Flying Kiwis – February 25
Rebekah Stott – Melbourne City (Australian W-League)
Another day, another dollar for Melbourne City. Several more dollars in fact, as they cruised to a 4-0 win away at Western Sydney Wanderers which has already booked them the minor premiership shield with two rounds to spare (considering this was the first game of the penultimate round). The runaway leaders were on top of this one from the very start, a few long range sighters leading into some Claire Emslie dribbling forays and with ten minutes gone Emslie was sandwiched by a couple defenders leading to a penalty. Emslie dusted herself off to score, no need for any help.
Stotty then nearly made it 2-0 as she stepped up out of defence as she so often does and on this occasion cut back inside past a marker and stabbed one just over the top from range. It actually caught the fingertips of the keeper on the way through so had it not been for that intervention it might have just dipped in. All good though, Ellie Carpenter then popped one in from wingback and there was the second goal. The teams then traded half-chances for a while, with City missing one or two pretty decent ones, before finally Carpenter had a second, storming into the penalty area again and then swiftly gathering the rebound as her attempted through ball was blocked, putting it away herself instead. 62 minutes played. Ally Watt then scored a late one and that was all, folks.
So let’s recap for a second, aye? Rebekah Stott has played eight W-League seasons in her career. She started with Brisbane Roar was back in 2010-11 but didn’t get any games, sitting on the bench three times and that was it. The Roar finished second and went on to win the championship but that doesn’t really count for this purpose. The following two seasons she played for Melbourne Victory, playing 25 times in two seasons though she’d left to play in Germany when the Victory won the championship the following term. The silverware wouldn’t dodge her for long though. When Melbourne City formed their inaugural women’s team in 2015, Stotty was a part of it and for the past five seasons she’s been a first choice starter for them... this WSW win was her 50th appearance for the club which is no small feat considering their relatively short seasons. But it’s not just the regularity, it’s the dominance as well. This is her second premiership with City and when the semi-finals come around in a few weeks she’ll be gunning for a fourth championship in five years.
Up Next: Last game of the regular season, Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar on Sunday at 6pm (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
No need for the goal scoring heroics of Ryan Thomas this week. PSV won 2-1 away to Vitesse, their third win in a row since Thommo was given the number ten role... though this was no walk in the park. Vitesse had the better of most of the early chances. Maybe if Sam Lammers had slipped a ball through to Thomas in the 31st minute then the lad from Te Puke might have got us started but no dice. Not so long after that one both teams had to make an early sub, with PSV losing midfielder Jorrit Hendrix which further disrupted things and they were a little lucky to survive until the break.
After which the defences finally broke... and it was all their own fault. Some slack-tempo playing out from the back got them caught and Tim Matavz had no dramas putting his first touch past the keeper as the ball fell fortuitously to him. There were shouts for a foul from the PSV defenders but they weren’t escaping that easily here. 1-0 down with forty minutes to play.
By this stage Thommo had been pushed a little deeper into the midfield three and that allowed him to sit in the space outside the penalty area and pull some strings as he does best. 57th minute and he shifted play wide to right where Denzel Dumfries then picked it up on the overlap and won a penalty as he burrowed into the box. Sam Lammers converted it and then just a few minutes later they were in front. Cody Gakpo this time. Gakpo had already had a close range effort parried onto the crossbar within a minute of the goal and Thomas himself went close after 62 mins when he turned and shot on around the penalty spot but his effort was blocked under pressure. Suddenly this was a real end to end game with Vitesse also looking to push it and Gakpo, with space on the left in transition, cut inside and curled in what proved to be the winner from the edge of the area. Vitesse had one great chance late on but volleyed wide. Ninety minutes for Ryan Thomas, another win for PSV. With Ajax losing a shocker to Heracles that brings PSV back within eight points of the top... although wins for AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord mean they’re still fourth. PSV hosts Feyenoord next week.
Rightio and here’s a Ryan Thomas feature on the PSV website which missed the deadline for Flying Kiwis last week. You’ll need a bit of google translate to get at the whole thing, which is well worth a read, but these are some highlights...
