August 20, 2023 League1 Ontario...Vaughan Azzurri vs Burlington SC game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday August 20, 2023 League1 Ontario Men's Premier League game between Vaughan Azzurri
and Burlington SC played at North Maple Regional Park in Vaughan at 7:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy uniforms, white numbers, red trim)

........................1 Alessio Carbone
16 Jarred Phillips...4 Nyal Higgins...3 Jaytin Pabla...14 Sammy Ssebaduka
..........10 Jeronimo Sabbatasso...15 Isacc Bradbury...22 Raheem Rose (cpt)
..........11 Ryan Robinson...8 Christopher Campoli...17 Chrstian Zeppieri

Subs:...12 Chrstian Calabro (gk)...2 Daniel Gogarty...7 Abdou Raouf Mohamed...13 Aparacio Pedro...19 Antonie Decouteau
...20 Remi Agunbiade...21 Soji Olatoye...23 Paiman Sultani...25 Joseph Bourgeois
team officials:...team head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coach Anthony Vadori, Martine Eleuteri and Sergion De Luca
...manager Antonio De Palma...theapist Casey D'Mello
suspended players:...none

Burlington SC (yellow socks and shirts, blue shorts and numbers)

.......................1 Simon Grande
2 Milos Grahovac...5 Dilman Grewal...4 Joseph Willingham-Murphy...3 Clinton Okeke
11 Kevin Espiro...6 Juan Jaramillo...8 Mandela Singh-Sharpe...7 Lucas Raposo(cpt)
................9 Augustus Oku...10 Jace Kotsopoulos

Subs:...12 Daniel Cavalluzzo...14 Brandon Oracko...15 Jmeel Durhan...17 James Arango
...18 Yordan Stoyanov...19 Christian Ferraro...20 Samir Ghouli...23 Oliver Steinke
team officials:...team head coach Darren Tilley...assistant coaches Michael Neptune and Neil Wilson
...managers Oubaida Ikharbine and Perry Zorbas...therapist David Pandolfi
suspended players:...Keani Fairbanks

Game officials:...referee Ryan Schwenger...referee's assistants Adam Devenyl and Roshan Mendonca
...fourth official Ghassen Touati...(red socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 6:59pm...Vaughan defends south end on this overcast evening with the weather still hot and humid.
3 min...Burl player's cornerkick from right is over players in box. Burl Raposo is checked off ball but another Burl player regains
possession and centers from left for Burl Kotsopoulos low 22 yard shot up middle that has goalie dive to right post to save.
9 min...VA Campoli dribbles on right and cross is over box and charging VA Ssebaduka can't control ball for shot and and ball
rolls over end line line goalkick.
10 min...VA Bradbury cross from right has Burl Grahovac shank clearance on left but then ball is headed away.
12 min...Burl Okeke retreats to make key jumping clearance of cross from left.
14 min...VA Campoli cross after cutting into box on left endline has VA Robinson fire 15 yarder from slight left well over net.
14 min...VA Robinson interception at 30 yards in middle and he makes quick tap forward to VA Sabatasso who gets shot around
defender at 20 yards and sliding defender deflects wide right for cornerkick.
15 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from right has VA Ssebaduka shot from 15 yards blocked.
17 min...VA Pabla is injured at VA 45 yard line behind the play.
21 min...VA goalie picks up header bounced up middle from 25 yards.
21 min...VA Robinson cross from right after recovering ball is checked from him has VA Ssebaduka on left have shot blocked.
The game is stopped to clear a ball cleared over our fence from a community game in the field beside ours.
23 min...Burl Espiro wins cornerkick call on run down right wing.
23 min...Burl Espiro cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
26 min...VA Sabbatasso 22 yard shot up middle has goalie leap to palm over net.
27 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from right is partially cleared and VA Rose blasts 20 yarder over net.
28 min...Burl Oku 25 yarder up middle has goalie bat down and pick up on right post.
29 min...VA Robinson sends through ball pass from right has VA Campoli take low 10 yard shot from slight right that's saved point
blank by sliding goalie. The goalie is injured on the play and needs the trainer.
32 min...Burl Jaramillo 45 yard freekick from right has ball headed into net but play is flagged offside.
34 min...Burl player takes low shot from 33 yards that's saved by goalie diving left.
35 min...VA Raheem Rose dekes three defenders just inside the Burl box and wins Penalty kick when pulled down by the last
defender as he reached the center of box. Referee Ryan Schwenger awards Vaughan a Penalty kick.
36 min...Vaughan Christopher Campoli GOAL...Campoli blasts Penalty kick up middle freezing goalie Simon Grande
because of his stutter step and Grande couldn't reach out to catch it.
37 min...Burlington RED card...Kevin Espiro is given a straight Red for dissent after the goal was scored.
39 min...VA Robinson receives pass in open on right and blasts 18 yarder that goalie sprawls to save. A VA player overran
the rebound ball.
39 min...VA Campoli is checked off ball on right side of box before taking shot.
41 min...VA Robinson 33 yard freekick from slight left is wide left.
43 min...Burl Jaramillo 50 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie on left side of net.
44 min...VA Campoli run down left and low cross from 20 yards along end line is smotherd by goalie.
45 min (1st half)...Burl Augustus Oku is pulled down on the left side of the VA box. The referee awards Burl a Penalty kick.
45 min...Burlington Augustus Oku GOAL...Oku blasts his Penalty kick low to right side and goalie Alessio Carbone
dives to stop ball and does but Oku recovers big rebound and shoots 10 yarder into left side of open net.
47 min...Burl goalie catches bouncer at 10 yards.
47 min...half ends 7:46pm.

