Match report
Renaissance derails the Enterprise express to go top
Renaissance 3 - 2 Enterprise
15 March 2007
Colin Presly
Renaissance have shown themselves to be true title contenders after an enthralling victorious display against Enterprise FC. In a truly pulsating encounter, the men in blue emerged 3-2 winners at Haverstock.
Many wags saw this match as a potential classic in the making. They were not wrong. Memorable strikes by The Realist, Rembrandt and as ever, the ubiquitous Artist, made sure that Renaissance reached the summit. They will fight tooth and nail to stay there, that's for sure.
As expected, the game was a tight affair from the off. Both sides tried to find that killer ball but resolute defences and ever eager keepers made sure that the score remained 0-0 for the first half. There were some interesting personal battles to mention though. Rembrandt was called on to vanquish "The Beast". Da Vinci looked to shackle Richard "Megatron" Murphy. The Artist too enjoyed the better of a take no prisoners encounter with Tom "Jagger" Fry.
Evidently, there was not much between the two sides in the first period. However, Masaccio showed off his goalkeeping prowess with a brilliant instinctive save from "The Beast". H/T 0-0.
Football is a funny old game isn't it? When Renaissance needed a bit of magic, an out of the blue occurance, they found it. The Realist replaced the ever willing Verrocchio at half time and almost immediately gave Renaissance a one goal lead with a beautifully struck shot in off the post.
Enterprise seemed initially rallied by this setback. They tried to take the game to Renaissance but the defensive trio of Rembrandt, Da Vinci, and The Shaman, were having none of it. Soon enough it was 2-0 Renaissance.
After breaking up another Enterprise attack, the ball found its way to The Artist. The number four cleverly spotted the run of Rembrandt and played him through one on one with a perfectly weighted ball. Time seemed to stand still as the big number seven advanced on goal. Cue real time and 2-0!
Renaissance now looked as though they had this game won. But come on, we know this team too well. Controversy is never too far away. Masaccio looked to gather the ball after it came within his remit. Unfortunately, one leg swayed momentarily outside the area, and Enterprise were awarded a penalty. Despite the Renaissance custodian guessing the right way, Tom "Jagger" Fry made no mistake with the spot kick, 2-1.
With ten or so minutes remaining, it was game on. The Artist though soon added a third for Renaissance. Surely, that was all she wrote! After good build up work in the corner, Verrocchio rolled the ball into the path of Renaissance's top scorer. Seconds later it was 3-1.
With a nickname like "Megatron" one has a lot to live up to. But like the nemesis of the Transformers Richard Murphy proved that he could easily spoil the party. After some over enthusiastic defending, The Shaman inadvertently got in the way of Da Vinci. This mistake gave Murphy ample time and space to hit a low shot beyound the reaches of Masaccio. 3-2.
This setback was met with worried looks towards the ref. Surely it was time to blow the whistle? However, despite saying that there was less than a minute remaining, the match continued for another nerve wrangling two minutes. It would have been a real shame for Renaissance to have fallen to a draw when they had given so much to get all three points. Thankfully, the referee called time on an epic affair and Renaissance left the pitch knowing that they had won the spoils in a thrilling match.
After retiring to a local hostelry, the drinks flowed. However, thoughts soon turned to the next contest, and a possible winner takes all game against deadly rivals Recreativo. Hold onto your hats folks!
Renaissance glossary
merk (verb)
1. to make someone look foolish.
2. to embarrass or humiliate someone and brag in the aftermath.
dossier
1. a blueprint of plans for an intense training session.
2. a highly detailed and thorough critique of an opponents strengths and weaknesses.
Check out more definitions from the Renaissance Glossary.