Final Score: Todak FC 1 : 2 MFC (Guo Xian 1, Norris 1)
It is 4 wins in a row for MFC and MFC is on a roll!
The 4th team to fall by MFC's sword was Todak FC, a team familiar to MFC as they had made one of the greatest comebacks MFC had ever faced, clawing their way back from being 4-1 down to a final 5-5 score.
The MFC team had sufficient ammunition to face Todak FC with more than 5 substitutes waiting to take to the field. In defence, the ever steady Hairul, Eric and Wee Hian were present with supporting left and right backs Kartik, Walter, Howard and Lil Eric. Though Hanrong was absent, Jason was back to fill his slot and Silas provided cover. Jonathan and Zeng Yi also made returns to the time after a period of absence.
THe match begun in a 4-5-1 formation and the first half was at best scrappy. Both teams played the long ball and with lots of tackles and interceptions, there was no real clear chance for either team. Todak FC were good with the ball on the ground and they almost threatened the MFC goal on a few occasions. When they did, the MFC defence was on hand to clear the danger.
The only highlight of the first half came from a penalty shout from Todak FC after Lil Eric had brought down one of their players in the penalty area. The referee took some time to reconsider before awarding a freekick just outside the box, sparing MFC the agony of conceding a penalty.
At half time, the score was goalless at 0-0 and Captain Eric made a tactical change to 4-4-2 instead as Todak FC was mainly attacking from the flanks. With an extra striker upfront, MFC would be more of a threat to Todak as well, forcing them to defend a lot more.
The tactical change worked as the second half really belonged more to MFC. More chances were created and MFC worked hard at intercepting the possesion, with Silas leading the way with his hustling ways disrupting Todak's gameplay. Jonathan also made a few good runs down the left flank, threatening Todak's defence with his pace and ball control.
With MFC threatening Todak, it was a surprise that the first goal came out of nothing really. A loose ball fell to Norris and he took a chance with a shot from outside the box which caught everyone including the goalkeeper by surprise. The low shot crept just past the goalkeeper and just past the left goalpost.
The goal deflated Todak FC a bit and that increased more motivation in the MFC players who surged forwards for the second goal to finish off the game. MFC was playing well by spraying long balls to the flanks for the wingers to exploit the defence's gaps. Jonathan in particular exceled in this position, lurking around the flanks and outpacing the Todak defence with his runs to reach the long balls. One such run resulted in a Todak FC player catching Jonathan with a late tackle and being sent off for a second yellow card offence.
With a numerical advantage, MFC continued to play wide to stretch Todak's defence and it was time to kill off the game. Leading goalscorer Guo Xian lead the way to score the killer goal. A good interplay between Alex and Norris led to Norris releasing Guo Xian wide and he chased down the ball before a good finish beyond the goalkeeper.
With 5 minutes left, MFC was looking to keep a clean sheet but Todak managed to get a goal through a good header from a corner. That gave the game a nervy ending as MFC tried to play keep ball to run the clock down. MFC did not have to do that for long as the referee soon blew for the end of the match.
2:1 to MFC and a 4th successive win for the Bees!
High Points
1) MFC defence was a big part of the 4 victories; they performed again very well today
2) Guo Xian and Norris getting on the score sheet. They were the same scorers in the prior 5-5 match!
3) Jonathan did very well with his flank rundowns
4) Gary is surely MFC's number 1 now! His reading of the gameplay was excellent.
5) Silas did very well in the midfield destroyer role.
Low Points
1) Players should give Captain Eric the respect and listen to him when he is conducting the half time and full time briefs. It is not easy to lead MFC and credit must be given when due.
2) The team was a bit quiet today during the gameplay. There should be more communication
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