The Juventus U14 team played their fifth SYFL match yesterday, winning against their opponents with a hard-earned 2-1 score. As of now, Juve tops the table with 12 points and three matches left to play.
The team started off strong, creating many great attacking chances but were unlucky in finishing. Juve continued to pressure for the entire first half and eventually makes a breakthrough. 40 minutes into the match, Jacob was fouled inside the box by the opponent's goalkeeper and a penalty was awarded to the team. Francesco, this match's captain, takes the penalty calmly and scores straight down the middle of the goal. The referee blows the whistle for half-time immediately afterward, Juve lead 1-0!
Since the first half's scoreline did not accurately reflect the team's dominance, Juve went back determined to grab the win. After giving their all and suffering from minor injury and declining fitness, Johnny and Sky were substituted off for Joshua and Roshan. This is Roshan's first match back since his injury two months prior.
However, it didn't get easier for the players as the opponent scored their equalizing goal five minutes into the second half. The team kept pushing, forcing many fouls from the opponent players. At around the 67th minute, their goalkeeper receives a second yellow and is sent off the pitch. Now playing against just 10 opponents, Juve must find the winning goal to remain favorites for the Champion title.
... and that's exactly what the team does. With less than ten minutes on the clock, Joshua scores the winning goal and the team holds on until the final whistle. An extremely hard-fought and well-deserved win from the boys, great job! The team plays another match this Sunday morning, let's keep the wins coming, Forza Juve!