His initial trial with PEC Zwolle
“That was an exciting period. PEC hinted that they never usually cooperated on such requests, mainly because they had no money for them. It was like: okay, if you can come here yourself, you get a ten-day trial. My parents and I had just enough money for a ticket to the Netherlands; A one-way ticket. Declan [Edge] told me that if it didn't work out, he would arrange the ticket back for me. So that ticket wasn't there yet. I arrived in the Netherlands and immediately trained the next day. That was not very chill with a jet lag, I must say. I really had a bad feeling about that training. I thought: I'm sure they will let me train for ten days and then tell me it won't be happening. A few days later I played against an amateur team with the reserves and that went really well. In fact, they immediately offered me a contract to come play for the second team that season. The club was only afraid that I still had to go back, because they didn't know that I didn't have a return ticket, haha.”
The Injury
Thommo: “At first I thought: okay, six to nine months. I’ll be the one who does it in six months.”
Nikky, his fiancee: “We were very positive at the start, but it was also his first major injury. It was also the first time I saw him in tears, but we had the feeling that we would soon get over it together. [But then] he put on some sort of mask and I saw that he was not doing well, but didn’t immediately know why because he didn't want to talk.”
Ryan: “It was so frustrating that my head constantly wanted things my body could not do. It was often a step forward, and two back. I took that home, but I didn't talk about it.”
Nikki: “You can safely call his behaviour during this period depressed.”
Ryan: “I can't say a bad word about the boys in the selection and the staff. Even though I only trained with the group for two weeks, they always gave me the feeling that I could go to them. But I am not really the type that the team looks for boys to deal with outside of football. After a day at the club, I prefer to be with my family rather than visit teammates every day.”
Nikki: “You are sitting there [watching PSV play] looking at a team that doesn't really feel like ‘your’ team,. Ryan couldn't really watch football during the injury.”
Ryan [smiling]: “I actually only watched PSV, so I could answer when the coach asked me something.”
His New Secondary Striker Role
“I really like it. The place is more attacking than I was used to, but it is going very well. The partnership with Sam is also going well and for me it is very nice that I have again picked up my goal. Despite the fact that I am not yet very old, I can also add something to the team in terms of experience. We only have a few players older than 26, so the team is very young. On the one hand, it is good to have so much talent, but it is difficult to immediately convert that into results and titles. Immediately there is so much pressure on those young boys who already help lead our team. The past few weeks have been a search. We had fallen so far that we no longer looked like PSV. We then went back to basics, the basics that led us all to this beautiful club. Making dirty meters, working hard and winning, ugly or beautiful. The rest will then come naturally, you are now seeing that more and more.”
Up Next: PSV vs Feyenoord, Monday at 2.30am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Burnley FC (English Premier League)
Sean Dyche: “Woody will be touch and go and we will find out more tomorrow (Friday) on how he is going. He has been with the physios and not on the grass. He has a chance.”
As it happens, he didn’t make it. He was never likely to despite what Dychey may have said. Woody’s had too many niggly muscle injuries over the years to make it make sense... and in the end they got by without him. Burnley beat Bournemouth 3-0 with that fella Matej Vydra scoring another one to open things up in the 53rd minute. There was drama on the hour mark as Burnley were hot on attack, leading to a penalty shout for a handball, only for the Cherries to go all the way down the other end on the break and equalise through Harry Wilson... yet the VAR stepped in and decided that the handball shout was legit up the other end and we came all the way back for a penalty which Jay Rodriguez scored and instead of 1-1 it was now 2-0 to Burnley.
Bournemouth had already had a goal disallowed in the first half for an even dodgier handball so safe to say that Eddie Howe was not a happy chappy afterwards. Dwight McNeil then whacked in a beauty of a third and Burnley had another quality three points in the bag which has them now a whole lot closer to the Champions League places than the relegation zone (particularly if Man City’s appeal doesn’t go too well and fifth place gets a UCL spot).
As for Chris Wood, this is all a lot better than we’d feared when he was forced off early against Southampton and that alone is reason to be cheerful. Friday obviously didn’t go perfectly but Wood did get back working on the grass again that day and all signs point towards him playing some part against Newcastle next week barring any setbacks. Keeps him nice and ready for the All Whites in a few weeks as well.
