Recap
Following the disastrous first two games of the season Balwyn came into their clash with Ashburton desperate for a win. Ashburton having also lost their first two games both to teams expected to finish higher than them where looking to pull off an upset.
Ashburton started the game brilliantly with fast paced futsal putting the Balwyn defence under pressure and catching them off guard to score the first three goals. Balwyn looked lethargic as Ashburton continued to heap on the pressure. Balwyn called an early time out with their manager Gabriel Zeballos desperate to calm his team down and get them motivated to get into the game. It was obvious that he was successful as the Balwyn players rallied. Slowing the pace of the game down and playing the passing game that had seen them finish second last season. In the final minutes of the half Balwyn made a breakthrough. Despite only scoring once in the half Balwyn had found momentum and looked the dominant team. The half time score line saw Ashburton lead by two.
The second half started as the first finished with Balwyn continuing to dominate play but unable to find the back of the net. The Ashburton defence was holding strong and it looked as if Balwyn would not be able to make a breakthrough. Ten minutes of the half had passed and still Balwyn was dominating without a score, finally the Ashburton defence was broken down by some rapid passing and Balwyn found a way in for a goal. Suddenly the flood gates had opened and Balwyn quickly equalised. An altercation between Ashburton’s manager and some of the Balwyn players left the game heated and on a knife’s edge as both teams attempted to get the lead. Ashburton scored a goal on the counter-attack but soon after gave away a fifth and sixth foul giving Balwyn two penalties both of which where converted.
The win will give Balwyn a much needed boost as they look onto next week and the rest of the season. For Ashburton its the same story as the rest of their games this season just falling short after good starts.