a problem for Santana to catch
Spoiler
Sanchez was the man of the opening minutes of the second half as well. First he was the end station of a great and patient attack by us in minute 49, but his shot went wide after hitting the wood. He then had the perfect opportunity to bring us in the lead a couple of minutes later, but his finishing could clearly still use some work, as he missed. Our three subs came on: Washington, Garner-Hammarling Junior and Bobson.
Bookman had some trouble finding his place in the team at first, but he managed to improve in the second half. DD’s number 26 gained confidence and tried joining some attacks on his flank. It was Tigres however that started pressing high, testing our back four. It has to be said, they did a great job repelling the Mexican attacks. Then, just like two games ago, Bobson stood up and proved us why he’s one of the fan favourites again. It all started with a great Perfetto intervention, leading to Bobson receiving the ball from other substitute G.-H. Junior. Bobson dribbled past a first defender and held off a second, blasting in the 2-1 in the 85th minute! His goal can be seen here: https://youtu.be/...
Tigres tried scoring the equalizer in the final minutes, but our back four did what they had to do, which means your favourite football team gains another three points!
Daily Destroyers 3 - 2 FC Basel
Dinamo Zagreb 2 - 1 Tigres
Seattle Sounders 1 - 2 Galatasaray
Wellington Phoenix 1 - 0 Mumbai City FC
Olympiakos 1 - 1 Celta da Vigo
Feyenoord 0 - 0 Club Brugge
Torino 0 - 1 SC Braga
Boca Juniors 2 - 1 Inter Miami
TSG Hoffenheim 2 - 2 Burnley
Week 18:
Daily Destroyers 2 - 1 Tigres
Galatasaray 2 - 2 FC Basel
Mumbai City FC 1 - 2 Dinamo Zagreb
Celta da Vigo 3 - 0 Seattle Sounders
Club Brugge 2 - 1 Wellington Phoenix
SC Braga 0 - 1 Olympiakos
Inter Miami 1 - 2 Feyenoord
Burnley 3 - 1 Torino
TSG Hoffenheim 1 - 1 Boca Juniors
Ranking
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Dinamo Zagreb
42
18
33
15
13
3
2
2
Daily Destroyers
40
18
43
25
13
1
4
3
Hoffenheim
34
11
30
19
10
4
4
4
Feyenoord
33
3
25
22
10
3
5
5
Boca Juniors
32
7
27
20
10
2
6
6
Olympiakos
30
7
30
23
9
3
6
7
Tigres
30
6
33
27
10
0
8
8
Celta da Vigo
30
3
24
21
9
3
6
9
SC Braga
29
2
25
23
8
5
5
10
Burnley
28
10
31
21
9
1
8
11
Club Brugge
25
1
22
21
6
7
3
12
Galatasaray
24
1
24
23
6
6
6
13
Seattle Sounders
23
-6
20
26
6
5
7
14
Torino
22
-8
23
31
6
4
8
15
FC Basel
14
-11
20
31
4
2
12
16
Inter Miami
12
-10
23
33
3
3
12
17
Wellington Phoenix
8
-27
15
42
2
2
14
18
Mumbai City FC
2
-25
11
36
0
2
16
* Two very interesting gamedays, as DD and Zagreb get a gap over the rest of the league.
* Wellington wins against Mumbai, who seem doomed to be the red lantern at the end of the road now.
* Half of the league over and it's fair to say Burnley is the biggest disappointment.
* We can't hide it anymore. We're going for the title. It won't be easy and also not necessary to promote, but if you're this close you just have to go for it.
Competition Game 19: Hoffenheim - Daily Destroyers
A very important game against number 3 in the league Hoffenheim. It will not be easy to take the three points in Germany, but it will be necessary if we don't want to see Zagreb pulling away. Bookman starts again, this time as a defensive midfielder.
