Flying Kiwis – March 8
CJ Bott - Leicester City (English Super League)
CJB to the WSL, that’s what we wanna see. Bott had recently teased a move to England, after leaving Vålerenga in November at the conclusion of her second season there, and this is a pretty great one. Signing on permanent terms with top flight club Leicester City. Up the Foxes.
CJ Bott: “It feels amazing. It’s been a long road to get here with visas and things like that, but it’s so great to finally be here and get among things and meet everyone. It’s awesome, so I’m happy now. I’ve definitely wanted to play in England for a long time, so this seemed like a natural move for both me and the Club and a good fit and I felt like I was good fit for the Club too.”
It’s a good time to be joining them too. Their manager Lydia Bedford just got given the Manager of the Month award after they won both games in February... quite a turnaround after some troublesome times earlier on. This was a club that impressed a lot of people with the structure, integration, and investment they gave to their women’s team as they surged towards promotion last season but their first year in the WSL began with eight losses on the trot and manager Jonathan Morgan was duly sacked.
Bedford came in and lost a ninth in a row... but then a 2-0 win over their main relegation competitors Birmingham City changed everything. Starting then they won four out of six to climb eight points clear of the drop. Perfect time to start integrating a new fullback. Bott has been given the #4 jersey.
CJ Bott: “It’s a great league. It’s got more and more professional, which is awesome for women’s football and women’s sport. It’s also an incredibly technical league and very tactical as well, it’s great to watch. I’m definitely excited to be a part of it. I feel like it’s definitely going to be a good fit. It’s an aggressive league, which suits my playing style really well. It’s attack-minded, which I really love, and it’s going to challenge me a lot but I think I have a lot to offer as well. I’ve played in a lot of high-level games and a lot of high-level competitions and I think that experience is going to be really important. I’m really grateful to have that under my belt.”
Bott was pretty successful in Norway, winning a league title and two domestic cups as well as appearing in the Champions League (only the sixth NZer to do so). Second season wasn’t so flash, dipping to fourth in the league, but she’s gone from a title contending team in Norway to bottom half club in England. However the WSL is probably the strongest league on the planet now in terms of overall depth and competition. Plus, as she says, the technical and tactical style of the WSL should suit her game really well.
Curiously, this move was first suggested a month ago around the time of the transfer deadline. It didn’t happen then though of course as a free agent the deadline didn’t matter. Judging from her quotes it sounds like there were visa hurdles that dragged on. At that same deadline, LCFC picked up young Spurs fullback Esther Morgan on loan who appeared twice for them off the bench, however Morgan suffered an injury which earlier last week caused her to return to her parent club. The Foxes tend to play a back three with wing-backs. Esmee de Graaf (right) and Jemma Purfield (left) are the first choicers whom Bott will have to overtake.
They were once again the two starters away against Manchester United when CJ Bott’s first opportunity for a debut came around (Sunday morn NZT). The match was a walkover, United scoring twice in the opening half hour via Martha Thomas (16’) and Alessia Russo (30’) before Katie Zelem bagged a five minute double (59’ & 63’) in the second half for a cruisy 4-0 win. Incredibly, both of Zelem’s goals came directly from corners (and she scored another one like that against Man City recently too!). Could have easily been more, four goals in no way flattered United.
But guess what happened in the aftermath of the third goal...
CJ Bott subbed on for the last half hour becoming the 15th New Zealander to play in the Women’s Super League. Go on then.
Bott replaced an injured Abbie McManus (a former MUFC player which led to some crowd chants of her name), coming on at right centre-back in the trio and immediately putting her head on a clearance. There were a couple of those defensive interventions along the way with the most notable being a lunging block to deny Alessia Russo.
Bott then switched to right wing-back and seemed to alternate with Esmee de Graaf depending on who was covering for whom at what time. The result was gone by the time she came on though so the intensity wasn’t quite at full capacity – not that it was any fault of the energetic CJB. Great to see her straight into the thick of things and also useful to see she’ll be considered for defensive utility duty. That’ll come in handy given how settled the existing LCFC wingbacks are.