Second Half:...starts 8:03pm.
halftime subs:...Burl Stoyanov replaces Grahovac but plays forward.
...................Burl Ferraro replaces Okeke.
45 min...VA Rose pass from 35 yards to open VA Robinson who bllasts 18 y arder from right that goalie stops and ball deflects
off right post and he turns to catch it.
46 min...VA player shot from 25 yards on right is well wide left.
47 min...Burl Oku returns to the field wearing #21 replacing his bloodied #9.
50 min...Burl goalie 60 yard freekick from right has Burl Espiro has 8 yard shot pushed wide left off flying goalie.
51 min...Burlington Augustus Oku GOAL...Oku blasts in 12 yarder up middle between crowd of players to right side
of net out of reach of diving goalie.
53 min...VA Rose blasts 15 yarder along left end line that's past charging VA player at 1 yard.
53 min...VA sub...Olatoye replaces Phillips.
58 min...VA Ssebaduka has 20 yard shot from left blocked.
59 min...Burl Oku has ball deflect off him over end line for goalkick while tangled with defender.
61 min...VA Robinson can't turn and fire when goalie bumps him in back at 10 yards.
62 min...Burl YELLOW card...Ferraro earns it for trip at Burl 50 yard line.
64 min...Burl YELLOW card...Raposo earns it for bashing over VA Ssebaduka at VA 30 yard line.
65 min...VA Ssebaduka 25 yard shot down middle is well over bar.
68 min...Burl sub...Oracko replaces Raposo.
69 min...Burl goalie freekick from 60 yards on right is headed away on edge of box and VA start fast break out.
70 min...VA sub...Raouf Mohamed replaces Zeppieri.
70 min...VA Campoli 22 yard roller on left has goalie dive to right to save.
71 min...Burl Oku cross from right end line has goalie catch in 6 yard box.
71 min...VA player's short cornerkick from left is then crossed into box and cleared on right.
73 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from left has defender on right post head behind endline.
74 min...VA Robinson high cornerkick on right has VA Raouf Mohamed pop up header and another VA player pops up ball
in middle of box and goalie catches.
76 min...VA Raouf Mohamed 28 yard freekick from slight right is wide left of net.
77 min...Burl Jaramillo 33 yard freekick from right is wide left for goalkick.
79 min...Burl YELLOW card...Oku earns it for diving at VA 50 yard line in crash with VA Ssebaduka.
81 min...VA Ssebaduka passes to VA Campoli whose low cross is deflected away by defender.
81 min...VA Ssebaduka high cross from left along 10 yard line has VA Raouf Mohamed twist 3 yard header wide left of net.
85 min...Burl goalie freekick from 55 yard line has defenders head away ball on edge of box.
85 min...VA YELLOW card...Higgins earns it for something.
86 min...VA sub...Sultani replaces Sabbatasso.
88 min...VA Campoli falls in Burl box stretching for ball.
88 min...Burl goalie makes key stop.
89 min...Burl Oku stumbles and rolls 15 yard shot up middle wide left of net.
90 min...Burl sub...Ghouli replaces injured Kotsopoulos.
91 min...VA Raouf Mohamad twists 10 yard header up middle wide right of net.
93 min...Burl YELLOW card...Stoyanov earns it for tackle at Burl 40 yard line.
93 min...VA Robinson 40 yard freekick ends up winning cornerkick.
95 min...VA player's cornerkick from right has VA Sultani connect on header.
96 min...Burl YELLOW card...Ghouli earns it for time wasting (although it looked like it was given to goalie).
97 min...VA Rose is checked off rush in to left side of box but wins cornerkick call.
97 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from left has Burl goalie catch 25 yard shot in crowd of players.
97 min...Burl goalie makes another catch.
97 min...game ends 8:55pm.

