Final Score: Homeville United 1 : 1 MFC (Alex 1)
Football is a funny game and like what they all say, the ball is round, you win some, you lose some. MFC experienced this first hand in this intense game against Homeville United.
Coming from Malaysia, Homeville United were unfamiliar opponents but their players looked and played like Todak FC. MFC was cautious approaching this game as the Malaysian teams were known for their pace and determination in chasing the ball. Captain Guo Xian (sporting an A.Lennon look) played as goalkeeper once again and he strung a 5 man midfield in an attempt to starve Homeville of ball possesion. Rong An was upfront alone, with Alan, Norris, Walter, Brian available for selection in defence. Hakim made a return as well and it was looking good for MFC to get a second win on the trot.
The match started off rather evenly, with both teams going for direct long ball play. It was an aerial affair from the whistle and MFC could count themselves lucky to have Chris, Norris and Alan defend strongly against Homeville's long balls played into the penalty area.
In terms of attack, MFC had the slight edge, with a few half chances being presented to Augustine and Rong An. On a few occasions, Augustine did well to get into good positions from the left wing but the delivery to Rong An was poor, possibly due to the left side of the pitch being muddy and soft. Rong An also did well to latch onto long balls played to him but again, the pitch proved to work against him as he could not get a solid footing to dribble or shoot.
At times when the pitch worked in MFC's favour, the referee did not. He failed to award at least 1 penalty from 2 challenges made on Rong An in the penalty box. Besides the penalty calls, MFCians slowly became frustrated at the referee as he did not penalise Homeville players who repeatedly committed fouls on players like Alan.
Homeville United had 1 good chance which hit the post; a well played cross ball found a Homeville winger lurking at the extreme right side and he raced into the penalty box before striking the ball against the post. It was a narrow escape but MFCians were not worried; they were in the driving seat, with more chances and a better defence.
The second half begun with MFC being full of hope for a victory. The pitch was also in MFC's favour; the pitch for MFC attackers was solid, unlike the first half. Unfortunately things did not work for MFC as Homeville pushed MFC with their direct play. They beefed up their midfield steel by introducing 1 more centre midfielder who proved instrumental in breaking up MFC's midfield and attack attempts. As a result, the first 15 mins of the 2nd half was nervy; eventually, MFC fell behind when Walter carelessly gave the ball away to a Homeville player. The opponent passed the ball to another player who eventually dispatched a long range effort which found Keeper Guo Xian wanting. He did his best to parry the shot into the air but the ball eventually bounced into the empty goal.
Things got worse for Walter when the referee gave him a red card for what he deemed was an intentional handball. Despite Guo Xian's protest that the offence only warranted a yellow card, the referee stuck to his guns and Walter had to leave the field. MFCians felt unjustified but had no choice but to continue with 10 men and try to find the equalizer.
In times like these, its easier for heads to drop and concede the match to Homeville; MFC on this occasion had other plans. The players pushed forward and tackled harder. Players like Alan and Brian led the way by tightening the 3 mman defence with good header clearances and strong tackles. Though play became scrappy, MFC fought for every ball and pressed for a goal.
MFC's luck changed for the better when Alex scored with a good free kick from the left wing. His shot was aided by Rong An, who stood right in front of the goalkeeper and distracted him. The ball bounced past the keeper for the equalizer and though other referees might have called for a foul as Rong An was interfering with play, a goal was kindly granted by the referee.
MFC was on a high and pushed for the winner. A quick succession of free kicks and corner kicks awarded to MFC put Homeville on the barefoot for the final few minutes of the game. A winning goal almost came courtesy of Alan who connected his header well to Alex's corner kick. Unfortunately the goalkeeper stood his ground well to intercept the ball and ruin the hopes of MFCians.
The scrappy match ended 1-1 and it was anti climatic at best since the general feeling was that MFC could grab the winner if more time was given. However, 1 point is definitely better than 0 point, especially since MFC played with 10 men for close to half a match. The signs of a MFC revival is definitely on the cards- MFC is on a 2 match unbeaten run!
High Points
1) Excellent defensive showing from Alan, Norris and Brian. Alan, in particular, was outstanding from the start, with his timely tackles and headers!
2) Never say die attitude from MFC, especially after going down to 10 men
3) Guo Xian's commitment to the team, even when injured, he still played as keeper
4) Fair play and sporting behavior from MFCians; players helped up opponents when they fell or was fouled
5) Great time at bubble tea!
Low Points
1) The pitch was unplayable- soft and muddy. It posed a potential risk for ankle injuries
2) MFC midfielders could have played better in closing down Homeville's attacks and providing assists for the strikers
3) The referee displayed preference for the Homeville team. Rong An summed it up "racist"
4) Dubious red card for Walter- Guo Xian's referee handbook proved that a yellow card should have been awarded
5) Some Homeville players were rough, Guo Xian and Alan were at the receiving end of a few bad challenges
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