| Match Review by Gerald Tan |
| Final Score: K1K FU 3 : 3 MFC (Howard 1, Rong An 2) |
| Maestro FC's thrilling comeback from the dead with Rong An and Norris leading the way! | |
 Linesmen = less arguments about offsides | Maestro FC went up north this weekend for a friendly match of many firsts. For starters, its the first time Maestro has gone so far for a game. The match was played at Fuchun Secondary, which was all the way at Marsiling! Another first- the game was officiated by 1 FAS referee and 2 linesman. Finally, this was the first game that was organised for Maestro by the X-League organisers. |
| The opponents - K1K FU | |
| Against all the uncertainty surrounding the match, Maestro had to play K1K FU, a former Woodlands Secondary School team who has won several local competitions and now plying their trade in the ESPZEN league team. Though it was not the fuill team, K1K FU still had good players including national U-15 player Adam Swandi. Maestro could not have asked for a better opponent! | |
| A nervy kickoff and 3 goals down | |
| K1K FU came out guns blazing in the first 20 minutes of the game as they commanded the midfield with their calm passing and good ball control. The bumpy pitch, unseasoned match ball made it harder for Maestro to play our normal game. First blood was drawn when K1K FU robbed Hakim of the ball and steered away towards the goal before finishing past Gary for an easy goal. The second goal was conceded in similar fashion, with the Maestro 3 man defence looking very suspect. K1K FU then continued their relentless attacks with a 3rd goal when one of their players towered in a header from a corner kick. At this point, the morale was low but the players never stopped running to prevent a rout. The defence consisting Norris, Walter, Zirong and Hakim did well to hold the defence in hopes of stopping K1K FU while the rest of the players looked for gaps in K1K FU's gameplay. | |
| The comeback! | |
| A goal was needed for Maestro to reduce the deficit and hopefully maintain a less embarrasing scoreline and it did come, close to half time. A mix of good passes on the left flank between Walter and Jeffrey saw Walter charging into the penalty box. He launched a good cross which fell just nicely for Howard to tap in at the far post. A simple but important goal, it was just the remedy the Bees needed to start the stinging. And the stinging continued when Gerald played a short corner to Rong An who played a clever one-two with Alex before cutting into the box and curling his shot towards the bottom right goal. Though K1K FU's keeper got his fingertips to the ball, he was unable to prevent the ball from slipping into the goal. |
| Captain's request- 3 goals! | |
| Captain Walter's half time request for at least 3 goals to draw the game was met early in the second half by Rong An, thanks to another of his long range specials. Maestro earned a freekick near the halfway line and Rong An delivered his trademark long range shot which dipped dangerously before slippping through the K1K FU keeper's legs thanks to a wicked bounce just in front of him. With scores at 3-3, it was game on! |  2 goal hero Rong An |
The fightback from 3 nil down was not over as the Bees went in search of the 4th goal. It almost came, thanks to 2 good chances by Augustine and a freekick which hit the cross bar. Hakim also got the ball into the goal after he latched onto a poorly cleared free kick but he was flagged for offside hence the immense disappointment. The matchplay was from end to end, K1K FU also never gave up as their main striker Adam Swandi threatened on a few occasions. Thankfully, Norris marshalled the defence well to keep Adam at bay. Sliding tackles, headers, Norris dished them all out. A 3-3 draw was the final score and it was a fair result for the day. An amazing comeback from 3-nil down, the Bees deserve some credit for the fightback! |
High Points
1) The fightback from 3-nil was great. Think Newcastle Vs Arsenal last season.
2) Good friendly play overall and good control of tempers. This would be important for future X-League games
3) Excellent play from Rong An and Norris to keep Maestro in the game
4) With linesmen, the offside calls were more consistent
5) Most players were on time! Well done! They also cooperated with the warm up drills!
Low Points
1) The condition of the pitch could have been better
2) The first 2 goals could have been avoided
3) More confidence needed among players especially when playing stronger teams
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