Barely arrived, the people from Nice must immediately head to the field, get to work! But starting a match like that, in such a hurry, is difficult, especially as the people from Nice face Bergamo A and concede a goal on the first shot.
No worries, Cédric scores two goals right after to give ANICES the lead again. The team holds strong, but in the last minute, the third free kick turns into a penalty, and Bergamo A equalizes and then manages to score a final goal at the end of the match. Result: ANICES: 2 – Bergamo A: 3.
Just a quick stop in the locker room, and it’s the game against Gratz that awaits the team from Nice. They score right at the start, then nothing for long minutes; Gratz has good defense, and ANICES too.
Then, an incredible ball from Gratz in line, bouncing, that goes over Cédric’s hands. Even if the goal is scored by the opposing team, you can’t help but applaud. 1-1, last minute, third free kick, penalty against us, beautiful bouncing ball, goal, and the match ends: ANICES: 1 – Gratz: 2.
No time to breathe; the people from Nice continue with Turin, whom they beat 4 to 0. Confidence is there, but be careful, you cannot rest. You must always stay in the game, and the boys understood this well, as they go on to win against the reigning World Champions Trento (3-1) and then Bologna (6-1).
With 9 points, ANICES, third in their group, is qualified for the next stage.
Now, onto the matches for the top 6 spots. ANICES faces the Swiss from Amriswil, against whom we draw (3-3) thanks to the great defense by Jean-Philippe and Bernard, who both played in the center for four minutes each. A very technical match with lots of bouncing balls; we must be careful!
Then we play another match against the Neapolitans, 2-2, with superb defense and very varied attacks. They gave us a hard time, but the attack and defense of the people from Nice prevailed over Naples.
And finally, Monza, a great team but with a player who doesn’t dive entirely. Once the instructions were given, the players executed and scored, ANICES wins 6-4.
We are now qualified for the semi-final and have to play Naples again, a tense match. The first time, 2-2, the match was fiercely contested… The instructions are simple for the people from Nice: focus on defense and an attacking play with bouncing balls for Cédric, who has been incredibly successful in this tournament.
It doesn’t fail; from the beginning of the match, ANICES opens the score and it doesn’t stop until the final whistle. ANICES qualifies for the final by winning 11 to 2 against Naples.
In the gymnasium, all the teams are present to watch the final, Bergamo A – ANICES.
The war cry has never resonated so well in a hall; the boys are in place; they are even patched. To avoid any cheating, the organizers patched all the players from the semi-final to the final!
Good concentration, the kickoff, it’s on, Sebastien scores the first goal, then Bergamo A responds, 1-1, a free kick for us, Cédric takes it with a bouncing ball, a superb line that ends as an out post.
The players are tense, tenth match of the day, fatigue is setting in, and the Italians in the last minute score the 2 goals that allow them to win their tournament, at home, against ANICES, 3 to 1.
A loss in the final is not really a loss, because thanks to the defenders (center) Jean-Philippe Lafaille and Bernard Berger, and the attackers, Cédric Boucher (left-wing) and Sébastien Filippini (right-wing), ANICES wins the title of Best Attack with 22 goals for Cédric and 17 goals for Seb, making a total of 39 goals!
A great tournament, great encounters, and a united ANICES team that knew how to rise to the occasion.