Final Score:.....Vaughan Azzurri........1.......Burlington SC.........2.......

Attendance was about 150 according to an L1O official who was on the non-stands side of the field and had a better view of the crowd. There was no forecast of rain but some fans brought umbrellas as it was so humid and and overcast. No rain did fall.

A huge game for Burlington as they needed to win to make the six team playoffs that start mid-week. They grab that sixth spot with the victory. Very impressive that they played shorthanded and one goal down from 37 minutes onward and you couldn't tell they were down at all except for having their goalie take freekicks from 50 to 65 yards away to allow more outfield players to rush into the Vaughan box. He almost got caught out once but got back in time.

The game had to be stopped temporarily at 22 minutes when a ball flew over the fence and onto our field from the community game taking place from the field beside us. Also distracting was their referee's whistle sounding too close to ours. That didn't last long as he must have been told to change his tooting to more of a subway whistle rhythm.

Referee Ryan Schwenger gave out one Penalty kick to each team and ignored some fakers trying for a second. He gave out a Red card (I think it was the fourth official calling him over). He gave out five Yellow cards, four to Burlington including one late one for timewasting and one to goalscorer Oku for diving at the center line when he collided with Sammy Ssebaduka.

Best non scoring plays were at 3 minutes when a Burl player's cornerkick from the right was over the players in the box but Burl Lucas Raposo was checked off ball on the left but a player regained possession and centered the ball just outside the box for Burl Jace Kotsopoulos to take a low shot from 22 yards up the middle from 22 yards that the goalie dove to the right post to save. 26 minutes had VA Jeronimo Sabbatasso take a 22 yard shot up the middle that had the goalie leap to palm the ball over the bar. Burl Juan Jaramillo took a 45 yard freekick at 32 minutes from the right and a Burl player headed the ball into the net but it was flagged offside.

First minute of the second half had VA Raheem Rose pass from 35 yards to an open Ryan Robinson who blasted an 18 yarder from the right that the goalie stopped and the ball deflected off the right post and he turned back to catch it. 74 minutes had Robinson take a high cornerkick from the right and VA Abdou Raouf Mohamed popped up a header from the left side of the box and another VA player popped up another header in the middle of the box that the goalie caught. 81 minutes had VA Sammy Ssebaduka send in a high cross from the left along the 10 yard line and Raouf Mohamed twisted a 3 yard header wide right of the post. Added time had another VA cornerkick from the right had VA Paiman Sultani head a 10 yarder that was knocked wide. Rose was checked off the ball in a rush inside the left side of the box but win a cornerkick. The resulting cornerkick had the goalie catch a shot from 25 yards behind a crowd of players and then make another catch a minute later. 97 minutes finally brings an end to the game. Lots of Burlington player injuries including in injury time increased the six minutes originally added.

That same league official answered my question after the game as to why the Red card was given out. Not an 'F-bomb' nor an 'N-bomb' but it was the 'R-bomb'. Yes he spelled it out when I asked. Right you can't say that in 2023.

Note: For fans watching the game when it's posted on YouTube in the next few days, you will see August Oku score his first goal wearing #9 and his second as #21 which he answered me after the game was because he was ordered to change his bloody shirt at 47 minutes.

The result drops Vaughan's record to 14 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties for 45 points. They finish in third place because Simcoe County Rovers jumped over them last night with a win and that gives them second place and a bye into the semi-final.

Burlington improves to 12 wins, 5 losses, 3 ties for 39 points which is an identical record as Blue Devils FC but Blue Devils were awarded fifth place with a +19 goals for/against vs +14 for Burlington.

It was on my way home when I thought that sixth place Burlington will be back here midweek for their quarterfinal against third place Vaughan. Another night with Sammy Ssebaduka's relatives (maybe 15 were here tonight) cheering louder than the Captain Highliner lookalike with the UK accent complaining about the refereeing. Oh boy!

People were surprised that I'd been saying I'd be attending this game rather than the 'big game' of Premier League 'survival game' to stay at this level for the 2024 season. That game was between Woodbridge Strikers hosting Hamilton United and Strikers having to win to flip back over Hamilton to grab that last spot. OK but I was trying to see every team twice this season and needed to see Burlington again. I fell short by one team as Electric City FC didn't make the playoffs. I'll have to make it up to them next year as I expect I'll concentrate on the twelve teams. 36 regular season games but it was not those choices why I missed Electric when they came to town but the fact that I cover CPL York United and MLS NEXT Pro Toronto FC II cuts into my calendar.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters