| A loss avenged through Maestro defensive show! |
| Match Review by Gerald Tan |
| Final Score: Sinombre FC 1 : 2 MFC (Rong An x2) The last time the Bees met Sinombre FC, it was a one sided affair plagued by defensive errors which gifted victory to Sinombre on a platter. The Bees were determined to make up for the earlier loss and with a strong attendance from key players including the return of Guo Xian and Rong An, an upset was on the cards. However, things started shaky for the Bees as influential players Hakim and Alan could not play last minute due to injuries. Pacy winger Norris and his friend, who was supposed to be the keeper deputizing for Gary and Randahl, both failed to turn up. Reserve keeper Calvin was lost somewhere in Tampines and Captain Walter received a last minute call for work. This left the team depleted to just 12 players to start the game. With no keeper, Guo Xian willingly stood in as keeper for the first 20 minutes. With all the uncertainty, Maestro started on the back foot to keep Sinombre at bay. Sinombre was dictating the pace of the game and it was dangerous for the Bees to sit back and defend so early. Their 2 centre midfielders were impressive and they stretched the Maestro defence line on a few occasions when their centre midfielders linked well with their wingers to exploit the Maestro wingbacks. Only poor finishing and timely defending prevented them from drawing first blood. Sinombre's frustration to open the scoring was clearly felt when one of their players lashed out a kick at Chris' knee when he was shielding the ball for a throw-in. The no nonsense referee issued the first yellow card as a stern warning. Just when it looked like Sinombre would steamroll the Bees, deadly assassin Rong An struck his first of the game when a brilliant through ball from Jonathan cut through the Sinombre defense. Rong An took the ball well and rounded up the Sinombre keeper before striking sweetly from an acute angle. Sinombre was shellshocked and from then on, the Bees went from strength to strength. Augustine had an opportunity to extend the lead when he found himself one on one with just the keeper to beat. The Sinombre keeper emerged the winner with a brilliant two footed tackle to win the ball from Augustine. The pressure on Sinombre reaped rewards when one of their midfielders lost possession and a quick through ball by Guo Xian found Rong An unmarked again. He calmly took the ball past a defender and struck the ball down the centre beyond the Sinombre keeper. 2-0 to Maestro! Sinombre could not believe the scoreline and they were also not lucky upfront as their chances went astray a few times due to excellent team defending from Maestro. With a 2 goal lead and a clean sheet at half time, Maestro players were hyped up despite the hard running from the first half. Vice Captain Gerald stressed the importance of defending as Sinombre would be all out for goals in the second half. Substitutions were made to keep some players fresh for the second half and the Bees started next 45 minutes knowing the defensive task at hand. Sinombre pressed harder and higher in the second half, their gameplay was smooth as they tried to penetrate the Maestro defence. Maestro stood up to the challenges with Big Eric leading the defence well as he battled Sinombre's star striker in the air and on the ground. The excitement level raised a notch when Sinombre reduced the deficit with a well taken long range shot which evaded the Bee's defence and the keeper. That spurred Sinombre on and they pressed forward in wave after wave of attacks. Maestro tried to retaliate through the occasional counter attack but Sinombre kept coming back. Each time they did, Maestro did well to clear the ball. The star of the match now belonged to keeper Calvin who made a few stunning saves in the second half. Whenever Sinombre managed to breach the defence, Calvin was there to thwart their chances. Long and close range shots did not trouble him as he kept out the shots. In the dying minutes of the game, Sinombre turned up the heat with 2 great chances. One was thwarted by Jonathan with a brilliant slide tackle clearance and the other by Calvin when he did well to turn a close range low shot round the post. Everyone was committed to keep Sinombre out. Even Rong An dropped back to help with defensive duties. The nerves and finger nail biting ending when the referee finally blew his whistle after what seemed like an eternity! The match was won by the underdogs and it was a well deserved one! |
High Points
1) Return of Guo Xian and Rong An meant that Maestro posed a serious threat upfront
2) Excellent defensive display, with hard running and tackling from all the players
3) The referee was excellent with his clear instructions and no nonsense approach
4) Calvin proved the winner as his man of the match display between the posts kept the Bees on course for victory
Low Points
1) We missed Alan, Hakim, Norris, Walter. A more comfortable scoreline would have been achieved with them
2) A sluggish start to the first half.
3) Maestro needs to be more calm on the ball and improve on first touches
4) Last match for Paul as he returns to China tonight. He might be back again soon though if he manages to get his work pass!
Exceptional Player Mentions
1) Calvin - 10 - Excellent between the posts and did well with numerous saves
2) Big Eric - 10 - Excellent defending against the Sinombre star striker
3) Lil Eric - 8 - Did well throughout the entire game to keep out the right wingers from Sinombre.
4) Jonathan - 9 - Versatile and effective yet again. How valuable was his last gasp sliding tackle in the dying minutes?
5) Rong An - 8 - 2 well taken goals and more importantly, display of leadership as he shared tips on how the team can play better
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