Up Next: 6.30am on Sunday away to Everton (NZT)
Ria Percival – Tottenham Hotspur (English Super League)
Didn’t quite get the job done on this occasion. Spurs were away to Reading and did well to limit them defensively but just weren’t able to find a winning goal. Ria Percival set up a great chance for Kyah Simon in the first half with an outside of the boot through ball but the keeper came out to save it and the rebound was cleared after a hiccup. Percy herself later headed one on target which was saved easily. Plus, in typical Ria fashion, she also picked up a yellow card on 18’ for cleaning out Deanne Rose with a stomp on her heel which took Rose’s boot clean off.
This was a really busy game to Ria Percival. She was in close attendance as Rachel Williams shot wide from eight yards after a tenacious run. She also might have been the intended target (it was way over her head but there was nobody else in the box) as Ashleigh Neville chipped a deep cross onto the post. There was another headed shot, this time from a Neville cross that did connect, this time targeted downwards and forcing a strong near post save. And it was Percival’s deflected cross following a short corner which nearly bounced over the keeper and had to be cleared, awkwardly, off the line.
Alas, it wasn’t to be. Ria Percival was subbed off in the 77th minute as Spurs threw on attacker Cho So-hyun for some more firepower – a rare instance, only the third time in 61 WSL appearances that she hasn’t played the full ninety. It’d be fair to say that Reading’s best work came in the last half hour and a couple of times there Spurs were fortunate not to find themselves trailing. Overall though it was Tottenham who bossed the game and they’ll be disappointed not to have taken three points, the draw combined with Manchester United’s win over Leicester City meaning that Spurs drop to fourth place on goal difference. Five points clear of the fifth placed team... and they play them in a week’s time.
Up Next: Going for the double over Man City on Monday at 1.30am (NZT)
Callum McCowatt & Elijah Just - FC Helsingør (Danish Division 1)
Another day another dollar for FCH. They didn’t exactly blow them away but a deserved 1-0 win over Horsens was enough to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the ladder, the only goal coming in the eighth minute of the match from yer boy Callum McCowatt.
Fine looking goal it was too. Both he and Eli Just were in the starting team this time and both were heavily involved in the team’s best attacking moments, including Just playing a role in McCowatt’s goal. Just also had a long ranger off target. Horsens, who came into this match only six points behind FCH, certainly weren’t going down without a fight and early in the second half especially they produced a flurry of troubles largely from set pieces. But that allowed Helsingør to get out on the counter attack and McCowatt almost sealed the deal from one only to see his strike come back off the far post.
Not to worry, there would be no late twist. FCH’s January signing goalie Sebastian Mielitz was flawless with his gloves and Horsens ran out of steam in the latter stages. 1-0 was the final score and FCH remain on course for promotion to the top flight. This was McCowatt’s fifth goal of the Div1 season to go with 5 assists. Eli Just has 6 goals and 3 assists.
Meanwhile spare a thought for Marko Stamenic and HB Koge. It was nil-all in the latter stages of their game away to Hobro but they were absolutely bossing it. Struggling to find the necessary creativity to break them down, mostly going side to side and whipping hopeful crosses into the box, but Hobro had played the second half of the match with ten men and HBK had all the position and territory and were pressing hard for a winner.
Then, in stoppage time, their keeper conceded a needless corner kick diving at a ball that was already going wide and gently fumbling it out. Like, the Hobro players were already rushing back for the goal kick when the whistle alerted them. From the resulting corner, Oliver Klitten slipped away from his marker and headed in the only goal of the match. HBK downed 1-0. Full game for Marko sitting at the base of that midfield and keeping the ball rolling but this means their hopes of finishing in the top half when the division splits in two weeks are still very frisky.
