An action packed and pulsating end to season 4 - PES United had the possibility of completing the treble, but would they succeed? Two cup finals and a league campaign that would go down to the very last day.
I have gone through our final games and moments below:
PEU Konami Cup Final v PAOK
Getting your first piece of silverware is always the hardest part - We missed out on the domestic cup last season and I was determined for it not to happen again.
We faced PAOK in the PEU Konami Cup final. They’re a decent team but I was relatively confident given that we had already beaten them twice in the league.
The first half was a typical cup final performance, pretty cagey with neither side doing enough to get ahead. Then, at the start of the second half, the game burst into life. Weigandt broke down the right hand side and put a fantastic ball into the box for Augustin to tap home. That goal eased the tension and Tresor added another 5 minutes later. Then, in the 58th minute, Augustin scored his second to kill the game off and earn PES United their first ever trophy. PAOK pulled one back but they never really threatened to make a game out of it.
Job done - Trophy number 1 in the bag.
Europa League Final v Liverpool
Of all the games, this game was probably the one that I was most relaxed for. We’d coasted through the group stage of the Europa League, largely playing our second string team to save our energy for the domestic competitions. We carried on in the same way in the knockout stages, putting in some fantastic performances to reach the final. There was no expectation from me at the start of the season that we would get this far, but here we were.
We were up against my beloved Liverpool. They had an excellent team, with most of the core group still at the club plus some new signings. Truth be told, I had very little expectation for our hopes of winning this one.
With a league title decider only two days away, I put my faith in the players who had got us this far and decided to rotate the team. We started off really well, keeping the ball and taking the sting out of the game. Liverpool were surprisingly sluggish, making mistakes and not really threatening. Then, in the 16th minute, Weigandt and Augustin combined again and we took a surprise early lead - Fantastic start. We edged the rest of the first half, not really giving Liverpool a chance to get back in the game. Right near the end of the first half, Cham pounced on a mistake by Konate to go through 1 on 1 against Alisson. He made no mistake and fired home to make it 2-0! Augustin made the game safe with his second of the game in the 64th minute - 4 goals in two cup finals for him.
Probably the performance of the season, to go toe to toe with Liverpool in such a big game was unbelievable - Our second trophy and first ever European trophy.
Onto the next one…
PEU League
If I was most relaxed for the Europa League final, then I was least relaxed for the title decider. The league was my main priority. We had lost 1 game all season and the thought of not winning the league after such a brilliant run didn’t bear thinking about.
We won the penultimate game 1-0 against AEK Athens. We went ahead early in the first half but couldn’t quite put the game to bed making for a nervous end to the game. Dynamo Kiev beat Ukrainian rivals Zorya by 4 goals to nil meaning we went into the final game of the season with just a point between us.
We were at home to Partizan Belgrade. A side who we have had problems with in the past, they’re really physical and difficult to breakdown. Given the squad had been pushed to their limits and had some fatigue, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous.
…but just 7 minutes into the game my nerves were soon calmed. Afena Gyan got onto the end of a back heel flick from Cham and buried a first time shot into the bottom left hand corner. We never looked back. Augustin added another in the 34th minute, before Gyan scored his second right before half time. We were 3-0 up by half time and the title was just a formality.
The league title was ours. An unbelievable end to a brilliant season. Dynamo Kiev pushed us all the way and it was such an exciting title race. We just had a bit too much for them in the end.
A treble for PES United and some fantastic performances to go with it.
Roll on next season where we try to do it all again!