BEFC headed out to Chiba for a crucial fixture against Lions FC. Beating Lions would put them within one more win from sealing the Division 2 Championship. Whether it was the curse of St.Patrick's Day or just nobody likes going to Soga, a squad of 18 on Wednesday became 12 at kick off, as various misfortune(s) struck down the players! On top of that Lions are a nemesis for BEFC. Not only do BEFC find them tactically hard to play against, this highly physical team consider BEFC to be their rivals and are always motivated against us.

The match started well for BEFC who quickly went up 2 - 0 courtesy of a generous penalty decision and a defensive error from the Lions. The Lions casual early start appeared to make BEFC overconfident, and it was as if this attitude transferred to the players as compared to BEFC's previous standards the team were playing awfully. Simple passes were being miss hit and possession lost by a lack of urgency and holding onto the ball too long. This kick-started the Lions to believe they could get something out of the fixture and the expected BEFC vs Lions midfield war of attrition began!

It's been said (by the Man of the Match himself) that Lions are one of the few sides we feel are able to bully us. And that started to happen, with their dominant midfield style and deep runners causing all kinds of trouble. It was an odd game (as they are against Lions) as BEFC were still dominating play, but Lions were able to reduce/disrupt the quality of football causing all sorts of problems.

Jorge Marenco was late to the match due to the misfortune(s) that seemed to spread over so many people that day, but arrived just in time to provide the steel that was lacking in key areas. Coming into his usual position on left wing, he immediate made an impact adding tenacity and threat to any Lions player who got a touch on the ball. This surge of counter-bossing spread out to the other players and suddenly BEFC started to get a better grip on closing down the Lions holding of key midfield areas. However the best was yet to come!

Into the second half, the BEFC Captain had subbed himself off the pitch to see if he could figure out what could be done to close the Lions down. With a few swift juggles of player Marenco was switched into the vital Defensive Midfielder role as the much needed Destroyer!!! It was so clear at this moment that this type of DM was what BEFC had been missing ever since the disappearance of Shun Ishihara, and Marenco showed he was the perfect heir to the throne.
With a huge performance reminisent of England legend Scott Parker, including epic tackle, Marenco savaged Lion after Lion who came into his territory. It was splendid to behold as finally the tide of 'Bossing' turned against them. It was in those moments and the change in play Lions shipped 2 more goals allowing BEFC to cruise to a 4 - 0 victory and finish the match with mountains more 'honour' than what was on show during the first half.

For a truly epic display of how to play the Defensive Midfield Destroyer and being the beast that could savage a midfield as strong as lions Jorge Marenco is the Adecco BEFC Man of the Match vs Lions FC.