It was another early morning deep in Songjiang, as most people struggled out of bed to get to the bus stops on time. This day, 3United was set to face the Anzacs who we had struggled against early this season.

The first half started off with the pressure on high. The Anzacs had brought a new, stronger team to the pitch than they have in any of our previous encounters and they pressed hard in the first 5 minutes. However, 3United was able to adjust to their tactics quickly and soon took control of the game. 3United played some great team football for the next 40 minutes. Unselfish play, a grounding shot from Edouard Simonnet and some misjudgement by the Anzacs keeper resulted in the first goal for 3U in about the 15th minute. 10 minutes later, Edouard again found himself at the top of the box and made a great move to turn the defender and place a beautifully kicked left footer into the top left corner of the box. 3United saw another 5 or 6 great chances on goal but were not able to convert. The Anzacs were able to launch a few attacks here and there to no avail, but in the last 5 minutes of the first half they were able to tap a rebounded ball from a saved header by Joren Bredman into goal. The first half ended 1-2, 3United on top.

The second half did not see the same tenacity from 3United as there was in the first half. The Anzacs dominated most of the 2nd half, constantly pushing forward. There efforts were rewarded on a header smacked into goal on their 7th corner of the day – with no 3U defender able to get in and disrupt the play. At 2-2, 3U started to panic and although there were a few breakaways down field, the team was not able to string together the same kind of plays to retake the lead. It was a close game down to the final minutes, as pressure swung back and forth on both sides of the pitch for the last 5 minutes, but neither team was able to put in a winner. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Goals: Edouard Simmonet (2)
Assists: Romain Peythieu, Nick Law
Man of the Match: Edouard Simmonet