Maestro FC 1 – 1 Whinning 11 (Kartik)
Match Review by Guo Xian
Sometimes,
luck does play a big part in the result of a football match. It is the score
line that matters at the end. Maestro FC dominated the match, had the large
share of possession and fired 10 shots on target, but was very unlucky to come
away with just a point. The bees were up against an unknown Chinese opponent
who called themselves Whinning 11. Well, they were just that – whining about
almost every refereeing decision that went against them. One of them even
labeled the official “an emotional referee” and had to be pulled away by one of
his teammates. There was a crowd at
Coral Secondary to witness an exciting match between the
two teams, but there were no pictures and videos to share as the organizer did
not appear for the second consecutive game.
Maestro FC
started the game with 14 players under the hot 1pm sun, with the intention of
securing all 3 points after a disappointing 1-0 lost to Stallions United last
week. The bees went all out to attack right after the referee first whistle.
Guest player, Yang Shan (who was Eric’s and Rong An’s friend) played in the
hole behind lone forward GX and gave the opponent a hard time with his nifty
footwork and passes. He was influential throughout the game, displaying
composure on the ball and spraying long and short passes like a certain Paul
Scholes. Yang Shan was immediately offered a contract by club manager Walter
Tan after the game for an undisclosed fee.
The first
chance of the game fell to GX, when a poorly cleared corner by Whinning 11
presented the ball to him right at the edge of the 18-yards. The ball did not
fell quickly enough for him, who was closed down fast by the opposing defender.
The ball was blasted high and landed on Pasir Ris MRT platform. Maestro carried on creating chances after chances
from all over the park, as wingers Kartik and Abhi contributed by making
numerous runs down the flank. Abhi, in
particular, was tormenting Whinning’s right back with his step overs and
crosses down the left wing.
Whinning 11
did have their fair share of possession mid-way through the first half when
Maestro FC began to show signs of tiredness after a strong first half hour.
However, the defense – led by regular centre back Alan and Chris - was equal to the task as they did well soaking
the pressure, winning many headers and clearing the last line of defense. Wingbacks Walter and Lil Eric also carried
out their defense duties with admiration by containing Whinning’s No.22 who
was beginning to influence the game. To steal a quote from our own Gary Hart,
Yangde (playing in goal after a long absence) could have sat down and eat his
cup noodles, as he has almost no save to make for the entire first half. Whinning’s
No.2 got so frustrated with his team’s lack of penetration that he made some
silly challenges on the DMs trio Gerald, Eugene and Silas. One particular
challenge on GX earned him his first yellow card of the day.
Part of the
reason as to why Maestro’s defense has been very good recently is because of
Gerald’s playing in the DM destroyer’s role. Certainly, he should be one of the
first names on any manager’s squad list. Week by week, Gerald’s influence on the
team has become more apparent as he harassed and stopped many promising attacks
from reaching the back four. The only
Malay in Whinning’s team, who was also their playmaker, was prevented on
numerous occasions from gaining an advantage in Whinning’s attacking options.
The playmaker game was cut short when an attempted challenge for a high ball
with GX knocked him out of the game.
Compliment
by both Silas and Eugene, who put in great shift rotating in their DM roles
with Gerald throughout the match, the offensive trio of Abhi, Kartik and Yang
Shan continued to pile the pressure on Whinning’s defense. Augustine soon came
on as a substitute and immediately delivered a cross for Silas who made a lung
bursting 60m run to connect with the cross. It missed the goal by a mere
centimeters.
Before the
first half ended, Maestro had numerous chances to go into break one up. GX
managed to run through on goal with only the keeper to beat. The keeper was
fast off his line and all GX could do was to lob the keeper and placed the ball
into the open net. It was not to be his day, as he skied another ball towards
Pasir Ris MRT. Kartik even tried to lob
the keeper from close range with an audacious clip of the ball, but was denied
by the fingertips of the in-form Whinning’s keeper. Jeramy, who has come on for
GX for the last 15 minutes of the half, had some half chances to put Maestro
ahead.
Maestro FC
went into the break knowing that if they could play the same way as the first
half, it should be a comfortable three points. There were no special
instructions to Maestro game plan at half time as it is obvious that the bees
should carry on where they left off. Like the first half, Yang Shan continued
to torment Whinning’s backline with his accurate passing. Augustine was on the
receiving end of one of his passes, but shot straight into the keeper’s arms.
He couldn't have done much better as Whinning’s keeper was quick off his line
to claim Augustine’s goal bound shot.
Maestro
knew that if they were to keep creating and playing in the opponent’s half, the
goal will eventually come. Some brilliant interchanging of passes from the
midfield saw Kartik fed with a through ball. There was still some work to do as
Kartik dragged the ball a bit too wide in the opinion of this writer. But he
surprised everyone by firing a thunderous shot which gave the keeper no chance.
1-0 up and Maestro were cruising.
Whinning
11, with a full squad of 20 over players, sent on their top scorer, No. 8 Wei
Kang. There was no cause for panic as Maestro’s defense has been doing well
until then. Within five minutes of the
restart, Weikang pounced on to a loose ball as he shot past Yangde, who hasn't
made a save at all in the game, for the equalizer. The ball took a wicked
bounce off Chris’ shin as he attempted to make a clearance. In the process,
Yangde took a knock on his knee, but was able to play the remaining minutes of
the game. Maestro did
not let the equalizer dampen their determination for the 3 points. The bees
continued to create chance after chance, dominating possession for the
remaining of the match. Maestro was given a lifeline when Whinning’s No. 2 was
sent off for a second yellow card for attempting another kick on GX. Against 10 men and with 10 minutes remaining,
Maestro knew that that was their chance to cement their place in the top 3 of
the division. Maestro could not score another
goal as Whinning packed their bus for the rest of the game.
1-1 the
final score line and Maestro was disappointed not to come away with all 3
points. The general comment was that we lacked the finishing touches where it
mattered. The likes of deadly finisher
Rong An, Hakim and Norris (who did not appear for the game, and will be due for
disciplinary action and a $1000 fine) were missed, as they could have won us
the game with clinical finishes. Credits
should be given to all the players who turned up for the Bees and fought their
hearts out. Again, as the writer observed, the high energy performance and
disciplined performance will put Maestro in great shape for the rest of the
season. 4 more games to go!
High Points
1) Another
high energy performance by Maestro, especially in the first 30 minutes when
everyone gave their all. Very unlucky not to come away with all 3 points,
despite dominating almost the entire match.
2) Yang
Shan’s contribution was for all to see - he could be an important weapon
between the midfield and forwards.
3) Yangde
enjoying his cup noodles, meaning that the defense has done really well.
4) Kartik’s
goal was a beauty – a thunderous shot which left the keeper with no chance. He
is Maestro’s second top scorer of this season.
5) Match
was played with strict officials, although he could have done better to control
the emotions of the match, which nearly turned into a melee.
Low Points
1) Hot
weather under the 1pm sun. The players were tiring at the end of the first
half. May have to do some running over the weekdays?
2) Some
poor challenges dished out from Whinning’s midfielders, particularly No. 26 and
No. 2, who was given his marching orders for two silly tackles on GX.
3) Attackers
have to work on finishing. Would have been a different story if we would have
put away the chances we had.
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