Rizz-OH NO: Rizzo's mistakes prove costly as Madrid take all his lasagna, and three points
By: Drew Peacock
A midtable match up between fifth place Madrid and ninth place Roma. There has been a noticeable change in both teams' tactics ahead of their matchday thirteen encounter. The away side, Roma SS, has shifted from their typical 4-2-2-2 formation and opted for a more defensive 3-6-1. The hosts, Deportivo Madrid, looking to find their form again after losses to Brussels and London, set up in a 4-1-1-4 formation, to overwhelm the defence.
Early in the first half, Madrid got their first chance of the game as the veteran Lucca Rizzo committed a foul in an advantageous position. Madrid captain Billy Boyo stepped up to take the free kick, sending the ball into a crowd of both yellow and black jerseys. Woy Hodgson and Lucca Rizzo both went up for the ball, and it took an unlucky deflection off Rizzo, falling to the feet of Hussein Moorishinho who calmly and cleanly put it out of reach for Riku Nohomo to give his side the lead; 1-0. Not long after, another foul was given against Roma, in a similar area; however, this time Roma were able to clear it well enough to avoid conceding a second time. Roma's best scoring chance of the half came shortly after as they broke hard on the counter where Kamel found Moretti streaking into the box, but Raeshaughn Jefferson was able to save the shot. Half-time 1-0.
The second half began with no changes from Roma, but Madrid captain Boyo decided to try to kill off the game from the start, shifting from the 4114 to a deep, defensive 4-3-1-2. The best chance of the half came to Lucca Rizzo in the seventy-fourth minute, as he looked to reverse the error from the first half. Kamel was able to win his duel with Eye Amgroot and found Rizzo with space to shoot. He attempted to curl his shot around Jefferson, but it went outside of the goal post. Roma was unable to muster a better chance than that one, and the game would end 1-0. Unfortunately for Roma, this loss saw them drop two positions in the table, down to 11th. Madrid is back in sole possession of fourth place with the win.