Up Next: Newcastle vs Burnley, Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Sunderland AFC (English League One)
Big man’s on campus in the Football League again. After a couple years with Colorado Rapids he’s back in England having signed on with Sunderland for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. It’s only a short term deal but it gets him into the system once more which is clearly what he wanted. Despite reports that he had an offer on the table to return to Colorado, he instead returned to Ipswich where he was training with the U23s there to keep fit. It could have been a lovely Odyssean tale of a long return to his long time home except the gaffer there unequivocally ruled out a Portman Road return for Smithy and he was left seeking alternative homes. There were a few other rumours out there but nothing tangible until all of a sudden, bang, Sunderland got in on the party.
Tommy Smith: “I know a lot about the club – the history and the fan base. I am delighted to be a part of it and hopefully I can help push the team up towards the Championship. I’ve heard about the Stadium of Light and the atmosphere that is generated and I am just really excited to step out there for the first time and hopefully success can follow. I see myself as a leader on and off the pitch so hopefully I can use that to be a good addition to the squad”.
Sunderland are a team on the rise this season. It’s been an extremely ugly few years for the Black Cats having sunk from the Premier League to League One however having finally gotten rid of the dead wood in their squad they’re now on the way back upwards, sitting in fourth place as things stand just three points off the top. Very much in the hunt with the top two spots getting automatic promotion and three through six going into the playoffs.
They recently lost central defender Bailey Wright (an Aussie fella) to a season ending injury so with a back three the preferred option for this lot they were keen on some reinforcements. Smithy isn’t necessarily expected to be pushing for first XI status but he’s there as cover and as an experienced figure in the squad. The mere two sentences spared by the gaffer in the official announcement makes it clear that he’s not seen as anything more than depth at the moment... but gotta be in it to win it. Smithy’s only 29 years old so there’s no reason he can’t settle back into several more years at a decent level here.
SAFC manager Phil Parkinson: “I am delighted with the signing of Tommy Smith. He is a good addition to the squad and will add competition to the back three”.
Smithy himself acknowledged the situation in that interview above. He got a call from Parky on Tuesday morning in the UK, which he called a no-brainer given the status of a club like Sunderland, and he was signed by Friday (despite the manager having said he wasn’t interested in anybody who wasn’t already match fit and Smithy last played competitively since November when the All Whites were last in action... so those keep-fit sessions at Ipswich must have done the trick).
Curious to note when asked about the experience in America, he mentioned the superior passion of English fans, which he missed, as well as the added relevance of promotion/relegation. He also added a line about “whether I’m playing or not” with regards the positive influence he wants to bring so there’s that too. Hey and no sooner had he signed than he was on the bench for the side on the weekend, a 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers. It was all tied in the 59th minute when Rovers copped a red card and Sunderland ran away with it from there for their fourth clean-sheet victory in a row.
Surprisingly Smithy’s never actually played at the Stadium of Light before. However he ain’t the only kiwi to have a crack with the club in recent times. Sam Brotherton and Michael Woud both spent time in the Sunderland academy before leaving for their current home of North Carolina FC (Brotherton) and Willem II (Woud).
Up Next: Sunderland vs Fleetwood, Weds at 8.45am (NZT)
Annalie Longo – Melbourne Victory (Australian W-League)
Yeah hold the phone just one second. Melbourne Victory lost 4-0 last week to Melbourne City. This week they beat the Newcastle Jets 7-0. SEVEN goal to NIL. That’s an eleven goal turnaround, a record in the W-League. A remarkable result which surges their goal difference into the stratosphere just at the perfect time and it all but books them into the semis considering the only team that can stop them is the Brisbane Roar who are away against Rebekah Stott and Melbourne City next week and even if they do stun an upset there, the Victory only need a point to qualify regardless and if they can beat Sydney FC then they’ll finish second and get a home semi-final, sweet as.
And who, pray tell, should have gotten us all started on this fine day? None other than Annalie Longo. The ball was swung in from a corner with barely two minutes played and Jenna McCormick volleyed it on to where Longo was hovering in front of the keeper. Quick little header to divert it and bingo, that’s one goal to nil. Then in the seventh minute she did it again. She had the ball on the edge of the area, dummied once or twice and went around a defender to charge into the box and slip it past the keeper, typically slick work from Longo and she had a double already. Her first two goals of the season for the Victory and fine reward for some tireless performances in the midfield.
