Teenage Boom for Totaal

Totaalvoetbal finally found their touch in front of goal as they defeated Marseille 3-1 at the MVB Arena.

In front of a packed house the hosts had undergone a troubled start which culminated with Ritchie Morgan shooting home to give Marseille a 1-0 advantage.

Pierre van Diemen relieved the tension just before half-time with a quality equaliser and despite Marseille having a goal disallowed at the beginning of the second-half Totaal were to dominate from this point on.

With the hosts boasting a very youthful midfield due to Juffing going off injured the outcome might have been in the balance but it wasn’t to matter.

17-year-old Richard van Mosen delivered a fabulous corner for Shirsh Vajpayee to shoot the hosts into a lead and then Allan Akerboom marked his debut with a super header to confirm the victory.

The game began quietly and despite Juffing having a drive which went just wide the home side were struggling for rhythm.

Marseille, once more choosing not to pick any substitutes, scored with their first attack of the game. Dudley Bennington was to be the creator as he fed in a ball for Ritchie Morgan to finish with a well-taken volley.

The home crowd were looking for something to get them involved and Raymond Putnam may well have changed the momentum in the game. With a crunching challenge he picked up a booking but also gave Peyton a knock that may have been too bad to continue if he had the option to be substituted.

Seizing on this determination by Putnam, Totaal began to dominate and were to equalise before the break. Horacio Metelo was revelling in his playmaking role and he crossed for van Diemen to produce a breathtaking finish which saw a visible lift in his teammate’s confidence.

The second-half started with a poor elbow by Andy Hardy which resulted in Johan Juffing going off with concussion. His replacement was Allan Akerboom who only this week had been promoted from the youth set-up.

With so many youngsters on the field van Diemen all of a sudden took on the role of a more experienced head even at the tender age of 20. It was one of his headers that nearly put Totaal in front but a good save from Dion Rossell thwarted him.

Marseille were struggling in the game but from a breakaway move they would have taken the lead but for a clear offside.

The rest of the game took on the feel of a training ground regime with attack v defence being the theme as Totaal bombed Marseille at every available opportunity.

They were to take the lead on 61 minutes as van Mosen delivered an in-swinging corner which Vajpayee dispatched smartly with a side-foot finish.

The home side were now being roared on by a home crowd who had waited a while for their champions to give them a performance like this. Putnam once more was the focus of their attention as he drove down the wing and delivered a low cross which caused mayhem in the visiting defence. Sensing the confusing Akerboom launched himself at the ball and produced a thumping diving header which left Rossell beaten.

With the game beyond doubt Totaal had chances to extend their lead but Metelo and van Mosen both wasted their moments and 3-1 was to be the final score.

“It’s a big win for us.” said Meeblind.

“Cathal seems to have taken his eye off the ball but we needed to make sure we took advantage and with so many youngsters it isn’t always guaranteed that you’ll be able to.

“Thankfully they have stood up and we have got a vital three points ahead of some massive matches. We now play three of the four best teams in the league and any points will be a bonus for us.

“Dan will want his side to bounce back quickly after their disappointment today and we have to stand up to their quality. That’s not going to be easy.”