Spoiler
Both teams were looking for an opening in the first minutes, and it was the home team with the first shot on target. Definitely an opportunity to score for them, but Maes saved the ball with a superb reflex in the 15th minute. A few minutes later Hoffenheim had another big chance to score, but Perfetto blocked their shot from inside the penalty area. Our wingers were mainly busy with defending, which of course is not what we were hoping for. Nevertheless, a strong interception by a hard working Martens then almost led to the 0-1, but Ottaviani was denied the opening goal with a double save in the thirtieth minute.
After a hard start, we finally gained some confidence. Three minutes later Garner-Hammarling Junior dribbled past his defender and swooped the ball in front of the goal, Huber was present with some good positioning, but he was also denied the opener by a strong Hoffenheim goalie. The following corner by Martens was headed into the keeper's hands by Macduff. We were then getting a bit too enthusiastic though, as high pressing and disastrous positioning by Vertongen led to a Hoffenheim one on one with Maes. Our goalie saw the danger coming from afar though, and came out at exactly the right moment, saving us again and ensuring the 0-0 score at half time.
First opportunity of the second half was for us, as Huber created a lot of space for Garner-Hammarling Junior with a good running action, but the Swede's shot got blocked. Then, Washington, Wall and Sanchez came onto the pitch. Rocky Wall almost gave the 1-0 away with a bad pass around the 70th minute, luckily Kramaric' shot went wide. On the following attack by us Martens used a bit of his pace and found Garner-Hammarling Junior in the box, but the striker saw his shot get blocked again. Wall really wasn't himself, as he gave another simple ball away in the 80th minute, but a miraculous save by Maes kept the game undecided.
The home fans were screaming their team forward, and it seemed that slowly but surely we would be crumbling under the pressure. Everybody saw the Germans finally score in the 85th minute, but Maes was not having any of it and saved another 'made' goal, what a legend! Just when everybody thought we would be leaving the field content with a point, Garner-Hammarling Junior tricked the Hoffenheim right back into fouling him in the Hoffenheim penalty area. The referee did not need any VAR and pointed towards the penalty spot! Macduff had recently been seen training his penalties
on the training field and took his responsibility: https://youtu.be/...
Spoiler
And he did it! Hoffenheim then went all-in, but couldn't get closer than a weak corner kick. Very important three points for Daily Destroyers, who continue their victorious streak with a victory against a title rival and a clean sheet!
We recently played Basel, and the calendar makers thought it would be fun to play them again very soon after the previous game. Our Swiss Huber gets an other chance to shine against his home team. We need to start strong, as last time we met, our opponents of today scored twice in the opening minutes.
Spoiler
Alas. It only took the home team three minutes to rip us apart with their passing play and score the opener. Santana had no chance, 1-0. Huber immediately had a monstrous opportunity to equalize, but shot the ball wide eye in eye with the Swiss goalie. A good Perfetto tackle led to another big opportunity for us in the tenth minute, but Callahan's pass was just too hard for anyone to reach. We let our guard down again right after, luckily this time Santana saved us with a strong reflex. Wall then put Sanchez one on one with the home keeper, but a weak shot with his left foot only led to a corner kick. We really needed to start converting our opportunities.
We simply kept on attacking. First Torres was denied the equalizer by the goalie, after which our strikker lobbed it to Sanchez. The CAM's spectacular bicycle kick led to another corner. In the 33rd minute, it was Sanchez who gave a good through ball to Huber. The Swiss was on his way to equalize, but got blatantly fouled in the Basel penalty area. As everybody started shouting for a penalty, Wall came out of nowhere to surprise the keeper and the rest of the stadium with his first goal of the season! 1-1! After equalizing, we kept on being the better team. Sanchez was denied the 1-2 on a decent free kick, but in the 40th minute Callahan dived into the penalty area and saw Torres standing alone for an easy tap-in goal: 1-2!
We were asleep again at the start of the second half, but Basel's striker totally missed his shot. Perun then got injured and was subbed out, the three players coming in were Bookman, Washington and Martens. We had a lot of trouble creating chances against a better playing Basel, but the home team was also struggling to create a scoring opportunity. It took until the 75th minute for us to get our first shot in the second half, as Brajkovic' attempt was saved by the Swiss goalie.
