Cambridge men lose on penalties at the 150th anniversary of Varsity football

Cambridge was forced to substitute its goalkeeper following an injury on the third minute


One the 150th anniversary of the Varsity men’s football match at Abbey Stadium, Cambridge lost to its rival Oxford on penalties. The score was 1-1, with Cambridge losing 3-0 on penalties after having to substitute an injured goalkeeper.

It was an unfortunate start for Cambridge, with Oxford’s midfielder Tom Deighton scoring on just the third minute. The ball rolled straight past the Cambridge goalkeeper, Aram Sarkissian who appeared injured afterwards. In spite of this, he made the bold choice to stay on.

The first half of the match saw some great play from Oxford, particularly on the left side of the pitch. Cambridge continued to fight back, but were met by strong Oxford defense, so the score remained 1-0 to Oxford at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Cambridge really upped their game, despite having to swap out their goalkeeper Aram Sarkissian for Moritz Przybilla. Cambridge had better possession than in the first half and created multiple opportunities to score.

On the 73rd minute, Cambridge equalised after a run from Makafui Avevor facilitated a goal by captain Cai La Trobe-Roberts, who has had a fantastic comeback from a concussion suffered last term

Despite a close opportunity for Cambridge in added time, the score remained 1-1 at the end of the 90 plus 6 minutes. The game commenced straight to penalties, with Cambridge in the compromised position of having a substitute goalkeeper.

Oxford won 3-0 on penalties, after Cambridge’s Denis Ozer, Aaran Mehmood and Masako Kawaski all conceded goals.

In spite of the disappointing outcome, it was a very close match and the Cambridge men certainly made the university proud. Click here to find out how the Cambridge women did in their Varsity football match against Oxford.

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