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After being 2-0 down at the interval against a team of experienced and talented futsal players, G*Stars's grit and determination saw them score three goals in quick succession and ultimately gain a victory that few would have foreseen at half time.
G*Stars' build-up to the final was overshadowed by the controversy of their star player Dom O'Shea playing for another team. Dan Whitlam, captain of G*Stars, was said to go "mental" after finding out that O'Shea - striker for the University 1sts - was disqualified from the tournament after he helped out a rival team in the quarter-finals. Whitlam, who cited the loss as a "big blow" to the team, was infuriated at former football President Simon Oatridge, who had poached O'Shea without fully considering the repercussions.
The opposing team in the final, who went by the deceptively modest name of Team Not Bad, consisted of many renowned university futsal players, such as Sebastian Taro Groth, Tiago Ogando and goalkeeper Dennis Stiffel. Stiffel appeared to be some sort of lovechild of Oliver Khan and the Devil: an intimidating figure known simply as 'Bodo'.
The game kicked off with G*Stars racing straight out the blocks, harrying and pressing their opposition. The team's pressurising paid off within the first minute, as striker Whitlam snatched the ball off one of the TNB defenders, but he struck the ball wide of the goal with only the keeper to beat.
G*Stars continued to play their high tempo game, but it soon become clear that Bodo - who would have looked at home in the film American History X - had a lot more in common with Oliver Khan than just his intimidating presence. Despite shot after shot, the talented monster guarding the TNB goal would not be beaten.
In fact, it was Team Not Bad who came closest to breaking the deadlock. In the fifth minute, a shot was deflected by one of the G*Stars defenders, leaving the goalkeeper Kennedy wrong-footed, but luckily for him, the ball hit the bar and bounced into his grateful arms. Just a minute later there was a great opportunity at the other end, when Grafham found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but again Bodo was up to the task, saving the ball comfortably.
In the eighth minute, Team Not Bad took the lead. Again, one of their shots was deflected by a defender, but this time it fell to the experienced Tiago Ogando, whose fierce shot Kennedy could only parry onto the post, and the ball crept in to give the futsal players the lead.
Just moments later, that lead was doubled. A throw-out by Kennedy was intercepted by Carl Lewis, who took no hesitation in ruthlessly punishing G*Stars for their mistake. In no time at all, G*Stars found themselves with a mountain to climb against an unforgiving opposition.
The remainder of the first half saw G*Stars trying to grab the goal that would get them back into the game, but the slick passing and impressive ball control of the futsal players made it difficult for them to gain possession. When they did, Bodo continued his stubborn refusal to give G*Stars any glimmer of hope, pulling off save after save.
The first half finished with both teams having given as good as they'd got. But with Team Not Bad holding a 2-0 lead, and the larger-than-life Bodo making the TNB goal seemingly impregnable, it seemed like G*Stars had a huge task ahead of them to turn the game around.
But the start of the second half saw the game completely turn on its head. In just six, crazy ‘Istanbul’ minutes, G*Stars went from being 2-0 down to holding a 3-2 lead, and just like in that unforgettable Champions League final two years ago, it was the captain who started the comeback. In the 22nd minute, Whitlam received the ball left of the goal and struck it venomously past Stiffel to halve the deficit.
With the knowledge that Bodo could be beaten, the belief surged back into the G*Stars team, while in contrast, doubt saw errors begin to creep into the usually slick passing of the futsal players. Before Team Not Bad could recover their composure, G*Stars had scored again, with Silson grabbing the equaliser in the 25th minute.
Just one minute later, G*Stars had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead for the first time in the match. A shot by Whitlam forced the goalkeeper to parry it into the path of the oncoming Pollock, but with the keeper grounded, Pollock failed to capitalise, hitting the post and seeing the ball go out for a goal kick.
The winning goal, however, came less than sixty seconds later. In the 27th minute, G*Stars intercepted the ball in their own half. With Team Not Bad in disarray, they countered rapidly and Whitlam struck the ball past Stiffel to complete an exhilirating comeback.
Team Not Bad tried to reply with a comeback of their own, but G*Stars's defensive trio of Kennedy, Ljubicic and Smith - combined with the psychological blow that the TNB players had suffered - made this too much to ask. The game finished with G*Stars as tournament champions.
Speaking after the match, G*Stars captain Dan Whitlam said, "I'm very proud of my team. After going 2-0 down, I thought we showed great character to turn it around in the second half."
"Today's game was a thriller and most enjoyable to play in. After many near misses in uni 6-a-side tournaments in the last three years, I'm chuffed to finally get a winners' medal!"
He and his team have done more than that. With G*Stars impressive powers of recovery, they have added an exhilirating chapter to the university's sporting history.
G*Stars: Jack Kennedy, Neal Smith, Ronan Joyce, Nikola Ljubicic, Lewis Pollock, Dan Whitlam, Owen Grafham, Eddie Silson (Dom O'Shea)
Goals: Whitlam 22, Silson 25, Whitlam 27
Team Not Bad: Dennis Stiffel, Dan Depledge, Carl Lewis, John Lewis, Seb Groth, Tiago Ogando, Alex Saunders
Goals: Ogando 8, C. Lewis 9
Match Stats
Man of the Match: Dan Whitlam
Referee: Mark Dwyer
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