Up Next: Hvidovre vs Helsingør, Sunday at 12.45am (NZT)
Joe Bell – Brøndby IF (Danish Superliga)
Monday morning had all sorts of potential for those incapable of sleep though in the end it was better to get that precious shut-eye as Libby Cacace’s rotation dance with Fabiano Parisi at left-back for Empoli continued, Cacace an unused sub in the 0-0 draw away to Genoa. And also Sarpreet Singh missed SSV Jahn’s latest as the injury he’s been dealing with since at least before the last All Whites camp finally caught up with him. He wasn’t in the squad at all as Regensburg were dropped 1-0 away at Erzebirge to make it ten losses from the last 13 for SSV... might well be reading headlines about them looking for a new manager soon. Obviously that’s seen them tumble into the mid-table ranks but equally concerning is that Sarpreet Singh is now only fourth equal in Bundesliga 2 assists. His eight are only two off top though so a resurgent last nine games would go alright.
Luckily we had Joe Bell and Brøndby to carry the weight. Tricky game for them away at Silkeborg who came into this game in fifth place with designs on moving higher, whereas BIF had to win to keep pace with FC Kopenhagen and FC Midtjylland who both had solid wins on the day prior. Joe Bell in his immediately customary defensive midfield role whilst showing a bit more of an intention to push forward in this pivotal clash.
Not that he had too many chances to. Silkeborg began by winning a few pesky corner kicks and then continued on from there, not quite laying siege to the Brøndby goal or anything but they were dominating the ball and creating a whole lot more than their guests were. A deflected shot from Sebastian Jørgensen dipped onto the crossbar on 17’. Nicklas Helenius also had a decent headed chance five mins later. There were dangerous crosses whipped past the goalmouth. BIF’s 21 year old goalie Mads Hermansen had to make a sharp save as Anders Klynge peeled into space to shoot. And that’s only the abridged version.
To make matters worse for Brøndby, they lost attacker Kevin Mensah to injury just before the half as he charged into the area only to fall and twist his knee trying to hold off a defender. No claims of a penalty, in fact the defender was the one who told the ref to stop the game so he could get treatment. However there was a penalty awarded up the other end before the half was done. A handball given against BIF’s Sigurd Rosted as he slid to block a cross. Silkeborg were all set to take it when the VAR piped up and it was (correctly) overturned as the ball had struck his leg before incidentally brushing his tucked arm. Still, no idea how BIF remained level at the half.
Helpfully they improved things massively in the second spell. More touches of the ball, more of a foothold in the midfield. As a result Joe Bell was able to be more of a presence and their defence looked much more assured without the constant pressure. It didn’t lead to a multitude of shots or anything but at least they were no longer having to cope with the same thing coming back the other way. Granted, SIF did ramp things up again after turning to a few substitutes – with Nicolai Vallys seeming destined to score on 76’ only for a brilliant save from Hermansen.
Then, hilariously, Brøndby went and won it at the death. They had five total shots in this match. They had a mere 31% of possession. But after Anis Ben Slimane slid one over for Mathias Kvistgaarden whose cross was partly cleared away, the ball was quickly recycled to Bellinho who flipped a clever ball over the top to get Slimani into the area once again (might not have been intended for him but it worked out so no dramas). Slimani tried to whip a volley at goal and sliced it into the path of Kvistgaarden instead... who buried the 86th minute banger before peeling off some impressive gymnastic celebrations in front of the Brøndby fans.
A massive 1-0 win despite being the second-best team for the majority of the match. Keeps Brøndby three points off top. Clearly this team has trouble scoring goals (29 in 20 Superliga games despite competing for a title) but their defence is rock solid and has been even better since Joe Bell rolled up. In the three games that he’s played, getting ninety minutes in each, they are yet to concede at all. Plus he got the so-called hockey assist for the winner against Silkeborg – aka the pass that led to the assist. Pleasant areas.
Up Next: Home to AGF on Monday at 4am (NZT)
Chris Wood - Newcastle United (English Premier League)
Cover model Christopher Wood. That’s the one.
Newcastle vs Brighton now. Brighton entered this game on the back of three straight defeats (compared to seven unbeaten for the Magpies) but for the first ten minutes they looked the brighter team, outside of a lone Ryan Fraser chances saved on the line. Then, all of a sudden, Chris Wood dropped in to hold the ball up in his own half as his team progressed out of defence. He tilted a shoulder and turned his man, then held on just long enough for Jacob Murphy’s run to peak and he slid him through on goal. This probably shoulda been Wood’s first assist for Newcastle but Murphy’s 1v1 finish was dinked off the post. However Fraser followed it up to score, right on.
