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Early Webb goal hands Rams third straight defeat
Ko Po Hui
info@sleague.com
Woodlands Wellington succumbed to their third defeat on the trot, as they slipped up in their own backyard to fall 0-1 to Sengkang Punggol.
The result left the losing League Cup finalists firmly rooted to bottom spot, trailing behind Albirex Niigata (Singapore) on goal difference.
Sengkang’s winning goal came early, in-form winger Jordan Webb hitting the target just five minutes into the match, much to the shock of the Woodlands fans.
The Dolphins had to play for nearly an hour with only ten men, but Shahir Hamzah’s dismissal was not enough for the home team to find an equaliser.
Despite having a full week’s rest after their 0-4 mauling by Etoile, Rams coach A. Shasi Kumar rued a lack in concentration by his side as he accounted for the defeat.
On the field, his charges did not take long to justify that assessment. Just two minutes into the game, the crowd saw some hesitation by leftback Sahairi Ramri when he tried to mark Webb.
The nippy man showed more decisiveness than his minder as he darted past the 23-year-old and made his way through a Rams backline that had yet to settle.
Only a lack of precision in his shot prevented him from bagging a goal right away, but he did not have to wait long for another chance.
Tripped by Sahairi near the edge of the box, the Sengkang No.2 earned a free kick for the visitors which was whipped in by Duncan Elias.
Amid the confusion inside the Woodlands area, Webb made sure he had his name on the scoresheet this time when he headed home from close range.
Conceding a goal with less than five minutes gone seemed to shatter the hosts’ confidence, as they were largely outplayed by a Sengkang side pouring forward with rage.
Totally dominating the middle of the park, the Dolphins were allowed to dictate the pace of the game through the industrious Murphy Wiredu, whose vision and distribution allowed his teammates to move easily into the heart of the Woodlands half.
That was exactly the plan Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar said he had in mind, as he told sleague.com after everything was over.
“What we failed to do in our last game was that we did not play our normal game and started pumping the ball,” he said, referring to their comprehensive 1-3 defeat at the hands of SAFFC.
“So I told the boys we need to play to our strength, which is to play the ball, and I am glad it paid off.”
After getting over the initial shock, the Rams gradually settled themselves into the game and created some goalscoring opportunities of their own.
Mohd Noor Ali was in the thick of the action, getting himself onto the receiving end of a looping pass from midfield 22 minutes in, having shrugged the attention of the Sengkang defence.
The former Lions winger was let down by his finishing touch, though, his shot going over the bar to the relief of stranded custodian Fadhil Salim.
Act Two of the Fadhil-Noor Ali showdown came ten minutes later with yet another effort from the 34-year-old coming in from the near post, but the goalkeeper was equal to the task, narrowing the angle well to deny the header.
As the game gradually gathered momentum, the cards were coming thick and fast, and Sengkang found themselves down to ten men eight minutes before the break.
Centreback Shahir, who had already been sent off once this season in the League Cup semifinals, was given his marching orders by referee P. Pandian after accumulating two yellow cards.
The Rams almost had a lifeline thrown at them a minute afterwards, when a piledriver from Asraf Abdul Rashid brought the best out of Sengkang custodian Fadhil, who single-handedly stopped the ball.
The 1,592 fans gathered in the stands had barely recovered from their astonishment when Noor Ali came in with the follow-up, but his effort proved futile.
Despite having the numerical disadvantage, Sengkang were far from content to sit back and defend their one-goal lead, although Aide highlighted the importance of tightening the backline in a situation like this.
Wary of the dangers posed by Noor Ali and Abdelhadi Laakkad, he made a key tactical switch by shifting midfielder Abdoulaye Diallo backwards to plug the gap vacated by Shahir.
“Even when we were a man down, I thought we have our chances to score as well,” explained Aide.
“But because we all know both Laakkad and Noor Ali are experienced players, I decided to pull Abdoul back.”
The move turned out to be adequate as Sengkang fended off their hosts for the entire second half, although the Rams did have their chances.
Most notable of the bunch was a Luis Eduardo Hicks header in injury time, which had come off a dangerous corner kick by skipper Noor Ali.
Had that ball gone into the net rather than over the top, it would have earned Woodlands the point they needed to overtake Albirex.
But a poor start to their season undoubtedly left Shasi concerned, as he reflected on his team’s inability to keep the opposition away from their goal.
“They had their chances and we had ours too, but it’s just that we had a lapse of concentration and did not defend that one free kick well,” he lamented.
“Did it disrupt our momentum? Yes, it did a bit, but I think we came back strongly in the second half, when we had some good chances to score and could have won.”
The 33-year-old then said his main priority now is to help the team pick themselves up, with some difficult games coming over the horizon.
“I think that’s the most important thing, as we will be facing Home United and Tampines Rovers after tonight. The only way to come back is to keep on working; there’s not other way to do it.” |
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