There was the chance for a hatty inside twenty minutes too but after skipping past one defender her shot was off target. Natasha Dowie figured she’d just score the third herself then and did exactly that after a lobbed pass in behind the defence... then it was 4-0 at the break and again Longo wanted that hat-trick. She wouldn’t get closer than rattling the frame of the goal here but alas, no payout. Darian Jenkins scored on the rebound though so maybe that counts as an assist.
Four goals at the half and the Victory weren’t done there. Angie Beard had a shot tipped onto the bar as they pressed for a fifth goal which eventually would be supplied by a Jenkins header in the 59th minute. Jenkins then set up another chance for Longo whose near post side-footer went wide. An own goal with twenty minutes to play made it six and then the scoring was topped off by Melina Ayres with a header from a corner. 7-0, there you go.
Longo came off the bench in week one but has started every single W-League game since then. She’s been a valuable player for the Victory and it was beautiful to see her getting on the scoresheet a couple times after being given a more attacking role in this one – the one aspect of her game that she hadn’t really gotten to show yet for this team. Until now. These were also her first W-League goals since January 2013 when she last featured in the Aussie top tier for Sydney FC. A fair while between drinks.
Up Next: Melly Victory vs Sydney FC, Saturday at 7pm (NZT)
Olivia Chance – Bristol City (English Super League)
Times have been tough for Bristol City, with big defeats and small defeats but altogether too many defeats. They travelled to Birmingham City sitting last on the table and having already lost to Liverpool, the team directly above them on goal difference. They were going to have to take points from somewhere else to stay in the top flight and Birmingham were their next best shot.
Lucky for them, their opponents were without England international Lucy Staniforth after she was suspended last week for celebrating a late goal in the FA Cup directly in front of an abusive fan (running for metaphorical miles specifically to get to that part of the crowd). Which is kinda awesome but she did get sent off for it, hence the suspension. Must’ve crossed a line or two. Even still, Birmingham looked the more likely in the first half but the longer that the Robins were able to keep the game scoreless, the better they felt.
They survived into the second half thanks to some more top saves for the highlight reel of their excellent keeper Sophia Baggaley and then made much more of a game of it in the second stanza. Yana Daniels hit the crossbar with a curler from the right in the 57th minute, the closest Bristol City had yet come. It then took a super challenge from Olivia Chance to deny the Blues another effort before the crucial moment arrived in the 75th minute. Long ball forward and Ebony Salmon got on the end of it... and just as she did against Manchester United earlier in the season, she was too quick and too sharp, slipping that ball into the back of the net for a Bristol City goal.
Salmon was subbed on in the 65th minute and she scored what proved to the winner within ten turns of the clock. A perfect gameplan for the Robins, who managed to withstand the pressure over the last fifteen minutes and almost even grabbed a second as Liv Chance lined one up from distance...
Those bastard crossbars again. Not the first time she’s been thwarted that way lately. Chance would be replaced after a busy afternoon with a couple of minutes to go. By the way, this game also saw a bit of Kiwi/Aussie midfield with Matildas regular and new BCFC signing Chloe Logarzo playing the full match on debut. The 1-0 win lifts Bristol City above both Liverpool and Birmingham on the table, buying them some breathing room ahead of a full month’s break (internationals and cup footy taking priority) before they face Arsenal... the team that beat them 11-1 back in December.
Up Next: Bristol City vs Arsenal, 23 March at 4am (NZT)
Elliot Collier – Chicago Fire (American Major League Soccer)
Not sure about the goalkeeping there but that makes it four from four for Elliot Collier. Four preseason games and he’s scored in each one of them. For a guy who had to trial for his contract just to be here he’s really making all the right impressions. And the good news continues as well because in exchange for the chance to make it 5/5 he’s instead about to become a whole lot more useful to the Chicago Fire by opening up one of those golden ticket international spots.
Up Next: A bit of paperwork and then back to it
Winston Reid - Sporting Kansas City (American Major League Soccer)
Peter Vermes, Sporting KC head coach & GM: “This is now three days in a row, he’s trained three days in a row. He’ll train tomorrow again and... I don’t have a timeline yet but our objective is to get him fit so he’ll be ready to start playing with us as soon as he’s ready.”