Straight afterwards Joe Willock won a free kick out wide and Fraser whipped it into the area. Fabian Schär powered home the header from just outside the line of the near post. 2-0 to Newcastle on 14 mins and just like that they’d roared out in front. What a start.
You don’t often see Chris Wood trying to dribble but that goal involvement was not an isolated incident. He also went on a bender down the left wing a bit later, turning Shane Duffy with a glance off his chest but just as he seemed to get goal side on the run, Duffy slid in and took the ball away. Wood stayed down for a sec having copped it on the ankle but the ref, kinda harshly, declined to intervene with a free kick. Bit rude.
Wood’s ankle was fine, didn’t need treatment (though several others did in a half punctuated by fouls). It was his head that was most important anyway and he was winning almost everything in the air. Really dropping anchor up top. Brighton resumed their possession-heavy stuff but with a two-goal deficit it had a very different tinge to it and they lacked the speed to break down a confident and committed Newcastle backline. Even Wood popped up with a block on the edge of his area at one stage.
The next goal was always gonna be massive. Unfortunately for Newcastle, they were a bit slow out of the blocks for the second half and were punished on 55’ as Lewis Dunk got in front of Martyn Dubravka to head in from a corner kick for 2-1. Chris Wood had been marking him initially but Dunk used the block of Wood’s own teammate Schär, who ended up in the dirt, to get free.
Newcastle had a chance to respond immediately but the cross in towards Wood was too deep. Then it was back to Brighton whose possession now looked threatening. An emotional tension settled over St James Park. Eddie Howe’s reply was to bring on Allan Saint-Maximin. Meanwhile Duffy clattered Wood again and this time did get penalised – and yellow carded – for it.
Sketchy times. Newcastle very much a counter attacking team now. Joelinton and Marc Cucurella had a wee scrap. Newcastle didn’t exactly close it out in the most efficient way, ASM in particular giving the ball away too often, but eventually that final whistle did ring out to a huge cheer from the home fans as Newcastle won it 2-1. Highlights over here.
It does mean another game without a goal for Chris Wood, if he’d only bag one or two away to get off the mark then we wouldn’t have to worry about that. But more importantly their incredible record since he arrived continues. Five wins and two draws from seven games. They’re all the way up to 14th on the ladder now.
Up Next: A rare Friday game at 8.30am away to Southampton, then it’s 3am on Monday away to Chelsea (NZT)
Katie Rood - Southampton (English National League Southern Premier)
The smile says it all but what does it say? It says that Southampton are off to the National League Cup final after beating Crawley Wasps 2-0. It says that Katie Rood, who started and played 83 minutes, scored the first goal on 54’ finessing a shot into the roof of the net after a great overlapping run...
It also says that she then set up the second in the 75th min. Alisha Ware making no mistake after a brilliant through ball from Roodie. The goal was nice but the assist was even nicer, get a load of this...
The Saints were well worth the opener when it came along, having produced several decent moments across the first half. However in between the goals it was probably Crawley who were having more of the run of things. But then came that moment of class with the outside of the boot through ball assist and the Saints march on into the final of the FA WNL Cup where they’ll face Huddersfield Town.
In the meantime they’ve got a heap of league fixtures to cram in between now and the end of the season – they’re 12 points off top of the Southern Premier division but have a whopping six games in hand so it’s all under their own control. Lots of midweekers between now and the end of the campaign though.
Elsewhere, Rosie Missen was amongst the starters and produced a quality midfield performance as Newcastle United moved to within two points of Liverpool Feds at the top of the Division One North conference thanks to a 6-2 win over Leeds United. Good to see the big bosses showing up for that one...
Also Ashleigh Ward captained Actonians to a healthy 3-0 win over London Seaward which has them third in Div1 South East – although likely to drop a couple spots when other teams get through their games in hand. But Laura Merrin’s Fylde didn’t get to play due to a waterlogged pitch.
