In the beginning of the match, Edo Queens filed out in a weird formation. You had the 4 defenders sat behind 2 defensive midfielders with 1 attacking midfielder for support. Then up front, you had 1 centrally located support striker just behind 2 strikers giving a narrow 4-2-1-3 shape.
Instantly they ran into problems: no width up front and no wingers to augment the fullbacks when defending which created open season for Mamelodi down our flanks and contributed to the first goal conceded. But Edo Queens were resolute in midfield.
To redress the balance and seize the initiative, Coach Moses replaced Anjor with Mamudu in 33 minutes: an early substitution by any measure, but an astute and tactical one that will have positive ramifications on the long run.
In 36 minutes, Mamudu delivered a wicked cross from the right , one of many, that would pepper the South Africans' back line and give them something different to worry about. Ijamilusi would crash the bar minutes later from the left flank within a now more expansive set-up which started creating openings.
Edo Queens were starting to play to their strengths with pace, power and panache on the flanks. But the end-product in actual crosses were a mixed bag: sometimes delivered with the sharpness and precision of a scalpel blade but other times with the crudeness, barbarity and roughness of a sledgehammer.
Whichever the case, Edo Queens had become menacing and insidious down the flanks which Mamelodi Sundowns struggled to repel or contain for the remainder of the match.
Moses came on early in the second half and proved a proverbial thorn in the flesh of South Africa in left wing with neat take-ons which sadly deserved better crossing end-products.
The back 4 defensive infrastructure was colossal with razor sharp concentration and highly competent anticipations and interceptions with goalkeeper Oyono never looking fazed.
The formation now assumed a more wider 4-3-3 posture.
Long balls from midfield complemented the crosses from the flanks which led to Essien being cleaned out in the 18 yard box for a penalty wasted by my darling Olise (I like this girl sha, I no o lie). On her primary task, Olise marshaled the midfield with care, attention and confidence ably aided by Samuel and Inyang.
Striker Ijamilusi moved to like attacking midfield to accommodate Moses and Mamudu down the flanks with Essien the arrowhead; Ijamilusi’s through passes to free up the wingers were a thing of beauty and precision which caused the South Africans no end of problems.
Later, another Subject of my love and affection Gorgeous Goodness Osigwe took over on the left wing were she was even more ruthless than Moses, with far superior crossing end-product, leading to a goal and several fascinating near misses.
(Goodness Osigwe, Flourish Sebastian, who is better?)
Their climax, the payoff was implemented in the cruelest of fashions with 2 late goals to dump the former champions out and announce themselves as a force in this tournament.
I enjoyed the game so much I watched it a second time in full: Edo Queens now have a new fan in me!
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