They say that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And our JCU Men’s Soccer proved to be a tough team last night, not only for defeating 2-1 the University of Foro Italico (UFI), which is the current second-place team in the league ranking, but because they were able to dominate a game against all the odds.

After a few low-performance games, our Gladiators showed what they are really capable of, finally earning three precious points, which are extremely needed to go up in the ranking of the Universities of Rome Championship.

JCU immediately took the lead in the first half thanks to a penalty kick scored by our forward Giorgio Castellani. A few minutes later, the second goal from our forward and captain Josè Pablo Ortega confirmed JCU head start.

However, UFI was not yet prepared to let JCU take too much advantage in the game and scored back, bringing the result to 2-1 at the end of the first half.

In the second half, UFI started to play really strong, pressing and assailing JCU goal post. But our Gladiators were unstoppable, and thanks to a great performance from JCU defensive line, the opponents didn’t find any empty space to score again, and our Gladiators took home an important victory.

“I finally saw a real team out there in the field,” JCU goalkeepers coach Marian commented. “Tonight, they pulled out a great dose of determination and gave an excellent performance like a solid and cohesive team.”

Last night, it was not an easy game for our Gladiators, also given the fact that JCU played with only nine players due to Donnini‘s and Cattaneo‘s expulsion. However, our Gladiators showed to be real fighters and were able to conquer an incredible victory against a very strong team. This was definitely the perfect reward for all their hard work and commitment. You deserved it!

Congratulations, Gladiators! We are proud of you! Now one more game, and then off to Athens for the International Sports Festival where we can’t wait to see you in action, hoping that you will gift us with other great performances like this.

MVP – Marco Tortorelli