Meanwhile, up a couple tiers, Meikayla Moore’s return to Liverpool after the international break saw her log two minutes towards the end of a 1-1 draw with London City Lionesses. Rare dropped points for the Reds. Broke a seven game winning streak in the WSL Championship. However they remain seven points clear of Bristol City with only six matches remaining are are still surely staring at promotion to the WSL. Surely.
Up Next: Oxford vs Southampton, Thurs at 8.45am; Southampton vs Bridgwater Utd, Mon at 3am (NZT)
Nando Pijnaker & Max Mata – Sligo Rovers (League of Ireland Premier Division)
With three ninety minute jam sessions in a row, Nando Pijnaker has played more senior club football in a week and a half than he has at any point since he was still at Eastern Suburbs. And he’s making quite a name for himself already, voted by Sligo fans as their club’s top performer in the 0-0 draw with Dundalk FC this weekend. A second consecutive scoreless draw for Rovers... yet that also means two straight clean sheets under Nando’s watch.
It was not a classic game of football. The first half especially was pretty pedestrian with the respective defences well on top. Second half got better, including Sligo Rovers getting the ball in the net from a corner only for it to be disallowed for a foul on a defender. Aidan Keena struck one wide from a bit of space soon after. A few braves saves in there from both keepers. In the end nobody was complaining about a draw as both teams remain undefeated.
Nando Pijnaker’s best moment came in the first half when he was shaped up by an attack on the run and managed to not only stay with him but also to get a block on the shot to take all heat out of it. Chuck in some good physical centrebackery and decent left-footed distribution from the back and he’s looking in fine form. Rovers fans definitely agree. No Max Mata in this game though, he was an unused sub after appearing off the bench in each of Sligo’s first two matches.
Up Next: Saturday at 8.45am away to Drogheda United (NZT)
Alex Greive - St Mirren (Scottish Premiership)
Big game in the midweeker for St Mirren up against the might of Celtic. Alex Greive’s first opportunity to play against an Auld Firm team... but with an expectation of having to spend most of it on defence he found himself having to wait longer than hoped, named on the bench to end his run of recent starts.
Fair play to the Buddies because they defended very well here (apart from when Charles Dunne sliced a clearance onto his own crossbar, that is). Kept the Hoops out entirely in the first half despite minimal possession and bugger all chances of their own. And when Cameron Carter-Vickers finally struck Celtic in front on 55’ it was a tad unlucky – a free kick into the area sorta just bobbling his way... though the finish was class, smashing in the volley from eight yards out.
Alex Greive made his introductions soon after as he came on in the 64th min. You can understand why he was left out given the flow of the game but he definitely made a difference when he popped up. Drifting across towards the wings and looking to collect the ball, his energy and tenacity giving them a nudge in the right direction. Even if the Celtic TV commentators weren’t entirely convinced...
Bottom line: Celtic were simply too good. An 81st minute strike from Callum McGregor clinched it, another example of a high ball into the area then dropping towards an open man on the second phase. Unlucky the first time, a concerning pattern the second time. McGregor smashed it in to make Ange Postecoglou a happy man. 2-0 to Celtic who stay top. St Mirren had four total shots (one on target) and 23% possession in this match.
After which they took on Ross County away. Manager Stephen Robinson curiously rolled out the same back three formation – which made sense against Celtic but less so against a team on the same points as them given they’d gone away from those formations during their unbeaten streak – and although Greive was recalled to the eleven this was a shocker of a match from the Buddies.
In fact Greive was subbed off at half-time. One of two changes made by St Mirren. Neither of them worked as they conceded a penalty early in the second stanza which Joseph Hungbo struck in off the crossbar for what proved the only goal in a less than enjoyable match. The official highlights package doesn’t include a single clip from the first half while Greive was out there, it picks up with the penalty, and while St Mirren did put up a scrap towards the end they lacked a finisher in the box to put anything away. Shouldn’t have subbed off Greivesy, aye?
