APB
FC (Ire) found themselves in a familiar position
heading into this Group B encounter, knowing that
only six points from their final two fixtures
would give them any hope of reaching the knockout
stages. Unfortunately for the Irish side, their
opponents were the formidable Colonel Getafe,
who had won all three of their opening matches
and were looking to make it four from four. The
English side were setting the pace at the top
of the table and another victory would further
strengthen their position in the race for Cup
qualification. It was a daunting challenge for
APB FC, who needed to produce something special
against the group leaders to keep their hopes
alive.
The
first half went very much with the form book as
Colonel Getafe established a 2-0 lead. Cameron
Saycell opened the scoring before Ben Watson added
a second, giving the unbeaten leaders a healthy
cushion at the interval. APB FC needed a response
after the restart, and they showed some fight
when Padraic Waldron found the net to reduce the
deficit to 2-1. Suddenly, the Irish side had hope
of rescuing something from the match, but Colonel
Getafe had been in this position before and knew
what was required to see the game out.
The
final whistle confirmed a 2-1 victory for Colonel
Getafe, who had once again turned a two-goal half-time
advantage into a narrow win after conceding in
the second half. It was the second time they had
followed that pattern (also v Bathletico), underlining
the resilience that has accompanied their undoubted
quality throughout the group stage. Four wins
from four is an outstanding record, and it is
becoming increasingly difficult to find fault
with a side performing so consistently at both
ends of the pitch. Their 100% record remained
intact, and they stretched their lead at the top
of Group B to three points. For APB FC, the defeat
confirmed their elimination with one game still
to play, matching the fate of AFC Blue Boys. The
Irish side would now have to settle for finishing
their campaign as strongly as possible, while
Colonel Getafe continued to look every inch genuine
Cup contenders.
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