Maestro FC 7 : 4 Coast West United (Gerald x2, Chris x2, Rong An x3)
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Match Review by Gerald Tan
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On a weekend of big wins for West Ham and Chelsea, Maestro recorded a big win of their own by coasting clear of Coast West United with a emphatic performance at Coral Secondary. It was a big scoreline as the Bees put 7 goals past Coast West but the Bees' defensive woes kept Coast West United in the game throughout.
A Sunday late morning kickoff saw a strong Maestro lineup. Last season's top scorer Rong An made his season debut after missing the first game. Calvin's return as keeper also gave Maestro a boost in the defence, in hope of another great performance in the X League. Captain Walter surprised the team by announcing Alwyn and Chris to start the match upfront and both did not disappoint.
Maestro took the lead after Alwyn connected well with a header from Joel's cross. The Coast West keeper did well to parry the header but Gerald pounced onto the loose ball and scored the opening goal. It was barely 5 minutes into the game and with Coast West having only 9 or 10 players on the pitch, the Bees were expected to run rampant against Coast West.
The game took a surprise turn as Coast West got the equalizer soon after. A routine shielding of the ball failed to work as a determined Coast West player put in a short cross which found the head of a Coast West player at near post. Calvin was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events and it was 1-1.
A brave and determined Coast West tried to push forth from there on but a shortage of players made it hard for them. With the extra men advantage, Maestro duly scored 2 more goals in quick succession through good finishing from Chris. The first came when he connected well with a header from Joel's corner. The second was a well taken shot, placed at the far end of the goalpost and out of the Coast West keeper's reach.
It was then Rong An's turn to steal the show when he came on mid way of the first half. His first touch was a wonderful low volley that the Coast West keeper had no chance of saving. Clinical as it may be, it was Joel's assist which deserved mention. With the ball on the right flank, Joel showed an impressive burst of speed and tricky to beat his marker before delivering a sweet cross for Rong An to finish. Rong An got his second when he cleverly turned away from his marker and finished with a snap shot. In between, Coast West got their second due to a defensive lapse which saw their striker get free, with Calvin left stranded. Half time and it was 5-2 to Maestro.
The half time team talk focused on reducing defensive lapses but they did not end there. Coast West started the second half with a full 11 men and they crowded the midfield to gain control of the midfield. It worked as Coast West surged forward through the middle. Their number 3 was clearly the team's playmaker and he was in impressive form, starting attacks and dictating play. A resurgent Coast West reduced Maestro's 3 goal lead to 2 thanks to a poorly defended corner kick.
The 3 goal lead was rested when Rong An earned his first hat trick of the season. A counter attack found Rong An and he beat his marker with tenacity and pace before unleashing a good shot which was punched out by the keeper. The loose ball fell nicely to Rong An and he wasted no time in taking a long range lob which beat the keeper who was out of position. 6 - 3 to the Bees.
Coast West never looked like they were down and out and were rewarded when they scored their fourth goal of the game. The goal was a replica of the third goal conceded and it was frustrating for the Bees to see how the smaller, shorter Coast West players could score 2 headed goals from set pieces.
With the game winding down, the gameplay turned scrappy and peppered with few minor arguments on the pitch, along with some contentious referee calls. Nevertheless, that did not affect Maestro as the team soaked up the pressure and launched counter attacks in search of more goals to prevent Coast West from coming back. The 7th and final goal of the match soon came. Taking another one of his long range free kicks, Rong An's shot was deflected off the free kick wall and fell nicely for the Coast West keeper to tip the ball round the post. Gerald reacted fastest as he reached the loose ball and scored his 2nd of the match. 7 - 4 to Maestro and final whistle!
It was a good win for the Bees, done in emphatic fashion with the 7 goals scored. What was worrying though was the Maestro defence which Coast West United was able to breach 4 times. All 4 goals were arguably due to defensive lapses and on another day, 4 goals conceded would been enough to condemn Maestro to a defeat. Instead of celebrating a victory, post match feelings among most, if not all the players, were focused on the defensive errors and the failure to stamp authority in the game. The regular centre back partnership between Wee Hian and Alan could see a stronger defence by the next game against Sparta Cowboys.
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High Points
1) 7 goals in all, the highest scoring X League game for the Bees
2) Rong An's performance was sharp and clinical as usual. His hat-trick is a signal to all other teams on his stake for the golden boot award
3) Good turnout today
4) Man-of-Match Joel turned in another superb performance, delivering the service for strikers.
5) Chris' good performance as striker and his 2 goals
6) Lunch with some Maestros at White Sands. More players should join in for drinks or food post match
7) West Ham promoted, Chelsea European champions
Low Points
1) Defensive mistakes led to 4 goals conceded
2) Gameplay was very scrappy especially in the second half
3) Could have been 9 goals for the Bees if Augustine and Alwyn had scored with their half chances
4) Not everyone got to play much. Apologies on that and we will our best to allocate enough playing time
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