For their fourth preparation match, the Gym faced Villarreal, a Spanish top-division club. In a match played at the iconic St James’ Park in Newcastle, Francesco Farioli’s men showed promising signs.
After a defeat last week, albeit in a friendly against a worthy Braga team, the Gym was looking for reassurance. To achieve this, Francesco Farioli did not hold back by fielding a starting eleven that seems almost unshakable for the next season: the return of Attal on the left wing, the Dante/Todibo pairing to secure the central defense, the highly sought-after Thuram accompanied by the fresh presence of Sanson in midfield, not forgetting Moffi and Boga to energize the attack.
The least that can be said is that the start of the match was rather disorganized for the Aiglons, who multiplied ball losses and conceded goal opportunities to the Groguets (the yellows in Valencian). More comfortable as the match progressed, the Gym showed solid defense, well-assisted by an alert Youssouf Ndayishimiye. However, few initiatives were taken by either team, leading to a goalless score at the end of the first half.
« We have reached a milestone »
Francesco Farioli
It took Villarreal five minutes to open the scoring with a penalty (Brereton Diaz) in the second half. Nice quickly responded when Morgan Sanson managed to finish a sublime move initiated by a run from Melvin Bard to Terem Moffi, who used all his talent to outmaneuver a defender before assisting the goal scorer (55′). Very convincing in the game, the Aiglons failed to score a second goal, and Ndayishimiye had to leave the field with an injury in the 81st minute of play.
In his post-match reaction, Francesco Farioli spoke about the player’s condition and more broadly about his team’s performance: «We need to assess his situation with the doctors and the medical team. He experienced a minor discomfort, which we will evaluate between today and tomorrow.». He continued, «I think it was a good match, with a lot of intensity. I particularly appreciated the players’ attitude on the field, their ability to maintain distances, their mentality, and aggressiveness. Tomorrow, we have another important game.».
Indeed, the Aiglons will be back tomorrow at 2 PM to play a final preparation match against Fiorentina (Italy), again at St James’ Park in Newcastle.
