| 04.04.19 Allihopa - UPS 6-3 (3-1) Team: Hans Håkansson (captain), Hendrik Augustine, Jacob Applinger, Richard Brattlund, Nils Sandström, Perniclas Bedow, Staffan Lundholm, Ludwig Bell, Peter Hedlund, Johan Thorton, Jeff Kinkle Goal scorers: Ludwig Bell 2, Staffan Lundholm 2, Peter Hedlund 1, Nils Sandström 1 |
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an animal is wounded, there are two ways it can respond to its predator’s
advances. It can either fight for its life with astonishing ferocity
or huddle up in a ball and anxiously await death. Today UPS learned
a hard lesson about the character of an Allihopa team that after suffering
two unexpected, and perhaps undeserved, preseason loses reacted to
adversity like a wild beast. There was electricity in the air for the opening kick off. Allihopa was able to field a nearly complete team, missing only H. Alexandersson (out with a foot injury) and H. Lapidus (spending time with his family after the birth of his baby girl). H. Augustine, H. Lundholm, and H. Thorton all made there Korpen debuts on this warm April afternoon. A degree of anxiousness was inevitable but a long warm up allowed the players to settle their nerves. Allihopa looked deadly from the opening kick off, playing in the newly devised 2-1-1-2, H. Bell scoring a beautiful goal within the early minutes. Stolt men inte nöjd, it was only minutes before H. Bell struck again with a goal of similar quality. H. Kinkle perhaps had a chance to perhaps put things away early when Hr. Hedlund cleverly let through a dangerous cross by H. Lundholm but somehow managed to miss the ball completely. An unfortunate collision took H. Bedow out of the game early but the injury doesn’t seem to be as serious as first feared. There were some beautiful exchanges during this half. One in particular between H. Hedlund, H. Thorton, and H. Lundholm, resulting in H. Lundholm shooting just wide left UPS' mouths agape. Still, UPS proved to be surprisingly resilient as they took one back in the middle of the first half. Allihopa looked slightly nervous but a strong strike by H. Sandström put the lead back up to two at the half. UPS began the second half on the attack and after an early goal they seemed to be gaining control of the match. Strong defending by H. Applinger, H. Augustine, H. Sandström, and H. Lundholm and the indomitable presence of the always secure H. Håkansson in goal stymied UPS’ best efforts and they clearly grew frustrated. Secure in the back, the attackers were able to pressure UPS’ keeper and defenders and their obstinacy paid off when H. Hedlund blocked the keepers attempt at a clearance and, as cool as a cucumber, slid the ball into the open net. From there on it was all Allihopa. Aggressive midfield play by H. Brattlund, H. Kinkle, and H. Sandström kept the ball in UPS’ half. H. Bell, H. Hedlund, and H. Thorton, always dangerous on the corners, helped set up a number of chances. A precise inlay by H. Lundholm was nearly put away by H. Kinkle with a ferocious header from the edge of the box. Allihopa was unusually strong in the air winning nearly every header. Their hard work paid off when H. Lundholm was put through and perfectly placed a hard shot in the corner of the net. Another H. Lundholm goal followed putting the game out of reach in the final minutes. UPS’ did strike again with a powerful shot from close range that nearly decapitated H. Håkansson but by then the game was already over. Allihopa could have easily taken a few more in these final moments as H. Thorton put a shot off the left post that struck so hard UPS’ goalkeeper probably will developed tintinnus if he isn’t careful about his future exposure to sound of high decibels. Overall, 2004’s first Korpen match was a rousing success. While there are perhaps a few kinks left in the 2-1-1-2 formation, Allihopa looked secure on defense and dangerous on the attack. Perhaps the most positive sign was in Allihopa’s moral. When UPS cut the lead to 3-2 in the beginning of the second half, there was a chance that Allihopa’s will would dissolve. Instead, they became more resolute than ever before. After the match, H. Brattlund aptly said, ‘We showed strong mental strength in the second half’. Neither should one forget that Allihopa could easily have scored several more. As H. Applinger noted, there was the possibility that the match could degenerate into a ‘mål kalas’. Futhermore, one cannot imagine how strong this team will be after a few more matches under their belts and the addition of not only H. Alexandersson and H. Lapidus but also the long awaited return of H. Eskils from his loan to Real Rochinha and the potential appearance of H. Söderlund, currently on loan to Göteborgfilmskol United. The victory was made all the sweeter by H. Lundholm and H. Sandström who provided delicious brownies and Kex respectively setting a precedent that others will hopefully follow throughout the course of the season. Man of the Match: There were so many that deserve the award. Instead of randomly selected one of the several Men of the Match, we prefer to give it to the team as a whole that showed such impressive character so early in the season. Dr. Mats Viktorsson |
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