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WORLD CUP 78 QUALIFIERS: ABANHFLEFT VS NELLIETOPIA
By Malik Qazizadah
Abanhfleft women's national team players against Nellietopian players. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)
RIUWIEE - Abanhfleft's women's national team survived a trio of own goals to take all three points against a strangely muted Nellietopia side.
Nellietopia, which had been a force in Atlantian Oceanian football before dropping off the grip sometime between the 49th AOCAF Cup and the 40th Di Bradini Cup, turned in a lackluster display as they faced off against Fleftic opposition for the first time in any international competition but through sheer force of luck almost managed to earn themselves a point against the Lady Revolutionaries.
Patricia Foulke made her first start for Abanhfleft in over four years as Holly Jonasson tapped her up to step into the shoes of Victoria Carter, who has undergone surgery for the injury sustained while playing against Keephall Valkyries in the league and some of her rustiness between the sticks for the national team showed in the final half an hour of the game.
Nellietopia managed to survive sustained pressure from the Lady Revolutionaries before finally conceding in the 20th minute courtesy of Chelsea Stuart's thumping strike into the roof of the net, and Alexandra Rousseau doubled the advantage mere minutes later with a clever finish from a tight angle.
Allison Torres looked to have wrapped up the points when she nodded home Lillian Prescott's corner kick but then Claire Osgood found the back of her own net while defending a Nellietopian corner.
Stuart's second goal of the game had initially been the icing on the cake but further own goals from both Foulke and Dawn Jackson made sure that both Stuart in particular and Abanhfleft in general would be thankful that she had scored that second goal.
Making history for the wrong reasons
Abanhfleft's victory over Nellietopia marks the first time in so many years that a team that scored three own goals also managed to win the game.
Bad luck seems to have played a factor in all three own goals but miscommunication was key for the first as Claire Osgood's attempt at a defensive header actually took the ball's flight path away from the waiting hands of Patricia Foulke and into the goal.
But both Foulke and Dawn Jackson were simply unlucky to have conceded their own goals, both from attempts at crosses into the six-yard-box, although a case could be said that the ball that glanced off of Foulke's left calf was actually already headed for the inside of the far post before the telling touch from the Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies keeper.
Abanhfleft women's team manager Holly Jonasson: "What can I say? It was an incredible match, both an unforgettable one and one to forget as soon as possible. We won, of course, and that's what matters, but we really could have done without all the own goals. Never mind that we're the first team to win a game after scoring such-and-such number of own goals. That's not the kind of records that we want, plain and simple. But it could be said that we were pretty unlucky then."
Abanhfleft will face Löpstegl at their country for the third game of the World Cup 78 qualifiers.
ABANHFLEFT 4 - 3 NELLIETOPIAABANHFLEFT
STUART (20', 64') OSGOOD (53' og)
ROUSSEAU (27') FOULKE (73' og)
TORRES (36') JACKSON (89' og)
GK: 13 Foulke
RB: 2 Osgood (Warren - 75')
CB: 4 Jackson
LB: 3 Valentine
RM: 5 Maynard (Vance - 80')
LM: 6 Choi
RW: 7 Prescott
CAM: 10 Torres
LW: 8 Singh
RS: 9 Stuart
LS: 11 Rousseau (Mesbros - 64')
STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 55%
Nellietopia: 45%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 13 (9 on target)
Nellietopia: 7 (4 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 8
Nellietopia: 4
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 20
Nellietopia: 18