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Todoroki, Sunnday 16th September,
Given that both teams had started the league with a victory, albeit Albion with a walkover from Shane F.C. ,this game began as a rather tentative affair with both sides conscious of mistakes. Played in searing heat on a narrow pitch (no one can ever complain about St Mary’s ever again) it had seemed that chances would come late in the game due to tiredness.
However, both teams started brightly with the first clear chance falling to Internationale. Albion keeper Hitoshi Ono was quickly off his line to thwart an Internationale attacker. It was the shape of things to come as Ono would come to Albion's rescue many times throughout the game. With play remaining very tight for the first twenty minutes ,Albion's hard work and good passing began to pay off as they had a few shots on goal. The breakthrough finally came when a long through ball from Naoki Ogasawara was flicked on by Gilles Legg to his strike partner Kuni Hosoi. Hosoi lobbed the onrushing Inter. keeper from an acute angle and Mick O Hagan rushed in to poke the ball home on the line. The goal settled Albion nerves and with their defence rock solid they began to take control. After some good work on the left involving Rod Crambit and the hard working Hosoi, Ogasawara again provided the telling cross for Legg to bravely force home at the near post. Internationale seemed spurred into action by the second goal and created a few breakaway chances ably dealt with by Mark Van De Bosche in the Albion defence.In the second half it was Albion who tired more quickly and Internationale created a wave of good chances but with Ono performing heroics in goal it wasn't to be their day .Indeed Albion created a few chances that might have increased their lead late on but a greater scoreline would have been an injustice to Internationale who played their part in an exciting and fair game..
Report by George ‘Pele’ Clarkson.
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