match report contributed by kh
Marine Sunday defended well for 75 or so minutes but the writing was on the wall, the goal just had to come for AA United (oh, it stands for Attitude Aplenty!) after we failed to clear a corner cleanly. Thereafter, AA United laid seige on our goal with 2 further attempts hitting the upright. We were made to sweat badly in the last 10 minutes of the match, holding our ground tenaciously as we literally played with 9-men, KH being a mere walking soldier. Final whistle went....Marine Sunday trooped off the pitch.....with a 4-1 winning margin!
A depleted and incomplete squad, due to non-availability of players and 11th-hour withdrawals of 2 guest players, of only 10 players required some tactical deployment of resources. Kumar was recalled into goal, Seah had to fill in the right full-back position, guest player Benny as the emergency stopper and KH on left-mid, with Gan the only forward. Who would have gambled that we managed to stretch AA United on the flanks and 3 of our goals came from wide? And we could have been more productive if KH were fitter and sharper as he failed to deliver at least 4 good crosses with Gan and Yong Chua in good scoring positions in the box.
We had to start cautiously, not to exhaust ourselves unnecessarily. Despite AA United not being a pressing team, we were tentative in the opening 10 minutes and kept giving away the ball cheaply when we were under no real pressure. AA United almost drew first blood when a momentarily lapse from our rearguard allowed their striker to face Kumar on a one-on-one but our custodian managed to block the shot out for a corner. AA United continued to pepper at our goal with a couple of shots but none was on target.
Things looked quite even when our central midfield duo of Yong Chua and Simon started to grab hold of the rhythm. We had our 1st chance at goal when KH broke free into space in the box to latch onto YC's precise pass but a hasty first-timed left-footed shot skewed the ball wide off the left upright. We did not wait very long for our first goal thereafter. A neat exchange of passes involving KH, Gan and YC eventually released KH free on the left flank. Spotting Chor Guan galloping upfield, KH put in a diagional grounder across the box. Chor Guan outpaced the defenders and his timing was perfect to tap the ball, which Teck Wah usually relished, past the hapless keeper. 1-0 up!
Seah was just as effective on the right as he beat 2 defenders on the flank before delivering a low cross. KH and Gan were lining up in the box in great anticipation to convert the cross but it was timely intercepted by AA's sweeper. Somehow, AA ignored the signs that we were using the flanks and they paid dearly for it. Seah and Teck Chye worked well with a throw-in on the right before the latter squared the ball into the box, Yong Chua brilliantly sold the defenders with a dummy for Gan to whack in a half-volley for our 2nd goal.
With Benny sturdy and steady and Chor Guan composed at the rear, AA United could only try from outside the box but they did not really threaten our goal much. They almost reduced the deficit when we failed to track their right winger at the far post when defending a free kick. Luckily he headed the ball into the side netting. Half-time stood at 2-0, surprisingly.
Our intention in the 2nd half was to consolidate our ground in view of the lack of substitutes. But we piled more misery onto AA United with our 3rd goal shortly after the match resumed. It was a case of sloppiness on their part more than anything else. Thinking that we were not pouring men forward, they were casual in passing the ball in their penalty area when out of the blue, KH charged in to harass the defender and robbed the ball from him. AA custodian was rudely awakened from his daze but by then it was too late as KH slotted the ball into the open goal. YC and Ng were more relieved than KH was elated to have the goal, as they revealed that from where they stood, they could see that it was another chicken-leg trying to kick the ball. With the goal so wide and the keeper at the right post, somehow I chose to use my left foot to shoot the ball which veered towards the keeper!
AA United found us a tough nut to crack at the back. When our defence line was breached, Kumar was there to bail us out as he brilliantly tipped a certain goal at the top right-hand corner over for a corner. The ball from the resulting corner sailed over all the heads and Kumar's outstretched arms and their forward connected the ball with a firm header but Benny was on the line to boot the ball clear, keeping the clean sheet intact.
Goal No 4 came, again from the flank. KH beat 2 defenders to square in another grounder across the box and Teck Chye was left unattended to pick up the pieces and wrapped up the loose ends. His left-footer easily beat the keeper.
AA snatched a consolation goal, and a deserving one, when we failed to clear a corner cleanly. The ball came back into the 6-yards box and their forward connected it with a first-time volley. Deficit was reduced and the margin could have been further narrowed. They then came close with 2 long-range efforts that cannoned off the right post, each time due to KH losing possession in the middle of the pitch.
By then, it was too late to launch any come back. A 10-men team pulled off an upset win against a full team, who had a couple of reserves on the sideline.
By the way, the header was incomplete, it should read "10-men Marine Sunday Eventually Conceded the Goal....But Not the Match!" :)
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