So Farinos has started doing this every three or four matches:
That’s the best of a few similar recent goals from Farinos. It’s a lovely long-range blast from all of 35 yards. Reminds me of PES5’s Mathieu in his prime.
My apologies for the shaky, blurry camera in the Wide view. I was rather excited. Also, it was another one of those pesky bright sunny days outside, which always affects the film quality. Doesn’t Nature know there’s a Master League on?
It hadn’t been the greatest start to the league campaign. But then I played a cluster of matches against weaker opposition. The kind of matches that you have to really win, home or away, if you want to challenge for the title in this PES, in this Master League, on Superstar difficulty.
I played Norwich and beat them. I played Swansea and found them tougher than last season, but beat them. I played Fulham and went 1-0 down. Time was getting on. 80 minutes. It looked like the end of my little run.
Every Master League player has had the experience of going behind in a fixture they have to win. Sometimes you just capitulate and lose the match. Sometimes, though, you say out loud, as I did, “I’m NOT HAVING this“, and roll up your sleeves and force your way back into the match.
I did force my way back in. A scrambled equaliser on 85 minutes. Then, in the last minute, I put Forlan through for a 1-on-1. I tucked that ball into the net and went crazy. I was still in the hunt.
Speaking of last-minute winners, I played probably the best game of my PES2012 career against Liverpool at home. It was 2-2 in the last minute of regulation, and Liverpool were really pushing for a winner of their own and committing lots of players forward. I sent Farinos—that man again—on a run and fed him a simple ball:
Another screaming-out-loud moment there. Perhaps the most gratifying thing about that goal is how far up the field and ragged that Liverpool back line is playing. Comical defending that gifted me a winner.
I played Chelsea and beat them easily. Played Spurs and beat them, including this across-the-keeper thumper from Forlan, again:
Goals like that have been pretty hard to come by in PES2012.
It’s been an extraordinary couple of days for goals and I’m having a fine run of form, it’s fair to say.
With the January window approaching fast, here’s the current table:
My next two league matches, which I’m off to play as soon as I finish this post, are against Newcastle and Man City. Talk about big games. My minimum requirement from them is 4 points to stay in touch. If I could get 6 points, I fancy I’ll be breathing down Arsenal’s neck.
I’m still in the FA Cup, where I most recently crushed Spurs 5-1. It included an interesting goal from Forlan. After more than 350 hours, this game still has surprises for me. Until yesterday, I had never seen this particular heading animation:
It’s a falling-backwards, cushioned header along the ground past the keeper. Maybe everyone else has seen the animation dozens of times, but this was the first time I ever have. Great stuff.
Caracciolo scored all 4 of the other goals for me in this match. He’s a genuine phenomenon of this season so far. I felt moved to check his individual match record afterwards.
12 touches, and 5 shots, all of them on-target. 4 goals. Not bad at all.
I’ve qualified from the Europa League group with lots of room to spare.
My final match here was against Steaua Bucuresti with nothing at stake for either team. Of course, it was by far my toughest game of the season so far.
Bucuresti played as if it was the Champions League final and they would all be executed afterwards if they didn’t win. They had a man sent off—another rarity—but still ground out a 1-1 draw to spoil my 100% record in the group. Buggers.