Bloomsbury Futsal Mens 1st team play out thrilling draw; womens team go on top with big win
Riding on Eduardo Amorim’s brace, Bloomsbury Futsal Mens 1st Team rallied to a 3-3 draw with Bolton Futsal Club 1st in their third match of the FA National Series 2022/23 at the University of Nottingham here on Sunday.
Bolton took the lead twice, through Sam McGrath (4′), Mikey Bulmer (24′), and Rob Harper (27′). However, a brace from Eduardo (18′, 29′) and a strike from Captain Richard Ward (29′) saw Tapia-Owens’ side split honours in what was a thrilling encounter.
It was Bloomsbury who started the game on an aggressive note, creating a couple of opportunities in the opening minutes. But an early goal from their opponents through McGrath (4′) pegged them back. They slowly started to recover and created chances again as the game neared halftime. With two minutes left on the clock, Bloomsbury drew parity through Eddie, who took his chance off Connor Millar’s pass from the corner. Thus, ending the first half in a 1-1 stalemate.
The second half started with Bolton putting pressure on Bloomsbury and went on to take a two-goal lead through Bulmer (24′) and Harper (27′) respectively. However, not giving up easily, the spirited Bloomsbury side brought things back on level terms by scoring two goals in a minute through Eddie and skipper Ward. The closing stage of the match saw some thrilling action, with both teams trying to look for a winner. But couldn’t convert their chances and ended up sharing a point.
Speaking after the game, Eddie stated, “We were behind almost throughout the game but we team showed heart and fought until the very end. Every player played a key role in this game so we should be proud of ourselves and of the spirit we showed out there.”
He further added that team will introspect on their performance and make improvements for the next game. “We will analyse every detail in the next two weeks ahead of our next NFS game. Now, we have to focus on recovering and get back to training. There’s work to do but I believe and trust in this team in order to get it done.”
Reflecting on his two-goal show, Eddie said, “It’s obviously a good feeling to get on the scoresheet and help out the team but the three points is what I and the team wanted. Every week, I just get out there and give my all for the team in order to them help to the best of my ability.”
Womens 1st Team climb on top with a clinical 5-2 win
Bloomsbury Futsal Womens 1st Team put up a clinical show
Earlier on Saturday, Bloomsbury Futsal Womens 1st Team put up a clinical show to beat Bolton Futsal Club Womens 5-2 to go on top of the FA National Futsal Series 2022/23 points table.
Merce Portabella (8′, 30′) scored a brace and strikes from Rosanna Frith-Salem (20′), Paula Sanchez (28′) and Tessa Leong (37′) helped Bloomsbury to register the second consecutive win of the season. Meanwhile, Jade Boulton (36′) and Rebecca Foster (37′) were the goalscorers for Bolton.
Bloomsbury Women started the game on the front foot, trying to push Bolton back but they kept Bloomsbury attackers at bay as they slowly settled in. Bloomsbury were rewarded for their efforts in the 8th minute when Portabella drew the first blood as she caught Bolton’s goalie off guard and found the back of the net from a long range.
Having enjoyed repeated spells of possession, Bloomsbury went on to double the lead just before halftime through Rosanna’s magical flick goal from the right flank.
Leading by 2-0, Bloomsbury started the second half in a similar fashion and continued to mount pressure on their opponents. In the 28th minute, Sanchez added third goal to the tally with a sublime finish and two minutes later, Portabella scored her second goal of the match with an easy strike in front of the goal.
Bolton, on the other, pulled back two goals in quick succession through Jade Boulton (36′) and Rebecca Foster (37′). However, that wasn’t enough as Leong joined the party to make it 5-2 in the closing stages of the game.
Having played a pivotal role in the team’s win, Portabella reflected, “I am grateful that I was able to help the team with two goals. I feel comfortable on the pitch and I hope I can continue doing it.”
Speaking about the performance, Portabell said, “We like to play futsal and to improve every day and to trust in each other and in our capacities. Our goals are clear and we are working on them to show you all the results. All of us are important for the team and I think that we are a very good team of footballers.”
She concluded stated that the team has already started thinking about the next game. “This win is very important, we are now in first place of the league, but now we want more and we have already started thinking about the next game.”