Shivan so Preety for Totaal

Totaalvoetbal opened the title race back up again by defeating ThunderCars F.C 1-0.

Meeting for the second time in a week both managers tried to second guess the other with varying degrees of success. What this meant was that it would be down to the players to sort out this battle of two of the RM Invitational’s big guns.

After an opening which saw both sides cautiously aware of the other’s threats Shivan Preetnav struck with the first chance. After picking up a pass from Horacio Metelo, Preetnav was given too much space in midfield and he smashed past Magro for only his second goal in the orange of Totaal.

The rest of the half was fought out in the middle of the field and from one particular skirmish the visitors suffered another blow. Paulino Ornelas fell awkwardly in a hard challenge from Akerboom and as a result will now miss a couple of weeks of action.

The second-half saw the game remain tight with both defences performing admirably. What chances were to arrive did so in the form of free-kicks and it was from one that Leonardo Borja forced Ard Leemans into a fine tip over the bar to maintain the home side’s lead.

Metelo was enjoying a superb game due to the extra space given to him by the ThunderCats midfield but he was to waste two free-kick opportunities as Totaal looked to open up a two-goal advantage; both efforts missing the target.

With time running out the away side had one last chance to take a point from the game. Yet again a free-kick was given away in a dangerous area and after Borja swung it onto the head of Ramalhao the defender could only direct his header into the arms of Leemans.

“It’s a brilliant four points that we didn’t expect to have.” said Meeblind referring to the two games against the leaders.

“We have grown as a team over the last week and I’m proud of all of them.”