Exactly as in our previous game against Basel, bad passing play by Bobson led to an enormous opportunity for them to score, but this time they totally screwed up by giving an even worse pass. Huber then tried scoring the decisive goal with a shot from distance, but it was an easy catch for the goalkeeper. Newcomer Bookman intercepted a dangerous pass in the 92nd minute, and it was enough for the referee to blow his whistle. A rather bad second half by us, but a very strong first half ensures us our 8th win in a row!
TSG Hoffenheim 0 - 1 Daily Destroyers
Boca Juniors 0 - 2 Burnley
Torino 1 - 1 Inter Miami
Feyenoord 2 - 3 SC Braga
Olympiakos 1 - 2 Club Brugge
Wellington Phoenix 1 - 4 Celta da Vigo
Seattle Sounders 2 - 1 Mumbai City FC
Dinamo Zagreb 0 - 2 Galatasaray
FC Basel 0 - 4 Tigres
Week 20:
FC Basel 1 - 2 Daily Destroyers
Tigres 0 - 1 Dinamo Zagreb
Galatasaray 1 - 1 Seattle Sounders
Mumbai City FC 0 - 0 Wellington Phoenix
Celta da Vigo 2 - 1 Olympiakos
Club Brugge 1 - 1 Feyenoord
SC Braga 3 - 1 Torino
Inter Miami 0 - 1 Boca Juniors
Burnley 1 - 0 TSG Hoffenheim
Current ranking
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Daily Destroyers
46
20
46
26
15
1
4
2
Dinamo Zagreb
45
17
34
17
14
3
3
3
Celta da Vigo
36
7
29
23
11
3
6
4
Boca Juniors
35
6
28
22
11
2
7
5
SC Braga
35
5
31
26
10
5
5
6
Burnley
34
13
34
21
11
1
8
7
Hoffenheim
34
9
30
21
10
4
6
8
Feyenoord
34
2
28
26
10
4
6
9
Tigres
33
9
37
28
11
0
9
10
Olympiakos
30
5
32
27
9
3
8
11
Club Brugge
29
2
25
23
7
8
5
12
Galatasaray
28
3
27
24
7
7
6
13
Seattle Sounders
27
-5
23
28
7
6
7
14
Torino
23
-10
25
35
6
5
9
15
FC Basel
14
-16
21
37
4
2
14
16
Inter Miami
13
-11
24
35
3
4
13
17
Wellington Phoenix
9
-30
16
46
2
3
15
18
Mumbai City FC
3
-26
12
38
0
3
17
* Ladies and gentleman, we are first! Zagreb's surprising loss against Galatasaray sees us leap towards the top of the table.
* Only a three point difference between number three Celta da Vigo and number nine Tigres, with the former now all of a sudden ten points behind leader Daily Destroyers. Hoffenheim with 0/6 sees the title race probably decided between us and Zagreb.
* Mumbai scores their third point of the season, still looking for their first win.
Competition Game 21: Daily Destroyers - Inter Miami
Miami is ranked 16th, so this should be doable. Nevertheless, a striker like Higuain is always a bit scary to face. Our striker Washington has a chance to shine against a team from his home country.
Spoiler
The first opportunity of the game was for us, after Washington found Garner-Hammarling Junior. Decent shot by the Swede, but a good save led to a corner. The Miami goalie had a terrible moment in the ninth minute though, as he punched an Bobson assist away badly twice, with Washington accepting the gift and heading the 1-0 on the scoreboard! Their defending was far from impressive, and Washington came close to scoring a brace in the 16th minute after a good running action by Garner-Hammarling Junior. This time the goalie did what he had to do. Out of nothing, a deadly Miami counter with some quick passing play led to the equalizer in the 20th minute, 1-1.
We had another opportunity to score in the 28th minute, when Martens found Garner-Hammarling Junior in the box. Good volley, but a great save by the Miami keeper. Except for his little present in the ninth minute, he had actually been keeping really well. The final fifteen minutes of the first half were rather closed, also due to two vital interceptions by Robert Macduff.
