Maestro FC 3 : 0 Tsubasa FC (Guo Xian, Rong An, Kartik)
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Match Review by Gerald Tan
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In a typical smash and grab fashion, Maestro secured the first X League win of 2013 against high flying Tsubasa FC. The win boosted the Bees' chances of avoiding relegation and halted a morale sapping winless streak which saw the Bees losing by large margins over the last few league games.
The last time the two teams met, it was a rainy affair which ended up in a 2-2 draw. Rong An was the hero that day as he dragged Maestro on par with a superb equalizer from the left flank. Under sweltering heat this time, Rong An again got on the score sheet, helping the Bees to go 1-0 up. Running onto a through ball from Kartik, Rong An got ahead of his defender and lobbed the ball over the oncoming Tsubasa keeper.
After a lengthy absence from Rong An, his goal sparked off great celebrations and it was just the tonic needed to get the Bees stinging again. A rejuvenated Maestro almost came close to a second goal, through Jinde's long range shot which went just inches wide of the crossbar. Tsubasa on the other hand looked weary, from the scorching heat and lack of substitutes. Their advances were limited by a tight Maestro defence and midfield; Jinde and Eugene holding up the midfield while Chris and Norris did an admirable job of marshaling the offside line. Upfront, Abhi and Kartik were leading the offense from the flanks and did well to get down the line on a few occasions.
The Bees held onto the 1-0 scoreline comfortably till the much needed half time. Captain Guo Xian warned the team to hold off the aggressive play as the tempo of the game was threatening to erupt into an unwanted melee and cards galore. "Get one or two more goals early, then we can close shop" was the Captain's advice.
Guo Xian's team talk might have been prophetic in nature as the second half played out exactly as his instructions. Shortly into the second half, Guo Xian finished off a volley deflected by Chris into his path. Cries from Tsubasa for offside but the linesman was in charge all the time, his flag was never raised.
History repeated itself again when Abhi's cross was deflected by a Tsubasa player into Kartik's path. Offside, called the Tsubasa players. Unfortunately, the referee kept his whistle in his pocket while Kartik finished off neatly beyond a hesitant Tsubasa keeper.
With the 2 goals requested for, it was time to close shop. However, it was no easy feat to close shop against a determined Tsubasa, especially when Lil Eric got his marching orders for a second yellow card. Maestro talisman Rong An also limped off with severe calf cramps, leaving 10 determined players to keep the clean sheet. The team switched to a 4-4-1 formation and parked the bus for the remaining 15 mins of the game. Tsubasa was determined to score and they rose to the challenge, launching waves of attacks through the flanks, the middle with 9 to 10 players camped in Maestro's half.
However credit to Maestro who remained focused on keeping a clean sheet. Jonathan in particular did well along with Abhi to track back deeply on a few occasions against Tsubasa's No. 7, who was the key outlet for attacks. The defence line was excellent, as they played the offside trap very well. Calvin turned hero on 2 occasions when he bravely saved 2 goal bound shots. It was not all one way - Tsubasa almost lived to regret leaving 1 defender in their own half as Augustine went close to scoring the 4th goal. As the lone striker, Augustine run onto a long ball and found himself one on one with a retreating keeper. With defenders closing down quickly, he could only muster a low shot which was comfortably saved.
3-0 to the Bees and it was a well deserved victory, one which was long overdue. May the victory spark off the revival needed to avoid relegation, continuing next week where the Bees face the mighty Aramis FC.
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High Points
1) Rong An on his comeback, the team missed his goals and he obliged with a beautiful lob
2) Jinde held the midfield well and combined with Kartik, Abhi very well on a few occasions
3) Safe hands Gary and Calvin did well to keep a clean sheet. Now how should they spilt it?
4) Determined, aggressive and focused gameplay throughout the heat
5) Clinical finishing which was sorely lacking in the past few games
6) 3-0, clean sheet, 3 different scorers and no serious injuries, what's there not to be happy about?
Low Points
1) Lil Eric's dismissal
2) The heat - sunburn anyone?
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