UCL 4s 1 – Queen Mary’s 2s 3

A heroic defensive performance saw UCL 4s fall just short of victory, losing 3-1 to Queen Mary’s 2s in the quarter final of the Football Men’s Reserve Cup on Saturday.

Assigned a tough task against a team a division above them, UCL put in a strong showing and the score line somewhat flattered the opposition.

With several players absent, including captain and central midfielder Ikonen ‘Bagsy’ Bagus, UCL fielded an unconventional side comprising several 5s players. They also fielded a new and highly experimental 4-1-2-2-1 formation, with a heavy emphasis on the counter attack.

Although it appeared to be working as the first half progressed, after 25 minutes the quality of Queen Mary’s shone through. As the UCL defenders failed to close him down, the Queen Mary’s number 10 smashed in a superb finish from the edge of the box.

But UCL maintained their defensive shape and were soon rewarded. After 10 minutes of pressure, a lovely one-two on the edge of the box presented Bruno Pias with a chance he just couldn’t miss, coolly slotting the ball into the top corner from 10 yards out.

After the break, the match continued in much the same vein – UCL comfortably defending Queen Mary’s blunt attacks, whilst attempting to hit them on the break.

However, the game reached a turning point midway through the second half, as the referee refused to award what appeared to be a clear penalty when a Queen Mary’s defender handled in the area.

Soon after, Queen Mary’s grabbed their second – another well taken finish from just inside the 18 yard box.

As UCL pressed to find that elusive second goal, gaps started to appear in what until then had been a tight defense, and Queen Mary’s killed the game off with a third goal late on.

After 4 straight defeats for UCL 4s, this morale boosting performance should give them confidence as they prepare to play ‘el classico’ this week against UCL 3s.