– The first half was enough for UCL Academicals to secure the first ‘Rumori Cup’ challenge
– Rumori Calcio had a better second half and was very close to score a goal
– Marco Manzini played his last game with Rumori Calcio after missing out the season
words by Angelo Palmeri
photos in the article and gallery by Helen Kauksi
Rumori Calcio: 1 Rezeq Sayara; 3 Samuele De Pizzol, 4 Archil Chochia (C), 2 Marco Spielmann; 6 Marco Manzini, 14 Rati Mamporia; 9 Erekle Dzotsenidze, 10 Emre Yaticki, 8 Gabriele Haddad; 7 Angelo Palmeri, 11 Joy Verano. Subs: 5 Leonardo Pires, 12 Mahmoud Hammad, 13 Yary Ribero, 15 Deni Delev
UCL Academicals (ENG): 1 Jamie Hayward; 2 Ruairi Walker, 4 Robert Davidson, 5 Sam Harris, 6 Eddie Burrows; 7 Will Stoner, 8 Raj Mannick, 9 Sam Calvert, 10 Sam Steel; 11 Richard Bulmore (C), 14 Tarun Patel
Subs: 16 Jonny Murphy
Referee: Andrei Brõtkin, first assistant: Anni Koppel, second assistant: Vladimir Zahharov
Goals: 6′, 16′, 30′ and 43′ Richard Bulmore (UCL), 60′ Sam Harris (UCL), 90′ Jamie Hayward (UCL).
Bookings: –
Notes: substitutions were on and off all the time with no agreed limit between the two sides, goalkeeper Jamie Hayward (UCL) was replaced by field player Jonny Murphy and scored a goal.
26’C and pitch in perfect conditions.
10-people attendance.
Both sides entered the pitch in a traditional top-flight way
If the final result was to upset you, it should be mentioned that Rumori Calcio were at their second ever 11-a-side game and with a completely different line-up compared to the one shown in Pärnu for the Estonian Cup, the club’s first ever official club football game and 11-a-side battle.
Additionally, coach Angelo Palmeri took the freedom to implement something new since kick-off (a 3-2-3-2 or simply 3-5-2) for which the present-day players are not prepared.
‘There is not such thing as friendly games’ – Jose Mourinho dixit…
However, it’s not always about what was different and what could have been done in a diverse way, because full credit must be given to the UCL Academicals who took the challenge very professionally (they were at the venue fifteen minutes before convened time already warming up!) and performed with an unseen composure at amateur levels (IV.Liiga) in Estonia.
Raj Mannick perfect style against Gabriele Haddad’s opposition, everything watched in the distance by ‘Fly Rezeq’.
The half-time result (0-4) was fully deserved albeit the gaps left by the offensive setup which gave Richard Bulmore’s XI the possibility to roam and express at its best their ball-on-the-floor game. In fact, contrary to any kind of stereotype when comes to English teams, the guests resourced to long balls very rarely and even when duly pressed by Rumori Calcio, they were not afraid to fold back and play the ball towards their half.
Under this point of view, it was a great lesson for our lads who often tend to lose their coolness and give the ball away too easily. Every game helps our team to learn something and the Accies were excellent lecturers on Saturday.
In second half, with a more tight 4-4-2, the skyblues held the pitch better also thanks to the Accies taking a break given the heath that has been hitting Tallinn and Estonia over the past week (a weather condition almost unseen in the past 10 years in August!).
Bulmore earns further centimeters in the elevation and hits the back of the net for the first time before Chochia and Spielmann could reach.
It should be mentioned that, at this point, Rumori Calcio produced more dangerous situations around goalkeeper Hayward. Three chances are stuck in the memory of the home side: Marco Manzini (at his last game) taking too much time to shoot whilst alone in the box (he allowed defender Walker to recover and tackle the late attempt); Joy Verano running in the box but missing the sufficient brilliance to shoot surgically; and Angelo Palmeri being wonderfully set-up by Leonardo Pires upon demand, however missing to give the ball the right power and aim to hit the back of the net. On top of this, the goalpost hit by the same Joy Verano who was among the very few players who were never replaced during the 90′ plus injury time.
The MOTM guarded by Haddad and Pires.
After these attempts, the 5-0 cut the skyblue lads’ legs further with the additional netting signed by the goalkeeper who meanwhile wore the gloves off to play in defence. The full-time whistle counted Accies 6, Rumori Calcio 0.
The MOTM was undoubtedly the same Richard Bulmore who celebrated his last game with the Accies with 4 goals!
He could lead his side to receive the deserved accolade and rise the very first ‘Rumori Cup’ into the Tallinn’s sky.
The game continued with a very friendly ‘third half’ in a local nearby pub where the winners paid honours and beers for the losers and enjoyed a deserved meal before a last party in the Estonian capital.
Talks of a re-match next year are already ongoing!
A full gallery of pictures of the game follows.