Bit of a confusing one to see the new manager talking afterwards about how he’s been trying to keep things going the way he inherited them but now he feels he needs to put his stamp on this team. Under the previous gaffer they were familiar with a back three but it tended to come with 2-3 attacking players adding balance up top and definite wing-backs. Here they had one striker and effectively a back five. So we’ll see what the new gaffer’s “own stamp” looks like.
Up Next: Dundee vs St Mirren on Thurs at 8.45am; Hearts vs St Mirren on Sun at 8.45am (NZT)
Andre De Jong – AmaZulu FC (South African Premier Soccer League)
ADJ’s time with AmaZulu has been so weird. He’ll go through long stretches out of the team entirely but then he’ll have these little spurts of appearances. He had a lovely one in November-December as a few injuries caused him to surge up the pecking order with some fine performances... it didn’t last but we might be getting back on the upswing now.
Until getting half an hour off the bench against Stellenbosch this week, De Jong hadn’t featured in a game since before Christmas. To be fair, there had been a break in fixtures for six weeks so not quite as bad as it sounds. But with AmaZulu competing in Champions League footy simultaneous to a domestic cup game and their usual PSL fixtures... De Jong wasn’t even in the matchday squad for six consecutive matches. Then suddenly he was and he immediately got minutes.
ADJ entered the game as part of a triple sub with the game poised at 1-1. Stellenbosch had taken a 29th minute lead through Ashley du Preez but AmaZulu cancelled that goal out through Matarr Ceesay five minutes later. The match only featured 10 shots in total so not the best game in those terms but there was plenty of drama. Stellenbosch reclaimed the lead just after the subs through Juan Carlos Ortiz Hernandez. However there was still another twist in the tale. Andre De Jong with a ball through the defensive line, slight deflection on it seems to have robbed him of an official assist (no dramas), and Thembela Sikhakhane put it away...
De Jong had created a decent look for Ceesay a bit earlier only for the fella to miss the target. One thing that stood out a couple months back was that whenever ADJ did play, he had an impact. Same scenario here. The game ended 2-2. Disappointing on the whole. AmaZulu have had trouble bouncing back from Champions League games this season and this was another example of that.
Happy to say that Andre De Jong was then rewarded for that cameo with a start away against SuperSport in what was AmaZulu’s fifth game in 16 days. De Jong again used in more of a midfield creator role rather than up front. But sad to say that this one didn’t quite go the same way. They were already 1-0 down in the first half when De Jong managed to smack a shot onto the crossbar which a teammate then followed up by striking into the post. Then early in the second half they won a penalty but Bongi Ntuli’s kick was saved.
SuperSport scored again soon after and De Jong was replaced for the last quarter of the contest. A 2-0 defeat. AmaZulu with a red card in stoppage time (second booking for Tapelo Xoki). At least they get a week off before the next one now.
Up Next: Champions League group stage, ES Setif vs AmaZulu on Sunday at 8am (NZT)
Erin Nayler - Umeå IK (Swedish Damallsvenskan)
Extremely significant moment here as Erin Nayler debuted for her new club in the Swedish League Cup group stage match against Brommapojkarna. Umeå cruised to a 4-1 win so that was all good. Another heavy win as they book their place in the knockouts with a game to spare (Nayler missed game one on her way back from Footy Ferns duty).
That’s not what makes this significant though. A cup competition that acts like a preseason tournament is not really the definition of significant. The reason this matters so much is that it was her first competitive club appearance since a 3-0 loss to West Ham for Reading (her only Reading appearance) back on 4 November 2020. That’s... quite a wait. But thankfully it’s over now.
Up Next: Last Svenska Cupen group stage game is away to Hammarby on Monday at 2am (NZT)
Vic Esson – SC Sand (German Bundesliga)
A debut for Vic Esson at new club SC Sand? Get in there.
Esson had to watch the last couple league games from the bench but cup footy meant it was finally her turn to shine. Quarter-final stage of the DFB Pokal up against... oh, up against Wolfsburg. That was akways gonna be a tough one and sure enough Esson ended up picking the ball out of her net on seven occasions. A 7-0 defeat. One of three 7-8 goal winning margins across the four quarters (at least SGS Essen and Bayer Leverkusen went to extra time), so presumably the semis should be a lot closer.
