B1 Team played its first match of the season facing local club CE Vila Olimpica’s U19 team that plays in the Liga Preferente Juvenil (the third best U19 division in Spain).
B1 started the match with a 4-man defensive line featuring Zac in Goal, Kumar and Stoli as the center-backs, Kim at right-back, and Adam at left-back.
A 3-man midfield consisting of Abdu as the holding midfielder, Dani wearing the captain’s armband as the central midfielder, and Shota as the attacking midfielder.
And finally a 3-man attack involving Agustín on the left wing, Vlad on the right-wing, and Adrian as the striker.
The match started off to the opposition taking an early lead, as their striker beat the defense in a footrace to reach a through ball in behind leaving him 1 on 1 with Zac, whose extended leg was able to deflect the shot, yet it was not sufficient to prevent the goal as the ball hit the post and went in.
The B1 Players responded positively to this early setback, however, dominating possession of the ball and dictating the pace of the game despite not being able to penetrate the opposition’s well-organized defense.
As a result, chance creation became difficult to achieve and the few that were created did not materialize.
The team was kept in the match thanks to a strong defense overall, excellent individual defensive work by Adam and Stoli, and Zac coming out on top when he was called upon.
Competing against a Preferente team
The second half saw an improved B1 side, able to keep possession higher up in the field thanks to Dani and Abdu’s ability to transition possession from our defense to areas higher up the pitch.
Dani assumed the role of baring the armband in an admirable fashion, constantly giving his teammates instructions and providing an instrumental contribution throughout the match.
This along with Abdu’s fine dribbling skills and ability to retain possession under pressure resulted in the team having far more possession than the opposition, and more chances being created.
At the last minute of the match, as B1 was pushing desperately for an equalizer, the opposing striker finished off their counter attack, sealing our 2-0 defeat.
Head coach Didi Rodriguez had a positive reaction to the team’s performance despite the loss, as he stated:
“I believe this was a good performance overall. We successfully stuck to our playing style; playing the ball out of the back at every occasion, and we dominated possession as well as the overall pace of the game. We did, however, lack in the ability to bring the ball to the attackers and getting numbers forward to create chances. This was a very promising first match, and we must keep on working together and improving as a group!.”
This match also saw our newcomers Vlad, Dhayu, Hoonar, and Dani making their first appearance for B1 Soccer Academy.
Unfortunately they were unable to mark their debut with a victory, yet it serves to fuel their determination to seek a first win with B1 in our next match.