After we had our "final" of the season at 10 against TU where we completely outpowered ourselves, we knew that the HBK-game would be very difficult. Unfortunately, it became even more difficult than we feared and the last result of the season was quite unpleasant. Then again, HBK was by far the best team in the league and a deserved winner, both of this game and the league. Congratulations!

Due to the substitution situation in the first game, the deal with the players was that the players who got zero to little playing time against TU would play the whole 50 minutes against HBK (unless they request a substitutions by themselves). In addition, Ilona had to skip this game due to the pain from the TU-game

Lineup:

Veera
Sofia - Tetti (Siina)
Kiia - Siiri - Erica (Jemina)
Emmi

16 seconds: I don't know (and I don't want to check it out) how many goals we got this season during the first 30 seconds of a game. I honestly don't understand how this is possible. HBK scored their first goal after 16 seconds, without even running. They literally walked through our lines. 1-0.

2. Handball centrally in front of the HBK-goal. Siiri with a freekick. Good shot, but too centrally. The keeper paries. Goal kick, we win the ball, then we lose it again, easy counter attack from HBK. No one works defensively, their no. 18 (goalscoring crown in 2018) is completely alone in front of our goal, 2-0.

4. HBK lets the ball do the work with a lot of short passes, barely moving at all (no need to). Tetti2corner on the right side.

8. Without any resistance, HBK moves through our lines and scores a very easy 3-0.

9. Siina comes for Tetti and Kiia moves to the defense.

12. Sofia secures the ball and passes forward to Emmi. She shields the ball with her body and passes to the left to Siina who sees that Siiri is completely alone on the right wing. A long ball and Siiri moves all alone towards the goal. She puts it flat into the left corner, 3-1.

15. The no. 18 with a smart body trick and a flat pass into the right corner, 4-1.

17. A shot from HBK. Veera2corner.

19. Run from a HBK-defender on the right. Good pass to the middle. Sofia2corner.

20. Puuhh... extremely bad defending behaviour from the whole team. What a difference to the first game today. How is that possible? Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Is this a stamina issue? As so often during this season, the opponent can play freely with 4 strikers in our penalty area, uninterrupted. 5-1.

23. HBK plays cat and mouse with us. Or rabbit and hedgehog. Corner from the right, headball to the left inner post, bouncing back into the goal, 6-1.

25.+1 Goalkick straight to the opponent. It really looks like the striker feels pity for us in this moment, and then she shoots far above the goal. I have the feeling that was a miss on purpose.

Half-time. Our goal for the second half: score one more goal this year.

27. Sofia moves forward twice and finishes twice with a shot, but misses the goal.

30. Again and again, HBK makes it through our lines with 2, 3 easy passes. That's how you play football.

31. I'm not sure how to describe this goal. I cannot put it into words. We have a throw-in on our right wing. And somehow a HBK-player is alone on our left side and shoots into the goal. I cannot explain how the ball even got to her or how she was all alone in front of our goal. Either way, 7-1.

33. Another HBK-run on the right. Tetti2corner.

38. A long, but precise ball from Sofia towards the goal for Siiri. The keeper rushes out and is maybe 2,4cm faster at the ball than Siiri.

39. Siiri steals the ball from her opponent's foot and quickly shoots. Directly at the keeper. One of our biggest problems this season: a lot of shots, most of them directly to the keeper. We will work on this a lot during the winter, so that we will reward ourselves next season with a LOT of goals. :-)

44. Siina breaks through and does everything right. Except, she again doesn't have the luck needed. Her shot to the right corner misses the post oh so slightly.

45. Goalkick to the opponent. Pass. Shot. 8-1.

46. HBK's keeper rushes out some 15 meters of the goal and kicks the ball to our left wing. There, Jemina stands at the right spot and shoots directly at the - and into the - empty goal, 8-2. There we go: the second goal we hoped for. Hooray. :-)

47. Veera2corner after a tough shot.

48. Counter attack for us, 3v2 situation. Waited too long. Defender blocks us.

49. No. 18 with another body trick and a precise shot to the right corner. Veera with a massive reflex to corner.

50. The last scene of our season: Siina once again with a great run on the wing against two opponents, shot, at the keeper, counter attack, shot, another great reflex from Veera, corner, no danger. The end.

All in all, we had a few very good and many not-so-good games. But (hopefully) we learned something in every game. In my opinion we did a big step forward in learning how to play proper football. We showed a lot of great ideas and had plenty of goalscoring chances. We have to work on our finishing skills and on our defending behaviour (individually as well as a team). I also want to help us to strengthen our willpower, so that it will be easier in the future for everyone to give 100% at all times and fight for their team like it's the last game on Earth. I promise that every game will be easier and make much more fun if everyone is doing that. It won't even be as exhausting as it sounds. ;-)

2019 will see another big step forward for us. I am already looking forward to it, even though it's still 9 months or so away.