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by Robert "Pennywise" Gray

Insmouth returned to Campeonato Série A football with another away fixture. This time the opposition was the resilient team of Brynsadler FC (170). We already clashed with them in the Brazilian Cup 4th Round and emerged victorious after two late goals by Ojaide and Furtado. Manager HenryM guided his lads to a respectable 8th finish last campaign and was looking to repeat the feat but so far they were unable to take points off any of the favorites in the division.

Insmouth Gazette pundits were once again unanimous in picking Cheetahs for the win - all 11 of our guests backed us for three points in this match.

Brenin Breweries was fully packed with a 10,000 crowd however the free beer promotion from the stadium sponsorship firm probably played a part in that.

Brynsadler FC decided to mirror our favorite 4-5-1 formation. They had some selection headache with star striker Douglas Barbosa (61) sitting out the final game of his 2-match ban for a red card. He was replaced in the lone forward role by Jonathan Abreu (34) who was hardly a like for like change in the home lineup. Home fans hopes were pinned on crucial players like keeper Jeraldo Velasco (52), CB Arthur Reis (63), sweeper Jorge Botelho (67) and defensive midfielder Wolf Kästner (61).

Insmouth maintained the usual 4-5-1 formation. LB Michael Leitz (52) received some much needed rest and was replaced by Bernardo Azzolina (54). Striker Takafumi Daiwa (57) once again replaced DM Ellhard Gos (51) in our midfield. There were no changes in the Insmouth lineup from the previous match.

Cheetahs enjoyed a serious advantage in all areas but especially attack where Abreu faded in comparison with our forward Leo Furtado.

Everybody was expecting a relatively easy match with the main question how many would Insmouth score. This however was fertile soil for complacency and after shouldering a couple good attacks in the first seconds Brynsadler pushed in our half.

Our midfield was surprisingly unable to match the open minded offensive play of the hosts and we succumbed to some uncharacteristically poor tackles. DM Lyapo Adelaja (72) set the tone with a reckless challenge that lead to an early booking.

3' - Yellow Card! CM Lyapo Adelaja (Insmouth Cheetahs)

This was also Adelaja's 5th booking in the league this season and it meant he was to serve one match ban.

Things got much worse quickly after when right winger Lutu Francescoli completely missed the ball when chasing a loose pass and his sliding tackle went straight in the ankle of Brynsadler LB Jorge Botelho. There was no malice in it but it looked real bad and Botelho needed immediate medical attention. The referee didn't hesitate about the color of the card and Francescoli headed for an early shower after just 6 minutes on the pitch!

6' - Red Card! RM Lutu Francescoli (Insmouth Cheetahs)

What was supposed to be a simple match on the road was quickly turning into a real nightmare. Furthermore Insmouth now had their two best midfielders suspended for the next league match against this season's pleasant surprise Homeboyz FC.

Brynsadler could afford a more adventurous approach after the early bloodbath and did their best to make the numerical advantage count. They were the better team on the pitch for the entire first half while Insmouth were struggling to regroup.

We were fortunate the hosts didn't have enough firepower up front because they created a number of good chances but Abreu was ultimately unable to capitalize on any of them. Cheetahs keeper Rosewarns had one of his better games between the posts and saved everything that went his way to keep us alive.

Our offensive outlet in this first half was restricted to a few long range efforts and a decent performance by Takafumi Daiwa who came close to clinching an opener against the run of play but saw his fantastic effort bounce off the left post.

Insmouth started the second half much better and finally managed to shake off the shock from the early red card. It helped a great deal that the first real chance we created paid off with a goal - attacking midfielder Kikugoro Sugahara (64) advanced down the left side and found enough space to whip a dangerous cross in the box. Furtado was in place to head it just beyond keeper Velasco's reach and into the net!

50' - GOAL!!! 0-1 CF Leo Furtado (LM Kikugoro Sugahara assist)

Brynsadler reacted positively and looked to retaliate immediately but Abreu was once again unable to trouble Rosewarns after receiving a good pass with space in our box.

Then Cheetahs RB Shane Pybus (71) was forced to trip home winger Hans Breed (45) as he was getting away and conceded yet another card.

54' - Yellow Card! RB Shane Pybus (Insmouth Cheetahs)

The home charge for an equalizer was short lived and soon started to fade as Insmouth's superior quality showed. We were able to pass the ball much better even with 10 men and gradually picked up firm control over the run of play.

When Brynsadler DM Wolf Kästner (61) went desperately late for a tackle to stop a sequence of 20 successive passes and picked up a yellow card for it the match transformed completely.

58' - Yellow Card! RM Wolf Kästner (Brynsadler FC)[/color]

From this point on the hosts rarely had a good ball in our box and our defense handled most of them by leaving Abreu in the offside trap.

Insmouth also looked the more threatening side and Furtado had a couple good chances to bag a second goal.

It wasn't to be though and after two minutes of added time Brynsadler had to swallow another loss against the top dogs of the division after coming as close as ever to grabbing a point or three. The home fans were left to wonder what the score would have been if their star striker Barbosa was able to play in this one. A question we're glad was left unanswered!

Final score: Brynsadler FC (170) - Insmouth Cheetahs (3) 0-1 (Leo Furtado 50)
Man of the Match: CM Caio Niginho (Brynsadler FC)

Campeonato Série A Match Day 18 results:

Red Onions (4) - CLUB AMERICA (176) 3-0
Peregrinos (7) - Jitterbug Pancakes (543) 3-1
Astonian FC (172) - Alexandra County (40) 2-1
Homeboyz FC (66) - The Rockets (21) 2-1

There were some surprises in this round and while the top three were able to win and get ahead of the chasing pack, Homeboyz FC surprisingly managed to keep pace and even get closer to the very best while title contenders The Rockets and Alexandra County lagged behind following unexpected losses:

1. Insmouth...........__ 50 40-6
2. Red Onions............ 48 41-8
3. Peregrinos............. 45 38-13
4. Homeboyz FC.._____ 42 36-12
5. Alexandra Countyw 38 33-16
6. The Rockets....____ 37 30-14

Insmouth Gazette Pundits

Time for our pundits section. This was a very tough round for them to predict and while some foresaw a slip up by Alexandra County, nobody dared to bet at them losing the match. In the same time some were bold enough to back Homeboyz against The Rockets and reaped the rewards for it. Things remain unchanged at the top with andyoz still enjoying a good 8 point lead over colins70 but it's much more heated a little under. AberdeenAngels was caught up in 7th and now shares the position with jpjjpj. Let's see how the leaderboard looks after Match Day 18:

1. andyoz.........__ 215pts
2. colins70............207pts
3. wally............__ 190pts
4. scotty1962..___ 160pts
5. mackfishy......._ 159pts
6. ironpsycho....__ 156pts
7. AberdeenAngels 149pts
8. jpjjpj............... 149pts
9. Tstuff......_____ 125pts
10. aknight2000__ 108pts
11. ozzymac......__ 103pts

Our next update will be on the Campeonato Série A round that is being played today so watch out for it - our pundits had some thrilling matches to predict, including a title contenders derby!