Nothing to be ashamed of in terms of the goals. The first was a penalty that she dove the right way for but didn’t quite reach. She might’ve done better with the second, a free kick cross that drifted inside her far post, but the multiple defenders who stood there watching it bounce were more to blame. Couple decent saves in there as they kept it at twos all the way up until the 63rd minute, when Esson saved a point-blank attempt but it was tapped in on the rebound. That was three.
Fourth goal was a 1v1 after their defence messed up the offside trap. Fifth an open tap in after Esson was drawn out with no choice and the ball was squared past her. Three goals conceded in five minutes. Couple more good saves, including one on the dive from a runaway, plus another shot hit the crossbar. Sixth goal was a good low finish from inside the area. Seventh a stoppage time cracker through some traffic. It got ugly. But on the whole... kinda think that Esson came out of that one with her reputation enhanced, oddly enough.
Unfortunately it was then back to the bench for the league game on the weekend. Sarah-Lisa Dübel resuming her starting keeper status as has been the case since number one Jasmine Pal was ruled out for the season. If there’s no rotation, with SC Sand having been emphatically dumped out of the cup, it may be tricky for Esson to get many more games before the season is out. But this is likely only a short-term gig anyway so all goods.
Dübel didn’t manage to keep SC Sand’s second Bundesliga clean sheet of the season away to the team they kept their first one against in Carl Zeiss Jena. A 55th minute Verena Volkmer goal seeing to that. However SCS did achieve one thing that they hadn’t done all season: they won. A couple early goals giving them a handy lead and then after battling through after CZJ pulled that one back they scored two late ones to clinch a wonderful win. 4-1 the final score. It’s a result that lifts SC Sand out of last place ahead of their opponents on goal difference... though still seven points away from safety so they’ll need plenty more where that came from and against better teams too with only eight more games remaining.
Up Next: SC Sand vs Bayer Leverkusen, 1am on Monday (NZT)
Michael Woud – Kyoto Sanga (Japanese J-League)
Continuing the goalkeeper trend. Kyoto Sanga are already several games into their 2022 season and Michael Woud hasn’t even been glimpsed yet but there’s a good reason for that: travel restrictions have meant he hasn’t been able to get into Japan. However by the looks of his IG story he should be there by now and not a moment too soon as KS’s current starting goalie, Naoto Kamifukumoto, was sent off towards the end of the first half in a 4-1 loss against Jubilo Iwata.
Through three games Kyoto Sanga have four points thanks to one of each result. They’ve also had a win and a draw in the J-League Cup group stage. This was their first defeat in all comps but it was a hefty one. We’ll see if Michael Woud’s able to walk straight on in there or if he needs to earn them gloves in training first.
Up Next: Shonan Bellmare vs Kyoto Sanga, Saturday at 7pm (NZT)
Nik Tzanev – AFC Wimbledon (English League One)
One more goalkeeper, since we’re on a roll.
It’s time for another round of the old favourite: Did AFC Wimbledon Win A Game This Week? The answer... is no. They lost 1-0 to Wigan. Will Keane with a 23rd minute goal after Tzanev had parried a long-ranger into his path. The winless streak is now up to 16 League One games; at least they’re still two points clear of the drop zone thanks to other results.
Up Next: Away to Plymouth Argyle on Weds at 8.45am & home to Cheltenham on Sunday at 4am (NZT)
Olivia Chance - Celtic FC (Scottish Premier League)
A resounding response from Celtic after the loss to Rangers last week. 3-0 over Aberdeen, a winning margin that could have been a whole lot more after a dominant display. Charlie Wellings pounced early for an 8th minute lead. Liv Chance had a shot from distance drift narrowly wide. Wellings went close again (as well as hitting the post in the second half). Chloe Craig also missed a close one. But just as it was getting to feel like Celtic were being too wasteful they finally doubled the lead as Australian forward Jacynta scooped one home on 53’. Tegan Bowie then scored in stoppage time for the icing on the cake.