The second half was different. Miami really dominated us, and came a toe short to score on two occasions. In the 65th minute coach Nemolito tried changing the course of the game by bringing Sanchez, Callahan and Brajkovic. And Sanchez immediately delivered! A great solo action by the attacking midfielder ended with a good pass back to Washington, who easily scored the 2-1 via the post, his 12th goal of the season!
Spoiler
Miami remained the better team though, and Maes had to save us in the 73rd minute on a low shot from Higuain. The following corner led to the 2-2, after Bobson was too surprised receiving the ball from Callahan, giving it away and leaving Maes chanceless, 2-2 in minute 76! Matuidi also tried his luck with a shot from distance, but it went wide. Washington came very close to a hattrick on a good Sanchez through ball right before the final whistle, but the goalie kept the score at 2-2. Not the result we hoped for, with Zagreb able to bounce back over us in the ranking.
Competition Game 22: Seattle Sounders - Daily Destroyers
After a disappointing draw against Miami, we play other American team Seattle Sounders, hoping to get back to collecting three points again. This is our starting eleven:
Spoiler
The Sounders started quite agressive, as Roldan received a deserved yellow card after only 1'20" and tackling our CDM Ottaviani like a mad man. We started the game well, as a Sanchez volley on a Brajkovic assist got blocked in the fourth minute. We had a lot of open space on the flanks, but were unable to create a lot of chances with it. The first Seattle shot came in the 21st minute, but was probably the easiest save Santana ever had to make. Quite a funny moment in the 25th minute then, at least for us. Bobson came forward on his left flank and passed it back to Callahan. The Scot's shot was aimed towards the far post, and the Seattle goalie started diving. Striker Torres accidentally deviated the ball with his hip and... it went in at the near post! 0-1 for us, the goal can be seen here: https://youtu.be/...
Attacking midfielder Sanchez became a bit too enthusiastic shortly after and was rightfully awarded a yellow card. He then tried making up for it with a shot from distance, but a good save kept the 0-1 on the scoreboard. Macduff's header on Callahan's corner was saved on the line, whereas Ottaviani inexplicably missed an open net on a Sanchez pass in the 37th minute. The second shot from Seattle came from Ruidiaz, his shot from distance couldn't scare Santana at all. A lucky goal, but we definitely deserved that 0-1 lead at half time.
The second half saw a slow start, where Brajkovic had some trouble and was rather unlucky in his actions. Washington, Huber and Bookman came on, as Seattle tried upping the pressure. Macduff was in a very difficult situation, by himself against two Seattle forwards in the 70th minute, but a superb tackle at exactly the right time ensured the provisional clean sheet with around twenty minutes to play.
Garner-Hammarling Junior's high pressing led to him intercepting the ball and creating two nice opportunities for both Perun and Callahan, but none of them was able to double the score around the 75th minute. Seattle kept trying to create chances for the equalizer, but was also stopped time after time by our defensive wall. The 88th minute saw them come relatively close to the 1-1, but Roldan's shot from inside the penalty area went wide. Macduff got close to a header goal again in extra time, after which Perun's shot from distance got blocked and the referee blew his whistle for the final time. A rather nervewracking second half, but that's a clean sheet and three points in the bag for the Destroyers!
