Friday, November 30, 2007

Full-Time Report: Team Slayers vs Kumz Club

Team Slayers vs Kumz Club, 5-0

Venue: Bukit Timah Field
Kick off time: 3.50pm
Full time: 5.10pm
Weather Conditions: Overcast
Pitch Condition: Dry

Team Slayers Squad:

4. Daryl
5. Chien Ming
7. Shawn
9. Christopher
10. Zi Xiang
11. Ying Lun
12. Jun Jie
13. Benedict
14. Ting Soon
15. Bo Yang
17. Lucas
19. Reuben
27. Jeremy


Absent

3. Andy (holiday)
16. Wei Ian (CCA)
21. Jethro (holiday)
22. Ryan (holiday)
31. Zahid (sick)
39. Justin (holiday)


Kumz Club Squad

1. K6 (temp)
3. Yvan
4. Jun Kai
7. Nurhisyam
8. Kumaran
9. Aathi Kesavan
10. Satish
12. Shauqi
11. Srivatsan
13. Sathia
14. Huzaifah
16. Anboo
49. Ganesh
88. Ram

Disciplinary

0 Yellow Card
1 Red Card (Kumz 9. Kesavan)

Injury During Match

Kumz 7. Nurhisyam (cramp)
Kumz 14. Huzaifah (cramp)


Report

The match that Team Slayers were waiting for 8 months finally arrived with a dramatic curtain raiser. The highly anticipated match was delayed for almost an hour due to the late arrival of the referee. However, both teams were undeterred and started the match without the kick off whistle. It was mostly smooth play until the referee arrived 14 minutes into the match.

Both teams were playing passing football and were had defences that were difficult to break down especially Slayers' which had a new central defensive pairing of the burly 5. Chien Ming and skilful new signing 15. Bo Yang. Slayers had an early scare as leftback 17. Lucas took a knock at the ankle down the left flank while making an attacking run, forcing him to come off for a break while 4. Daryl came on for him.

It was merely exhibition stuff until a defensive routine for 5. Chien Ming turned disater for Kumz Club in the early stages of the match as the Slayers centreback slid in near the byeline to rob 9. Kesavan of the ball fair and square. However, the striker was furious with the tackle that denied him a shot on goal and spewed vulgarities at the referee who he thought failed to punish 5. Chien Ming. The ref had enough of 9. Kesavan's swearing and duly sent him off, brandishing the red card that no one on the pitch ever saw it before that moment.

Kumz Club managed to calm their nerves after the shocking send off of their star player and hung on to their clean sheet only until the 27th minute. Crisp passing between 9. Christopher and 10. Zi Xiang eventually led to a brilliant assist by the former for 12. Jun Jie in the box to guide the ball into the open net with a stylish slide towards goal. Celebrations broke out for the entire home team as the pioneer striker finally managed to end his barren spell.

More celebrations for the home team as the ever impressive 15. Bo Yang sent a goal kick straight down the heart of Kumz defence that failed to deal with it and 27. Jeremy calmly capitalized as he sneaked behind the defence and intelligently lobbed the onrushing goalkeeper with the outside of the right boot even as the last defender tried to put the Slayers captain off. The brilliant goal stunned Kumz Club captain 8. Kumaran as his Slayer counterpart broke away to celebrate wildly his 4th goal for the team.

Kumz Club had a hard time trying to cope with Slayers long ball tactic and another long ball down the field fell perfectly for 10. Zi Xiang who had his shot blocked by the Kumz keeper and it eventually fell to his strike partner 12. Jun Jie who blasted the follow up wide of the post even with the open goal at his mercy. It was a big let off for Kumz who seemed tiring out and running out of ideas.

Kumz Club had a few counter attacks that seemed threatening but was easily neutralised by the Slayers defence marshalled by 15. Bo Yang and flanked by 19. Reuben and 4. Daryl with the former having a more consistent game. New signing 13. Benedict had several runs down the left flank but was put off by Kumz rightback numerous times and Slayers had to try their luck down the right flank which seemed more effective for the last few minutes of the first half.

