It could have been a short Saturday at GIS, considering that our U20 footballers ended up in a group with GIS and Lanna. Plus Varee, who we couldn’t play against due to the flood. Our boys took a positive view and said they wouldn’t have to play Grace in the semi-finals. Optimism is the key, and that proved to be the case. But right from the start: The first game on Saturday, November 2, against Varee went to our boys with a clear 6:2. The team created chances like a conveyor belt. This gave the U20s a positive start to a very long and hot day with temperatures well above 30 degrees. After a long break, a strong opponent awaited, Lanna International School. In the qualifiers, our team won narrowly 3:2, but on the day of the tournament the results were more clear: 3:1 for CDSC. 6 points meant a spot in the semi-finals, and two 40-minute games in a row were extremely draining for the team. Only 15 minutes after the important win against Lanna, GIS were waiting for us. Overall, they proved to be the strongest opponent, having recently won an international tournament in Taipei. They also beat us 3:0 in the qualifiers. Our aim was therefore to stay injury-free, give the substitutes more playing minutes, and give the starting line-up a bit of breathing space. However, the students’ ambition only allowed this to a limited extent. We prefer not to report on the result. Meanwhile, on the adjacent pitch, it became clear that our opponents in the semi-final would be NIS, against whom we had drawn in the qualifying phase. Back then, CDSC was the better team with better chances. Undeterred, with a flawless defense and an offense that scored two great goals, we entered the final with a 2:0 victory. The joy on the pitch knew no bounds.

If you wanted to win this tournament, you had to beat GIS. We now had the chance to do so. A tactical goal was to be set in our meeting. However, we were completely wrong. Our goalkeeper, who even received a round of applause from the opposing fans that day, burst out like a shotgun: “We want to win the game!” That’s how determined, motivated, and focused the team was that day. They say that faith can move mountains. It was already beginning to dawn, the stands were full, there were countless fans on the sidelines and the final was about to begin. Grace International School vs. CDSC and the lads produced a fireworks display of energy. They fought for every inch, everyone worked back on the GIS counterattacks. One save from our goalkeeper followed another. We had to move quickly in the midfield to get the ball forward. As a result, the team managed to carve out two top-class chances that could have put us ahead. A sharp cross from the right and our player suddenly found himself alone in front of the opposing goalkeeper. Unfortunately, the ball missed and you really had to look twice to realize that we were pressing. After such a long and intensive day, it was impressive to say the least. There were drop-outs on both sides as leg cramps set in. We went into half-time with the score at 0-0 and the second half continued in exactly the same way. Both sides had chances, but this time GIS dominated. A few brilliant saves saved us. So it had to happen at some point that GIS would score. The fans went wild. There was no stopping them. Until the final whistle, the team did everything they could to make it. When the final whistle blew, both teams had no choice but to congratulate each other respectfully. Both teams even took a picture together immediately. Our players were asked to walk through a trellis like the winning team and be celebrated.

There was still a bit of disappointment, although the pride and joy about the great result prevailed. We were the underdogs who almost took the whole tournament. No one could blame themselves for not giving their all. Everyone excelled. The team gave the best performance of the season in all respects.

If the boys can transfer this to their lives and approach their A-levels in the same way, then they will be the winners either way.
Throughout the entire season, the U20 team did not receive a single yellow card, always played fair, and represented CDSC in the best possible way.
One mom who has witnessed 10 years of CMAC at CDSC said, “That was the best and most exciting thing I’ve ever seen in CMAC!”
Hats off. A little pathos is allowed at this point. I felt the same way. Thank you for these moments.

Patrick Kim-Türk