Most definitely a game of two halves today for the Lionesses, visiting Luton Town Ladies at Lancaster Avenue this morning. The first half was full of frustrations for the Luton Oranges with the Lionesses playing strong and defending well to shut down threat after threat. But the second half was a very different animal, and Luton dominated from the whistle.
The first few minutes of the match were evenly paced between both teams, with some great shots across the midfield between Emma and Esme. Lovely footwork was on show, with some fast turns and quick flicks to keep possession.
Olivia was on the ball, literally, giving great instruction to her team and stepping out at every opportunity, be it on the ground or from a bouncing pass – some particularly brave grabs were on show with a very determined Orange player consistently there at her feet (and face) to take advantage of any mistakes – but there were none.
A well-placed throw in from Lily-Rose was annoyingly intercepted by Luton but Kiani used those fast feet of hers and got it back, giving the Greens a corner. Emma took it for a perfectly placed kick to the Lionesses gathered at the goal mouth, but nobody managed to get a clear shot and the Oranges cleared it out.
A great throw-in from Evie to Emma got it down to the wing again, but the Oranges managed to swarm the ball and took it back up to threaten Olivia, who grabbed it out of harm’s way yet again with her proactive reading of the game.
Lily-Rose and Emma were working hard to press, with some great tactical passes supported by solid defending from Aimee and Evie. Luton managed to get another ball through, but their pass couldn’t find a team-mate and some great shielding from the Lionesses meant that they were frustrated further.
Some great decision making from Kiani meant that she was getting in Luton’s way at every opportunity and was putting the mileage in on the pitch, running up a storm. Aimee’s ‘silent assassin’ moves and some strong passes that covered the distance further irked the opposition. Another clever pass from Emma to Eden gave the Greens another chance, with Eden holding her own against three attackers. We got a corner taken by Emma, and Indie was there, fresh onto the pitch and ready to attack. A great battle around the goal looked promising, but the keeper managed to get her hands on it.
Indie got a brilliant throw to Lily-Rose but Luton were there too, reading the game well.
Some great pressure from Maya managed to halt another potential goal threat, getting the ball back to Lily who did a fantastic interception in the midfield – with two of our key midfielders missing this week, she had her work cut out.
Some great decisions were on show from the Greens, with Eden and Emma working hard to keep the ball at their boots – Maya was consistent with clever interceptions and the girls were working really hard to crowd the Oranges, not giving them an inch of space. Kiani again seemed to be EVERYWHERE on the pitch, playing both attack and defence and having to deal with a physical Luton side that were not shy about it.
It was all going swimmingly – another determined run in from Luton was met ably by Olivia, with some great back up from Maya blocking all the time. A free kick for Luton didn’t given them an advantage either, with the Lionesses forming a defensive wall that was proving hard to break through.
But in the final few minutes of the first half, a defensive stumble near our goal gave Luton an opening and they sniffed blood, rightly taking advantage for a goal.
The Lionesses were disappointed, but not beaten yet, and Maya intercepted another Luton ball to get a great pass down the midfield to give Lily-Rose and Eden a chance. They then got the ball through to Emma who almost got one back for us, but the keeper managed to grab it.
The Second half… well, I’ve already alluded to it in the opening paragraph. The Lionesses seemed to have lost their roar in the box of oranges. Things started well and some great pressure from both Indie and Evie sticking to their opponents like glue meant that there were more frustrations for Luton. Indie took the ball up the wing and passed to Lily-Rose, but the Oranges were there to intercept and with some tactical passes on show, they had another shot on goal that was saved by Olivia.
Another fumble near our goal meant a few nail-biting seconds of ‘CLEAR IT’ being shouted as Evie and Aimee tried to get it away. They had to put in some serious defensive play as Luton were determined to score another and seal the deal. Sadly, a
bit of faffing about from the Greens gave Luton another perfect opportunity, and they scored again. Annoying, but it’s all part of the learning process – less faff, more speed!
Esme was undeterred, and put one of her brilliant bursts of speed on up the wing to get a great pass to Lily-Rose, who battled hard but was swamped by Luton. The Oranges tried again for a third, but Olivia managed to grab it. A few moments later, they tried again, and used their speed and agility against some slower passing from the Greens to score again.
Now there were some disheartened Lionesses with dropped heads on show. Sad to see, as they played so well in the first half. Luton were using their experience and skill to read the game perfectly, anticipating much of the play in the second half.
The Lionesses were awarded a free kick but could not turn it into an advantage. Maya and Evie kept up the pressure their players, but Luton got a corner and a perfectly placed kick went straight to their striker, who managed to nutmeg Olivia for a fourth.
Kiani wasn’t giving up that easily, and with a move that was straight out of FIFA she flicked the ball up and under her legs to carry it up with wing, brilliantly supported by her teammates. But before she could get anywhere near the goal, the Luton defenders were there again. They got the ball back down the wing, using speed and tactical passing for a perfect set up to score the fifth and final goal of the match.
Not the best result for the Lionesses, but that roar will come back soon. And as Coaches Darren and Jethro always say ‘we go again.’
