Announcement
SIFL Cup Qualification: Shanghai Sauerkrauts vs. Crazy Turks 6:2 (3:0)
SIFL Cup: In a stunning performance on Saturday, the Shanghai Sauerkrauts blitzed six goals past a tired Crazy Turks team to secure their place in the 1st round of the SIFL cup at the Tianma playing fields in Songjiang. In a complete reversal following their dismal display against a competent but unspectacular Korea in the league just one week earlier, the sauerkrauts responded to the critical words of their under fire player/manager Helmut Dicknoether to produce their finest display of the season.
Playing a defensive 3-5-2 formation and kicking against a stiff breeze, the sauerkrauts showed their willingness to play as early as the 5th. minute when the inconsistent Daniel Hesmer fired a right footed shot past the Turkish keeper following some fine lead up play. Building upon a solid defensive display led by the impassable Alik ‘Vidic’ Xu, the sauerkrauts soon doubled their lead and added two more before the half was finished with goals coming from live wire forward Alan Zhang, a second from Hesmer who pounced ‘catlike’ upon a rebound from the goalpost and one from right midfielder Sven Schmieder having solved his early optical problems.
The Turkish team seemed unable to cope with the neat accurate passing of the sauerkrauts (ed.: believe me, from the sidelines the match look much differents, or just a different match?) despite an encouraging performance from their midfielders and the fact that they ran with the advantage of a strong breeze. All said the sauerkrauts were finally able to play to the level that their beleaguered manager had been demanding all season and showed in that first half what they were capable of. Dicknoether whose contract with the club is due to expire at the end of the season and who, with a 2-11 win-loss record, seems unlikely to continue in the same role next season was able to select from the strongest, if not the biggest squad of the season and the difference showed on the field.
Resisting the temptation to tinker with the squad at half time, the sauerkrauts started the second half the way they had finished the first and soon had another on the board as lone striker Qi Wei slotted home another goal past the hapless Turkish keeper. As the sauerkrauts were strolling to a comfortable victory they proceeded to bring the game to life when defensive midfielder, Carlo Paganetti was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the box and was shown a straight red card – the unreasonable severity of the penalty was shared by the crazy Turks in their post match report. Down to ten men the sauerkrauts tried to reorganize their team to cope with the loss however the Turks responded with passion as they began their best period of the match. Two quick goals including one from a superb free kick following a late tackle and booking to Alik ‘Vidic’ Xu, reduced the margin to three goals which should still have been comfortable for the sauerkrauts. However against a Turkish team which sensed a possibility of causing the comeback of the season, the game hovered for a short period in the balance.
Come the hour come the man and who else but the irrepressible Finnish midfielder Anti Soininen, who had run tirelessly all day, popped up to slot home arguably the best goal of the day to make the game safe for the sauerkrauts.
“I feel I know the way this Turkish team plays but felt that we had the team to beat them today and if we continue to play like that then who knows?” man of the match and defensive midfield dynamo Bilgin Guengoermues was quoted as saying at the post match interview at the Carlsberg sponsors stand.
In other cup news, the Shanghai Krauts also managed to secure a place in the quarterfinals with a forfeit against the Latino’s thus setting up the mouth watering possibility of a derby final for the SIFL cup.
Yours, Red-carded and argubly the ...... of the league "Don Padre" Carlo Paganetti
