Match Review by Gerald Tan
Maestro FC's results for the last few matches have been nothing short of disappointing- a run of 5 losses in the last 5 matches hardly justifies the team's talent. A win in today's friendly match against Sunsports Saturday league table toppers Aang Wolf looked to be out of reach as more than half the team was absent due to various reasons including the annual Standard Chartered Marathon. Absentees included Cross, Firdaus, Howard, Walter, Alex, Hanrong, Jason, Silas and Alan.
With so many regular players out, it was time to for our newly recruited players to step up onto the big stage. Kartik made his debut at right back; Daren continued to find his form in only his 3rd match and the surprise last minute inclusion of winger Zeng Yi gave the team a lift. 5 of Norris' friends also joined in for the friendly match together with Walter's friend, Kelvin who took over Cross as goalkeeper.
The match started off brightly for MFC and they soon drew first blood with the first goal by Zeng Yi. Receiving a through ball from midfield, Zeng Yi did well under pressure to control the ball and he embarked on a fine run down the left flank. After leaving 2 defenders in his wake, Zeng Yi cut sharply in from the left and took a shot which ended up at the top right corner of the goal. 1-0 to MFC. For most of the first half, Zeng Yi was the tormentor as he blazed up the left flank frequently with mazy runs and clever inter-play with Guo Xian.
Billed as a friendly match, the reality was far from it, with plenty of hard tackles, physical pushing and shoving. The referee did not help either, with some dubious calls and protests went unheard.
The equalizer for the opposing team came just before half time. The goal scorer beat the offside trap and the oncoming goalkeeper to round up the ball into an empty goal. A last ditch tackle by Eric was not enough to prevent the goal and MFC went into halftime with the scores tied at 1-1.
During the break, MFC Captain Walter requested the referee to produce his refereeing license as he felt there might be a conflict of interest. The referee was only of the strikers from last week's 7-1 defeat to Sunsports Sino and his performance in the first half did him no favours. Failing to do produce the license, the referee was replaced by another. Referee "Lao Li" took charge of proceedings for the 2nd half.
If MFC's past 2 matches was anything to go by, the players can expect an early onslaught from the opposition. An onslaught was indeed on the cards, with the opposing team scoring 3 goals in quick succession at the start of the 2nd half to make the score 4-1. They took advantage of miscommunication among MFC players and lax defending which resulted in MFC crashing down.
With a 3 goal deficit, MFC badly needed a goal to bring morale up and they got it soon. The ever improving Daren Jay whipped in a clever shot from the right flank towards the goal. The ball skimmed past the opposition's defence and goalkeeper and with a wide open goal, 1 of Norris' friend popped up at the far left goal post to prod the ball home, reducing the deficit. That goal sparked a comeback from the MFC players and they had more reason to cheer soon after MFC got the 3rd goal and 4th goal.
MFC's corner kick was not properly cleared; the goalkeeper punched the ball out but it fell nicely to Gerald who scored with a first time volley just on the edge of the penalty box. Encouraged, MFC poured forward in search of the equalizer. It soon came from leading hitman Guo Xian who proved that his wonder goal against Barcalavaii FC some few weeks back was no fluke by repeating it again. Dribbling his way past 2 defenders, Guo Xian took his chance well with a long range shot, which initially seemed destined for the trees before dipping dangerously down into the top left corner of the goal.
With the score at 4-4, it was deja vu for MFC who had the same comeback against Barcalavaii FC a few weeks back. It seemed that the 5-4 score from that match would be repeated when one of the opposition attackers took a leaf from Guo Xian's book. Latching onto a long ball, he ran down the left side of the pitch and took a long range shot which lobbed over keeper Kelvin and dipped into the right side of the goal.
Determined not to let history repeat itself, MFC finally got the equalizer with the last attack of the game. An MFC corner was cleared to 1 of Norris' friends- Benjamin. Benjamin controlled the ball well, penetrating the porous defence through the center and when an shooting chance presented itself, he struck the ball into the right corner of the goal.
MFC went hysterical with the equalizer and the referee's final whistle blew soon after. The draw was a perfect response to last week's disappointing defeat to Sunsport Sino FC and it also meant a halt to an awful run of 5 consecutive defeats, signalling a fresh start for next week.
Full Team
Kelvin, Eric, Zhirong, Kartik, Gerald, Daren, Benjamin, Gifford, Norris, Zeng Yi, Guo Xian, 4 of Norris' friends
High Points
1. Fantastic show of bravery and shot stopping from Kelvin, the stand-in goalkeeper
2. Right back Kartik making his debut with good inter-play with Eric
3. Daren Jay's ever improving game play
4. Zeng Yi's blistering pace and mazy runs down the left flank
5. Brilliant finishing(once again) from Guo Xian
6. Solid partnership between center backs Eric and Zhirong
7. Benjamin's equalizer for MFC
Low Points
1. The pitch resembled more like a farm plot, making it impossible to run in some areas
2. The referee's dismal performance in the first half
3. Lack of communication between MFC regulars and some of the new faces
4. Rough play from some opposition players; Goalkeeper Kelvin ended up with a bruised shin and a stepped on finger
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