Grasshopper Club Zürich - Rot Weiss Wettingen --- 2 - 3
After a week full of rain, a cold but finally sunny Sunday afternoon welcomed us as we stepped onto the pitch for our last game before the winter break.
After a loss (best left forgotten) the last time the team faced RWW, they spent the week focusing on the mental side of handling different scenarios and were ready to show their strengths on their own pitch.
In this Sunday’s game, which kicked off at 15:00, RWW once again started strongly, much like in the previous encounter. With quick ball transitions and a solid build-up from their back four, they played with confidence, leaving GC struggling to apply pressure on the ball and forced to defend in their own half. Nonetheless, Wettingen couldn’t create any clear scoring opportunities, managing only a few chaotic circle penetrations.
The break after the first quarter gave Franco the opportunity to adjust the pressure to make it more precise and fired the team up to be more efficient in their counterattacks. As a result, GC slowly came back into the game and made it more even. A penalty corner was won, giving the opportunity to turn the game around. A strong low shot by Pascal confused the RWW line stopper, who deflected it high up into the net. GC–RWW → 1–0. A couple of minutes later, the halftime whistle was blown, and both teams could get ready for the second half after 35 intense hockey minutes in Zürich, in which GC had taken the lead.
The mission for the second half was clear: control the game and keep the pressure high on RWW’s back four. The team followed instructions and played a strong third quarter, even though Wettingen applied higher pressure. GC could have earned another penalty corner and extended their lead when the ball hit an RWW foot in the circle. Instead, the advantage was given, and Flurin could push the ball high into the left corner against the net. GC was now leading 2–0 and had everything under control. They continued to push and attack high up the field, which allowed Wettingen to start playing counterattacks. Unfortunately, this resulted in a goal for RWW from a penalty corner in the last minute of the third quarter, giving Wettingen some hope for the fourth quarter by having reduced the score by just one goal difference.
Having focused on handling different scenarios all week, GC knew this situation could arise and saw no reason to panic. However, Wettingen returned to the pitch with an aggressive strategy, overloading the GC defense with multiple players and showing they were not satisfied with the current score. They equalized with a quick free hit inside GC’s 23, and their momentum soon allowed them to take the lead 2–3 a few minutes later. A further disallowed goal for Wettingen highlighted the balance of the fourth quarter. The game ended in an unfortunate loss for GC. Final score: 2–3.