Big talking for the sake of talking vibes there. Our objective is to have him ready as soon as he’s ready... seems like nobody really knows which would be consistent with everything Winston Reid related over the last year or two. Especially this season when he was supposed to be getting close to a return, he played some preseason minutes, then just disappeared only to show up and look sharp in half a game for the All Whites in November and then disappear again outside of an U23 game with West Ham. The myth of his fitness is one that’s proving hard to interpret. But he’s training with the team so that’s a good sign. Hopefully it’s all just a matter of getting back up to scratch.
Off the field he’s having no dramas whatsoever. Reidy’s a bit of an American sports fan by accounts and of course he’s just popped up in the city of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also a fan of the barbecue in KC and we know this because he had a big old chat about it on Sports Radio 810 WHB this week and you can hear the full five minutes of it here...
Winston Reid: “The last 19 months hasn’t been the easiest time in my career, but hopefully we’ve crossed that bridge now. I’m just looking forward to a new challenge. Whatever happened back in the UK happened, so I’m just happy to be here and I’m really excited for it.”
Up Next: First game of the MLS season, Vancouver Whitecaps vs Sporting Kansas City on Sunday at 4.30pm (NZT)
Hannah Wilkinson - Sporting CP (Portuguese 1a Divisão)
This was the most important game of the season. At home against league leaders SL Benfica, a team that had won 14 out of 14 games so far in the league, if they didn’t win this then their chances of taking home the league title were basically dead. And within quarter of an hour they were losing. Julia with the goal getting through the defence and sliding it home.
Hannah Wilkinson was on the bench for this one and wouldn’t be introduced until the 66th minute. So she missed the fun as Sporting scored twice in five minutes to take a 2-1 lead which they’d hold until the break. Nevena got the first from the penalty spot after Diana Silva had been chopped down. Then Raquel Fernandes scored a stunner from range, hitting it first time as she picked up a loose ball and lifting it over the keeper quite brilliantly. Crazy thing about that is SL Benfica had only conceded once in those first 14 games and here they’d given up two in five minutes. But then Cloe scored an excellent strike of her own for SLB in the 66th minute and Wilkie was swiftly introduced to try and find the winner.
She wouldn’t... but Diana Silva did. With Sporting attacking from a corner in the 89th minute, Wilkinson was hovering at the far post for the header only it didn’t get that far, Silva rising to nod it in instead and how about that? Sporting CP with the dramatic late win, 3-2.
It’ll still be tough to win from here. With seven games remaining they’re now level with SL Benfica on points but still trail them by an unfathomable quantity of goal difference. Benfica have scored 101 goals and conceded 3. That’s +98. Sporting CP have scored 69 and conceded 10. That’s +59. Pretty difficult to make up 39 goals across seven games... but if Benfica drop points then they’ll be there to leap above them and if they hadn’t won then it’d already be all over.
Up Next: Next league game is March 16 against Estoril Praia at 4am (NZT)
Sarpreet Singh - Bayern Munich II (German Liga 3)
Bit of a dud game here, Bayern 2 fell behind after 25 minutes against Chemnitzer (the team that Tom Doyle started the season at) and then had a red card late in the first half as Kwasi Okyere Wreidt was given his marching orders. The goal came from a bit of head tennis from a corner, the Bayern youngsters unable to compete in the air, and then the red card was... debatable. To tell the truth, it didn’t look like KOW had done anything wrong other than a heavy first touch. As he stretched out to gather it an oppo player fell over his leg awkwardly and unless he said something drastic then the worst thing Kwasi did was pull his leg bag from under the dude kinda rough. Didn’t appear to kick him or lash out and if anything he was the one who was fouled in the first place. But out came the red one.
Thus Bayern ended up losing 1-0 to a team that began the day in the relegation zone and who only had one shot on target all match. They just couldn’t break them down with ten men and Sarpreet Singh, who was given a more attacking role in the number ten position, was subbed off for a striker in the 72nd minute.
