Sam Sollosi was the hat-trick hero as Maccabi GB Futsal continued their preparations for the new season with an impressive performance against London Saints.
Having already won 1-0 in a pre-season friendly the previous evening, Maccabi GB Futsal continued their 2014/2015 Season preparations with a repeat fixture against London Saints – this time in the competitive Leyton Development League.
The second test, on Wednesday night, presented Jon Kurrant’s squad the opportunity to be more aggressive and take the game to their opponents. London Saints, however, were out for revenge; where the last match was a tight affair, this time the outcome could have been reversed.
London Saints travelled with a much stronger squad than the last game at SportHouse. The venue was at Leyton with a competitive element to proceedings. The court was smaller than SportHouse, so there was less of an emphasis on fitness and more on passing, pace and quick decision-making.
Maccabi GB started the game promptly, forcing the Saints no. 1 into a flurry of saves, sounding off the Saints’ alarm bell. This seemed to have an effect and Saints strangled momentum and started to play a well-executed, rotational plan.
London Saints were beginning to carve open the MGB and they quickly moved the ball around their defensive unit. This ended up in the game’s first goal mid-way through the first half. The ball was shifted down the MGB right flank, Saints’ forward manipulated the ball onto his left foot before striking it into the top right-hand corner. 1-0 to the home side.
Maccabi GB came close to levelling straight from the restart - great work from Kurrant freed Shulton down the right. After shimmying he found the onrushing Barnett who struck directly at the keeper.
Maccabi GB Futsal were beginning to accumulate an abundance of set-pieces but to no avail. Kurrant was able to get countless strikes off but nothing that overly-troubled the Saints’ keeper. Just before the end of the first half Dammu Sugarman almost scored a spectacular goal from a scooped pass, but his volley attempt hit the upright.
As the buzzer was approaching Caplin made two rugged challenges – one a trademark headed clearance - on the edge of the area to keep the score intact at the break.
A minute into the second half, Maccabi GB had turned around the score. Shulton found Sollosi in the middle after a fantastic check to lose his marker. He dragged the ball with his sole and unleashed a left-footed strike early, completely deceiving the keeper to level things up.
No sooner had kick-off been taken, MGB took the lead. Shulton again the architect, finding Sollosi on the right wing. A drop of the shoulder and a thunderous strike.
After the explosive second half start, MGB continued to move the ball with purpose. Sollosi nearly added another and Kurrant was marauding down both flanks. Lipman and Barnett took it in turns to lead the line as pivot and were causing havoc in their hold-up play.
Against the run of play, Saints scored from a sideline, after some very sloppy and lazy MGB organisation. This pulled the score level, adding energy and optimism to Saints’ play.
Lipman was close to giving MGB the lead again. After Kurrant fed him the ball in the middle of the court, some great footwork allowed him to move the ball onto his left foot before unleashing a low, venomous effort that hit both uprights before bouncing back out into play.
Soon Maccabi GB were in front again. Shulton intercepted a pass and drove from his own box, using Lipman’s run as a decoy, before cutely flicking the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
A fourth goal was scored minutes later when Sollosi dummied the ball onto his weaker side and placed it expertly past the keeper to make it 4-2.
Barnett then rounded off an emphatic win after Shulton found him in space from an indirect free-kick and he slotted an inviting pass home.
Next up for MGB is a pre-season friendly at home to Enfield Futsal. The venue is SportHouse and kick-off is at 11:15am this Sunday.
Maccabi GB squad:
1. Phil Caplin
2. Dan Lipman
3. Scott Shulton (capt)
4. Sam Sollosi
5. Dan Sugarman
6. Gideon Barnett
7. Jon Kurrant
Scorers:
Sam Sollosi x3
Scott Shulton
Gideon Barnett
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