Final Score: Chris' Army Friends 0 : 2 MFC (Khairul 2)
MFC started this week's game on a Saturday and it was great to see a good turnout especially since MFC needed to badly break a 2 game winless streak. There were a few surprise faces playing for MFC- Khairul (Norris' friend) made a return after a long absence and MFC welcomed 2 Americans Russell and Brian (Dawn's colleagues)to join the team for a kickabout. The opponents this week were Chris' army friends and though they were unknown to MFCians, they were certainly not underestimated since they were from Chris' Commandos unit. Torn between MFC and his army team, Chris chose to play for his friends, for old times' sake. There was no love lost as Chris was one of the better players against MFC. In the opening exchanges, Chris was the driving force for the opponents' midfield but was often thwarted by MFC's excellent defending and midfield cover. MFC had started in a 4-4-2 formation but after it became apparent that the opponents were crowding the centre midfield, Captain Guo Xian changed to a 4-5-1 formation instead. Chances were few and far between in the early stages of the game. Chris' friends were clearly unfamiliar with playing together and they sorely missed an attacking presence upfront. They made several wayward passes which were intercepted by MFC but unfortunately those chances did not materialise into goals. MFC also did well with more passing and ball possession especially down the right flank where speedster Abi tormented the opponent's leftback on a few occasions where he blazed down the flank. His efforts were unfortunately also not met by Norris who was playing upfront alone. A goal was badly needed and it came courtesy of Khairul. Coming on as a substitute, Khairul show no signs of being out of the game when he received an excellent short cross from Abi. Controlling the ball well, Khairul took the ball past his marker and lobbed the ball over the oncoming keeper. It was a sweet finish and one which was met with a big sigh of relief, especially since it was the first MFC goal in 2 games. Khairul's presence upfront proved to be the catalyst for goals, which was missing from MFC in recent games and his clinical finishing was on show again when he scored his second. Credit for the second goal however must go to Hakim, who did all the hardwork in bringing the ball into the penalty area before putting a through ball to Khairul who finished sweetly. The first half ended 2-0 to MFC but credit must go to Chris' friends who did not let their heads down. In the second half, they pushed MFC all the way for a goal to get back into the game but thanks to excellent defending from Alan and the other defenders, MFC maintained the 2 goal lead. The best chance of MFC's opponents came when they were awarded a penalty. It was a contentious call by the referee as Lil Eric seemed to have cleared the ball cleanly when the opposing winger got into a one on one situation. MFCian's protests fell on deaf ears as the referee pointed to the spot. The spotkick was however missed as the strike went wide of the post. Chris' friends continued to push forward in search of goals but MFC stood the ground well and relied on counter attacks. Close to the end of the game, MFC could have scored a third goal when Khairul turned provider when he crossed into the penalty area. The ball evaded the keeper and was met by Alwyn's body in an awkward angle. he turned the ball into the goal (with his neck, according to Alwyn) but the referee blew for a handball instead. Soon after, the referee blew for the end of the game and it was a victory enjoyed by MFCians. A clean sheet, two goals, stopping a winless streak and more importanly, MFC showing glimpses of good ball possession and passing. No doubt these were points to be happy about. High Points 1) Khairul's two goal salvo showed MFC what clinical finishing is all about 2) Great performances from the following players- Gary (for his good command of the penalty area), Hakim (for his good passing and adventurous dribbling), Abi (for tormenting his marker with his speed), Alan (for his good clearances) 3) Good overall team performance, with more passing and more communication 4) Letting our American friends Brian and Russell experience Singapore soccer 5) Good and fair opponents who never gave up. Thanks Chris' friends! Low Points 1) The referee's calls were abit weird and contentious at times 2) This writer's fogged up googles...I need anti mist spray!! |
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