MATCH REPORT; Madison 5 Eagles 5

What a way to end the Fall season! A mistake strewn comedy of errors which finally came to an end with 10 goals shared evenly between the teams. But this is the sort of exciting crazy soccer that should bring the fans back to watch more!

This game started briskly and before you could say, " what a nice day for a game" the ball was in the net. A fantastic free kick from a good 40 yards out was sent scorching into the net by the incomparable El Flaco to the utter befuddlement of the opposition goalkeeper. After this fab, fast start to the match the Celts went into even higher gear trying to finish off the opposition before the game had really got started. Tano stormed into the opposition box unleashing a powerful shot that was parried by the shell shocked goalkeeper but Tano rapidly followed up and slammed the rebounded save into the net for Madison's second. It looked like the Madison team were going to cruise to a crushing victory but no story is ever that simple and the wheels were about to come off the bus big style for the Celts. The first wheel was when the Eagles executed a concerted attack on the Madison defence and managed to slam a cracker of a goal past the strangely subdued Hulk. The next wheel then came crashing off the bus when a ball whipped into the Madison box was superbly headed into the net by TomA for the best own goal of the season. From a commanding 2 0 lead Madison were now scrambling for their survival as the Eagles swooped in for the kill. To their credit the team held their nerve and just before halftime managed to get back into the lead with a great goal by Tom A as he made amends for his own goal.

This breathless first half turned out to be just the appetizer for the main course....the second half. And what a half it was, as Madison continued their downward spiral by perpetrating the most inept display of midfield and defensive play seen all season. The Eagles equalizer came as no surprise as they had been bossing the opening minutes of the half when a break down the Madison left side allowed a ball to be swept into the box and to be cruelly turned into the net by Carlos for yet another own goal. If that was bad, the next goal was even worse, as yet another breakaway down the Madison left allowed the Eagles to slam the ball past the nearly comatose Hulk for the go ahead goal in seven. Now it was Madison's turn to turn up the gas by pushing for an equalizer that they would not have predicted they needed after the opening 20 minutes. But the Celts pushed the rampant Eagles back onto the defensive and were richly rewarded by a great second goal ( third? ) by the superb Carlos. A 4-4 tie looked to be the right result for this see saw of a game but their was more juice to be squeezed out of this particular lemon of a game. And this time it was the fantastic timing of Roniildo that came to the fore as he breezed past the Eagles offside trap, rounded the goalkeeper and slammed in what surely would be the winner. But no, another cruel turn of the wheel was about to happen just before the end of the game after El Flaco had been sent for an early bath. Once again the Eagles swept down the field to float past the almost static Madison defence and with a final touch slam the ball past the statuesque Hulk for their 5th of the game. With a huge last breath the referee blew his whistle to end a pulsating, roller coaster of a game pockmarked with unbelievably bad defending and truly amazing goals. Don't you just love football?

MAN OF THE MATCH; Wow, really? I have to pick a MOM? How about the ball for taking one Hell of a beating? If push comes to shove the main personality of the game was clearly Carlos. 3 goals, two of them ours, one of which was a thing of beauty. His performance only sullied by a stupid red card. So Carlos is man of the match with Jodingo!! a close second only because none of the goals came from his side of the field!

Don't forget to vote on the player of the CARSL season polls! First one is for defender of the season! Prize giving night is also coming up soon....check the blog for details!

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