| |
|
|
Sengkang save best for last
Sazali Abdul Aziz
info@sleague.com
A late winner from Sengkang Punggol midfielder Murphy Wiredu helped his side edge past Woodlands Wellington 2-1 in the last game of the 2009 S.League season.
The Rams though would count themselves terribly unlucky to leave Jalan Besar empty-handed, after carving out most of the best scoring opportunities.
After just five minutes, their winger Jamil Ali got clear sight of goal but scuffed his effort, and the shot was easily saved by Sengkang goalkeeper Amos Boon.
On 18 minutes, a header from Woodlands’ Egyptian striker Zakaria Yousif forced Boon into a good save low to his left. In the process, the veteran goalkeeper hit his head against the woodwork and had to be treated for a few minutes.
Sengkang’s response was a freekick from Farizal Basri which curled just wide.
Woodlands’ attack though did not relent. Five minutes from the break, Yousif found himself free at the back stick but headed into the ground, without any real power or accuracy.
Two minutes later, in what was possibly the best chance of the half, Jamil burst through the centre of the Sengkang defence and fired a powerful shot that cannoned off Boon’s chest.
In trying to clear the rebound, the goalkeeper’s wild kick saw the ball ram off Yousif and into the path of Mojtaba Tehranizadeh, but the Iranian striker was called offside.
Ten minutes after the restart, though, Sengkang found the breakthrough through dubious circumstances. Young striker Mamadou Diallo seemed to have made the most of what little contact there was between him and Woodlands defender Precious Emuejeraye, but referee Leow Thiam Hoe was convinced and awarded the penalty.
Farizal stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way, and score his first goal for the Dolphins since joining at the start of the season.
On 68 minutes, Woodlands themselves were awarded a penalty – and this time referee Leow had a much easier call to make. Yousif was unceremoniously hacked down in the box by Nor Azli Yusoff, and Precious coolly slotted home the equaliser.
Five minutes later, the Rams almost took the lead. Substitute Asraf Abdul Rashid tore down the right flank and played Jamil through on the left. The winger’s shot though smacked off the crossbar, and Asraf could only put the follow-up wide.
Sengkang could have stolen a second on 81 minutes, Diallo beating the offside trap only to see goalkeeper Ahmadulhaq Che Omar save with his trailing left leg.
In the closing minutes of the game, the lively Asraf teed his team-mate Jalal for a shot while Precious also had a header at goal, both comfortably saved by Boon.
Then came Wiredu’s winner, which was the result of some quick thinking by veteran winger Azhar Baksin. Having been brought down outside the box, the 33-year-old immediately got up and played the Canadian through on goal, and Wiredu fired his shot low into Ahmadulhaq’s far corner.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper was gutted at the final whistle, collapsing to his knees in despair, but both coaches were in a better mood in the post-game interviews.
The result did not change the positions of either team on the league table, with Sengkang finishing second from bottom, and Woodlands finishing one place ahead of them.
“I’ll take it (the win), even though the performance wasn’t the best,” said Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar after the game.
“In some other games where we have performed better, we have lost.
“We got a bit of luck this time. Woodlands, at certain parts of the game, played well, but we played on and battled on. A win is always a win.”
He joked that his team had unfortunately picked up some much-needed luck “at the wrong time of the season”.
His opposite number, Nenad Bacina, was also in a light-hearted mood, despite the game being his last in charge of the Rams. Having said his farewell to his players and the fans, the Croat also cracked a joke after the game.
“During the course of the season, people have been telling me that my team are unlucky,” explained the 38-year-old.
“I just told the Woodlands management that maybe they might want have a team visit to a church, mosque or temple, because maybe there is a curse!”
Bacina though, said that his charges “deserved at least one point” from the game.
“I have to congratulate my players for giving 100 per cent, and having a professional attitude, even though we are playing for nothing in terms of position on the table,” he said.
He paid also paid tribute to Man-of-the-Match Asraf and his two forwards.
“I’m happy for Asraf (to get the Man-of-the-Match Award),” he said. “He’s a nice boy, and maybe he has not played a lot this season. But when he comes in, he changes the game for us.”
He also complimented his foreign strikers Yousif and Tehranizadeh, saying: “Many people criticise them, but I am very happy with their performances for the whole season.
“Maybe they have not achieved many goals, but they play with passion and for the team.” |
|
|