Full game for Liv Chance. Good solid win ahead of a tough match-up with Glasgow City. It’s highly unlikely they can win the title from here but anything other than a win there and second place and a UCL spot may be gone too.
Up Next: Monday at 3am, Glasgow City vs Celtic (NZT)
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Second game, second draw for the Loons. They hosted Nashville SC and made a wreck of the start of their home opener as Nashville took the lead after only four minutes. Cross to the back post returned across the six yard box and Jeffrey Sarpong was there to tap it home. Boxall unable to stick with the dude, though it was the free man at the back post that was the bigger issue.
Better times were coming. Franco Fragapane volleyed over later in the half while Brent Kallman glanced a free kick header wide. Luis Amarilla lifted one over the top after holding off his man on 42’. Having said that it was nearly 2-0 on the brink of the HT whistle when Randall Leal struck the post from a long shot. The rain was absolutely bucketing down in Minnesota, by the way. Not the most flattering to the quality of the game. Leal glanced another one just past the post in stoppage time before Bakaye Dibassy volleyed low onto the outside of the post for Minny.
It would be a while before there was action as intense as those last five mins of the first half but eventually Minnesota did get something to show for their efforts. 72nd minute, Luis Amarilla with a driving volley from the edge of the box as a free kick was chipped his way. Big crowd in front of him and the shot hit teammate Hassani Dotson... and deflected onto the post. Dotson was first to react to tap in the rebound. 1-1.
That was how it ended. Curious to see Minny making a defensive change at HT with Kallman replaced by fullback DJ Taylor, allowing natural CB Dibassy to partner Boxall as opposed to the left-back role he’d been playing. It wasn’t a particularly memorable performance or anything but a point is a point and they’ll try for that first win of 2022 in New York next time out.
Also if you’re interested in what music footballers listen to, the Minnesota United website does this thing where they grab a few key tracks from players chuck together their ‘Matchday Mixtape’ and kicking off the playlist for 2022 was Mr Michael Boxall whose contributions were as thus...
So Fresh, So Clean – OutKast
Funky Friday – Dave
How Bizarre – OMC
Good tunes... including a kiwi classic.
Up Next: NY Red Bulls vs Minnesota, Monday at midday (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
Another 1-1 draw over here too. Both Michael Boxall and Bill Tuiloma have experienced two draws from two games to start the new MLS season. The headline act of Portland’s trip to face LAFC was for sure Yimmy Chara scoring yet another overhead kick – he got one last week too, the legend. But focussing on that wonderful goal (not as good as last week’s one but still) does run the risk of losing the context of the overall game.
With an hour played, Portland were 1-0 up and looking sweet. Chara’s 18th min banger had put them on top and they’d managed to hold onto that lead under a bit of pressure. Bill Tuiloma was playing really well at the back. LAFC’s star attacker Carlos Vela had been subbed at the break with a cautionary injury. Vela had gone close to an equaliser in the 33rd min but for a quality save, plus he’d curled a free kick just over the top and it was his corner delivery that led to Ryan Hollingshead’s header being cleared off the line by Claudio Bravo.
However Bravo also picked up a yellow in that first half so when he dragged back Cristian Arango as the striker got around him to the byline on 62 mins, well, there was only one outcome. Second yellow and a red for the Portland left-back and their defensive wall was suddenly brittle.
Even still they hung on. LAFC’s shooting wasn’t the best, putting too many of them over the top, but it was one-way traffic by now with the clock being Portland’s only friend. A couple more saves from Slovenian goalie Aljaž Ivačič helped them tick away some more minutes... all the way into the third minute of stoppage time when Brian Rodriguez was able to beat his man on the left and square for Mamadou Fall for the tap-in. Tuiloma and the lads not quite able to hold on with ten men as the waves of pressure finally submerged them. 1-1 away from home though, early in the season, is not the worst result in the world.
Up Next: Portland vs Austin, Sunday at 4pm (NZT)
If you appreciate these Flying Kiwis yarns each week, please support our work on Patreon
Also whack an ad, sign up to our Substacker, and tell your mates about us
Keep cool but care