The second half started and Kumz Club had a wave of failed attacks that left themselves awfully exposed. Just minutes after the restart, rightback 4. Daryl made a run down the right flank for a tussle with Kumz 12. Shauqi for the ball with the defender winning the tackle and made a pass to the edge of the Kumz box to 10. Zi Xiang who curled the ball through the crowded box past the unsighted goalkeeper who should have saved the easy shot. Kumz were devastated while Slayers were still unhappy with the 3-0 lead.

11. Ying Lun played his role of defensive midfield well as he made tackle after tackle to break up the momentum of Kumz attack that was dictated by Kumz 7. Nurhisyam and executed by 4. Jun Kai and 14. Huzaifah. 7. Shawn was mostly annonymous but shone at the right moments as he made countless runs and tackles that was enough for his team mates to sweep the ball away. As the match wore on, the central pairing seem to tire out and left holes in the centre for Kumz to capitalize and 9. Christopher had to come to Slayers rescue to stop 7. Nurhisyam and co. from advancing. Even striker 10. Zi Xiang made attempts to come back to midfield and his own box to collect and clear the ball, spreading play to the wings where 27. Jeremy and 9. Christopher wreck havoc, getting past right back 11. Srivatsan easily.

In one of the many attacks the Slayers forwards made, 10. Zi Xiang ran at the Kumz defence and was looking to pass the ball to either of his supporting team mates and decided to make a simple pass to strike partner 12. Jun Jie instead of 27. Jeremy who was screaming that he was unmarked. 12. Jun Jie managed to scrape a corner at the left flank. The corner was whipped in superbly by 27. Jeremy for Slayers targetman 10. Zi Xiang who jumped the highest and had a glancing header whacked against the cross bar. The striker was kicking himself for his luck after that shot.

17. Lucas was consistent as soon as he got on after the injury and halted many Kumz attacks, even resorting to some tricky tactics to defend the clean sheet. 4. Daryl inheritted some aggressiveness from 11. Ying Lun and made a crunching sliding tackle that sent 3. Yvan flying to the ground while 27. Jeremy broke away with the loose ball. It is the right flank where the Slayer's captain shone and he made a cross field pass to the waiting 11. Ying Lun who then split the Kumz defence wide open with a tempting through ball into the box that 10. Zi Xiang would never resist scoring from that range. The striker cooly slotted the ball into the corner increasing the scoreline to 4-0 to the home team and collects his brace for the day.

The plan for both Slayers centre backs to move forward for corners almost backfired as 5. Chien Ming and 15. Bo Yang never had a chance on goal and was awfully out of position but were lucky as the central midfield pair of 11. Ying Lun and 7. Shawn managed to halt the counter attacks.

15. Bo Yang made one of his trademark long kicks and this time, 11. Ying Lun spotted 13. Benedict unmarked behind him and headed the ball into 13. Benedict's path, fooling the Kumz keeper in the process and the new winger shot into the right side of the post to score his first goal for the team on his official debut as a Slayer. 5-0.

Slayers almost added another as another high ball was challenged by 10. Satish and 11. Ying Lun and the former accidentally elbowed the Slayers defensive midfielder in the face causing him to fall to the ground while the loose ball fell to 7. Shawn at the edge of the penalty box whose shot fizzed past the upright to the relief of Kumz Club. In another incident, a tussle on the left side of the penalty box involving the Kumz keeper was won by 10. Zi Xiang and he hit a low hard drive across the box only for 7. Shawn to miss the ball completely as everyone on the field was stunned. Slayers Goalkeeper 14. Ting Soon was merely a spectator throughout the match as all he had to do was catch a high ball and smother a cross, showing how blunt Kumz attack was. 15. Bo Yang blasted a long range freekick way off near the end of the match and just minutes later, Slayers launched one final attack and the ref blew the final whistle as Kumz Club sigh in disbelief that the team they beat 2-1 in April thrashed them 5-0 in the second leg. Final score, Team Slayers 5, Kumz Club 0.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home