Now, it might be reading too much into that sub... but Bayern’s top side have a congested bunch of fixtures coming up with three different competitions in the mix. They face Chelsea in the Champions League tomorrow morning, a squad that Singh was not a part of as they travelled with 19 men to London before that BM2 game, however they then have a game on Sunday NZT in the Bundesliga and a DFB-Pokal quarter-final the next Wednesday so the games are coming thick and fast and Coutinho’s not the most in favour player at the club these days with his indifferent form so you never know.
Up Next: Unterhaching vs BM2, Saturday at 7am (NZT)
Meikayla Moore – MSV Duisburg (German Bundesliga)
Every point counts indeed for the Zebras in their relegation bout and especially in a week where the two other teams in that scrap were supposed to play each other but it was postponed. MSV were away to Freiburg, hoping to snap a streak of six games without a win in the Bundesliga. Meikayla Moore was named at right centre back in her second proper game back from injury.
They started so well too. Three minutes in and they were already in front as Geldona Morina brought a cross down on her knee and then volleyed it home on an early excursion forwards. Brilliant start but they conceded from a scramble after a corner kick in the 19th minute with Sandra Starke scoring after Moore had played her onside. Then a horrible mistake by one of the centrebacks allowed Stefanie Sanders through to score in the 32nd and Duisburg were trailing. Fair play to them though, they stuck at it. Despite a bit of pressure they were able to keep Freiburg from adding to that total and then, in second half stoppage time... drama.
The Zebras had a corner on the right side, swung in with seven attackers in the box. Moore was one of them but the ball floated over her at the near post. Then it bounced around as a couple players tried to clear it away before... would you look at that? Antonio-Johanna Halverkamps whacked it into the bottom corner and MSV Duisburg had a 2-2 draw. That point lifts them out of the relegation zone ahead of FC Köln as it stands, albeit with one more game played. They’ll need more where this came from to avoid the drop but this could give them the momentum they need. Catch the highlights over here.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, shout out to Paige Satchell who got 13 mins off the bench for SC Sand against Bayern Munich. She was the second sub used and her team lost 3-1 but that last bit was expected. Satchell still hasn’t started a league game for SCS in the 21 year old’s first season of professional footy but that’s now nine appearances she’s made off the bench including both of the most recent games. Sand are right on the edge of the midtable scramble so safe enough as the season rounds the bend with seven more games remaining.
Up Next: MSV Duisburg away to Bayern Munich on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Another 1-0 win over here. Away to Brighton, Spurs were given a massive boost in the 32nd minute with Lea Le Garrec was sent off for a second yellow... although it wouldn’t be until the 67th minute that they finally made that advantage count. Angela Addison was fouled in the box and Rianna Dean stepped up to score the penalty. Certainly not the most glamorous of performances even if Spurs were the better team throughout, with Ria Percival churning away in the midfield (she also had one long range shot on target, though it was easily saved), and they eventually got what they deserved despite a couple of nervous moments towards the end. That win lifts them up to sixth on the ladder which would be superb if they can finish in the top half in their first season in the Super League.
The next time they take the paddock it’ll be putting Ria Percival’s FA Cup record on the line. Last year her West Ham side took it all the way to the final at Wembley. This time they’re into the quarters where they now know they’ll face Arsenal in a London Derby of immense proportions. This after the Gunners made it past Katie Rood and Lewes 2-0 in their R16 clash. Katie Rood started up front for Rooks but the second tier side barely threatened throughout and spent most of the game in their own defensive third trying to hang in there... which they did for the first half. But then new Aussie signing Caitlin Foord broke the deadlock in the 54th minute and Danielle van de Donk put a second away near the end. Still a commendable effort for Lewes though – remember Liv Chance’s Bristol City lost 11-1 to the Gunners a couple months back and they’re a Super League side.
Up Next: That London Derby FA Cup quarter-final on March 16 vs Arsenal (NZT)
Steven Old – Morecambe (English League Two)
It could have been a lot better. The Shrimps were 2-0 up after half an hour against Carlisle with goals from Cole Stockton and Aaron Wildig and plotting a very valuable three points against a team not too far ahead of them on the ladder. That wouldn’t last. They’d concede a couple and end up drawing 2-2. But even that draw was enough, coupled with Macclesfield Town’s defeat, to lift them out of the relegation zone for the first time in ages. Ninety minutes for Steven Old. Sweet as.
Up Next: Sunday at 4am vs Crewe (NZT)
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