Match Report
Thurlow Nunn Division 1 South - Saturday 3rd January
NW London 1-1 FC Romania
Yotam Tesmafeskel 45+1' (NW London)
Romeo Grano 73' (FC Romania)
NW London's momentum was met with frustration on Saturday as they played out a 1-1 draw with FC Romania at Coles Park. Despite dominating the vast majority of the contest, a second-half "sucker punch" ensured the points were shared between the two sides.
Team News
Managerial options were boosted by the return of Elijah Sontan, who slotted back into the center-back position after missing the previous fixture against Baresi. Yotam Tesfameskel also returned to the starting XI, deployed as a wide forward to add pace and clinical finishing to the flanks. Between the sticks, Ervin Liburd was handed his debut for the club.
First Half: Breakthrough at the Death
The opening exchanges were cagey as both sides looked to find their footing. Debutant keeper Ervin Liburd was called into action early, surviving a scare when a spilled cross grazed the post before being cleared.
As the half progressed, NW London began to exert their authority. Thulio Soares and Al-Nashi both went close, with the latter forcing a save from the Romania keeper as the visitors were pinned into their own half. The breakthrough finally arrived just before the whistle; after Messaoudi saw an effort saved and the ball was recycled, Al-Nashi turned provider, laying the ball off for Tesfameskel to fire a superb half-volley into the back of the net.
Second Half: Domination Without the Reward
The Gorillas started the second period with intent, looking to exploit a visibly tiring Romania side. Farhat began to cause havoc with his dribbling, creating several openings, but a combination of desperate defending and saves from the Romania GK kept the scoreline at 1-0.
Against the run of play in the 70th minute, the visitors struck. Breaking clinicaly from an NW London throw-in, Romania found a pocket of space and curled a precise finish into the bottom corner to level the scores.
NW London responded with waves of pressure. Messaoudi went close with a half-volley that cleared the bar, and Okoko looked certain to score from a set-piece, only to see his brilliant free-kick tipped onto the woodwork by the keeper. In the final minutes, Joseph ventured forward and found himself with a clear sight of goal, but a goal-saving block kept the scores level.
Romania almost snatched an unlikely victory in stoppage time, heading over from a late cross, but the final whistle confirmed a frustrating afternoon for the home side.
Reflections
While NW London will be pleased with the level of control and the performance of their returning stars, they will feel this was two points dropped given their continuous domination from the 20th minute onwards.
The Gorillas won't have to wait long to bounce back as they return to Coles Park this Wednesday night to take on AS London.