Daily Destroyers 2 - 2 Inter Miami
Burnley 1 - 0 SC Braga
TSG Hoffenheim 0 - 0 Club Brugge
Boca Juniors 2 - 1 Celta da Vigo
Torino 1 - 1 Mumbai City FC
Feyenoord 2 - 2 Galatasaray
Olympiakos 1 - 1 Tigres
Wellington Phoenix 0 - 3 FC Basel
Seattle Sounders 1 - 2 Dinamo Zagreb
Week 22:
Seattle Sounders 0 - 1 Daily Destroyers
Dinamo Zagreb 1 - 2 Wellington Phoenix
FC Basel 0 - 1 Olympiakos
Tigres 0 - 0 Feyenoord
Galatasaray 1 - 2 Torino
Mumbai City 1 - 2 Boca Juniors
Celta da Vigo 2 - 2 TSG Hoffenheim
Club Brugge 1 - 3 Burnley
SC Braga 1 - 1 Inter Miami
Ranking
P
+-
+
-
W
D
L
1
Daily Destroyers
50
21
49
28
16
2
4
2
Dinamo Zagreb
48
17
37
20
15
3
4
3
Boca Juniors
41
8
32
24
13
2
7
4
Burnley
40
16
38
22
13
1
8
5
Celta da Vigo
37
6
32
27
11
4
7
6
Hoffenheim
36
9
32
23
10
6
6
7
SC Braga
36
4
32
28
10
6
6
8
Feyenoord
36
2
30
28
10
6
6
9
Tigres
35
9
38
29
11
2
9
10
Olympiakos
34
6
34
28
10
4
8
11
Club Brugge
30
0
26
26
7
9
6
12
Galatasaray
29
2
30
28
7
8
7
13
Torino
27
9
28
37
7
6
9
14
Seattle Sounders
27
-7
24
31
7
6
9
15
FC Basel
17
-14
24
38
5
2
15
16
Inter Miami
15
-11
27
38
3
6
13
17
Wellington Phoenix
12
-32
18
50
3
3
16
18
Mumbai City FC
4
-27
14
41
0
4
18
* Surprise! After our draw we expected Zagreb to take over the lead again, but one match day later they surprisingly lost against number 17 Wellington. Wellington now the first team to have 50 goals against them, but they won't care too much after that spectacular win.
* All teams in the bottom-4 scored points, but their positions remain the same.
* Celta and Hoffenheim both not scoring many points in their last two games, which sees Boca Juniors rise to the third place. Burnley now in fourth, with a strong goal difference.
* Difference between numbers 5 and 10 only three points, anything still possible there.
Competition Game 23: Daily Destroyers - Club Brugge
Several players have recently improved quite a bit, let’s see if they’re able to show us their newly learned skills against Belgian side Club Brugge.
Spoiler
A lot of fireworks at the start of the game, as the visitors immediately hit the post with a shot from distance, and only moments later a spectacular bicycle kick from Huber on a high Martens ball only just missed the target. A great attack by Bruges made our defense look like kids in the tenth minute, but a good reflex from goalie Maes kept the 0-0 on the scoreboard. Perun, who recently improved his vision with Martens being his ‘victim’ in the draw, almost thanked the Belgian by giving him an assist. The angle was just too sharp though, as a strong foot reflex from Mignolet stopped the 1-0 from going in around the 15th minute.
After a furious start of the game, less opportunities were created in the following fifteen minutes. Sanchez was really having a hard time against a low playing Bruges. A big opportunity then fort he visitors in the 35th minute, but Maes showed us his great form again and stopped the one on one. His rival keeper Mignolet was also keeping well, as he stopped a Wall shot from distance right after. But then, after a long drought, attacking midfielder Huber opened the score in the extra time of the first half! Great pressure from Washington led to our striker recovering the ball and passing it to Huber at the right time for a simple tap-in. 1-0 right before half time!
The first opportunity of the second half was for the visitors again. Noa Lang dribbled past Bookman, luckily central defender Macduff had him covered with a necessary intervention. Wall then summoned his inner Messi and dribbled past two Bruges players with a surprising rush on the right flank, ending with our defensive midfielder hitting the post with a shot from inside the penalty area! Another save by Maes then in the 65th minute, as Lang started torturing our defense more and more. Our three subs came on then as well: Garner-Hammarling Junior, Callahan and Vertongen.
Martens tested Mignolet again in the 74th minute with a shot from distance that got saved, but was finally able to score two minutes later! Once again high pressure from Washington led tot he American recovering the ball and waiting for the perfect moment to pass it back to a teammate, second assist for hi mand 2-0! Seems like our top scorer wants to become our top assister as well. Garner-Hammarling Junior tried making it 3-0 just before the end, but Mignolet saved his attempt without too much effort. An easy Maes save in the extra time then consolidated our win and also our second clean sheet in a row!
