Gladiators United
ATX Thundercats
ATX Thundercats back in the race to Semi!
The stage was set for a high voltage match with ATX Thundercats desperate for a win to remain alive in the tournament and Gladiators yearning to secure a win to advance to the semifinal. And they did not disappoint the audience at all and displayed a great show; also kept the referee always in two minds whether to show or not show a yellow card.
With emotions raging and jostling, a penalty was awarded to ATX Thundercats within the first seven minutes of the game for a foul against Liton within the D-Box. Captain Manar exhibited his composure and boldness as he stepped up with his ‘Batman’ mask recovering from a nose fracture from the last match. His confidence was unchallenged by Fayez Shantanu whose dive went in vain as the ball flew past his right from the penalty spot. Thundercats were in an early lead: 1-0!
Maher from Gladiators led the march from midfield accompanied by sprinter Shafiur while Russel, Anam, and Farhan zig-zagged through midfield remaining under strict surveillance from energetic young stars Tihar, Anol and Dhrubo. Whenever the ball reached Raihan, Dip and Sabbir trio, they changed their mode to “Russel Crowe” from the movie Gladiator and bulldozed their way forward. On the other hand, Asab and Faisal forgot they were playing a soccer match and not a wrestling match as they neutralized several attacks through the wings. Asab got a yellow card for a handball, but Thundercats seemed unfazed by one man down. Arbab and Manar acted as a conduit between defense and midfield working hard to uplift the tempo of the game and passing the ball on to Saymon and Liton. However, more than one occasion, Saymon and Liton duo dribbled the ball for what seemed like an eternity! Opponents and onlookers kept scratching their heads: “Are they gonna dribble all the way inside the goal post?” There was brave defending by Abu Sohel, Rezwan, Zahid and Pankaj.
Towards the end of the first half, Nihad who was leading the defense for Thundercats made a mistake while clearing the ball for Thundercats. It was capitalized by Shafiur- Raihan duo. Shafiur fed a ball to Raihan who switched his side and plowed through the defense and took a shot at the post from a fair distance, Goal! Gladiators equalized. It was a sheer brilliance from Raihan! 1-1 at half-time break.
Second half brought deeper colors of emotion, energy and desperation into the game! Gladiators attacked with greater intensity and consequently Asab took a blow for the team on his face trying to head on a high ball. Consequently, Dip was sent off for 10 minutes with a yellow card. Attacks and counter attacks followed as both teams seemed more determined to win.
Hoping for a breakthrough, Thundercats kept on attacking and challenging the depth of Gladiator defenders Rezwan, Zahid, Shahjahan, Nuruzzaman and Pankaj. All of the Gladiator defenders tried hard to contain as long as possible. Arbab and Faisal even tried their luck from a distance, but both were off target. Pressure was gradually mounting on Gladiators with shots from Arbab and Saymon. Courageous Liton stepped up for the free kick and deployed a fiery kick with his right foot, Goal! It was a splendid goal from the free kick to put Thundercats in front: 2-1!
Thundercats dropped back to defense for the last 10 minutes of the game. Maher, Raihan, Shafiur, Dip, Sabbir, Farhan, Russel all tried to break through the defense and tried their best. Few ominous shots from Maher were unluckily shy off the post. Nihad learning from his first-half’s mistake, put up a valiant effort in defense along with comrades Rashed, Omar, and Shadman. Novo played a crucial role as a keeper clearing out the balls with great precision.
With less than three minutes on the clock, most players run out of gas. But Saymon and Liton had other ideas, Saymon saw an opportunity and passed a great ball to Liton in midfield. Liton seemed to have saved his energy for the last run. He dribbled past three defenders like “Thierry Henry” and scored a great goal; 3-1 for Thundercats! It was simply a treat to watch this last goal from Liton that sealed the fate of Gladiators at the final minute.
Final whistle blew and jubilant ATX Thundercats got their well-deserved win. Gladiators fought like their name but unfortunately had to settle on the losing side. It was a fantastic display of spirited football and both teams still kept their chances alive for the semi-final.