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Protectors destroyed by speedy Beijing
Basil Yeo
info@sleague.com
A garden-variety Home United side fell victim to Beijing Guoan Talent at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday evening, throwing away an early lead to lose 1-4.
Having started their comeback with an equaliser two minutes before the break, the Chinese side made easy work of the two-time league champions with three further goals in the late stages of the game, including a cheeky, yet impressive chip from out of the box from a stellar Zhang Xizhe.
It was Beijing’s second consecutive win on this ground, after they had beaten Geylang United 3-1 here seven days earlier, and provided the perfect response to their 1-2 loss to league leaders Tampines Rovers on Tuesday.
But the Protectors, who had started the season harbouring title ambitions, now face a reality check after this loss sent them down to third from bottom in the 12-team S.League table.
Home skipper Shahril Ishak took the first real chance of the game after ten minutes, smashing in a shot from the edge of the box, but his goal was denied by referee K. Kalimuthu, who spotted a handling offence by the Singapore international.
Beijing was then nearly sent into the lead by Tengku Mushadad’s desperate clearance on 14 minutes, sending the ball spinning dangerously across his own goal after his defence had failed to handle Tan Tiancheng’s disruptive surge into the box.
The Protectors finally broke the deadlock two minutes later with Shi Jiayi’s low driven free kick, after Sherif El-Masri was judged to have been taken down despite a soft challenge from a Chinese defender.
The low ball found its way through a sea of men and rolled past Su Boyang, and despite initial suspicions that the ball had gone off a Beijing player amid the mess, it was later confirmed that Shi was credited.
The hosts attempted a response as Lei Tenglong popped up in an unmarked position behind the defensive wall to head Zhang Zhaohui’s free kick on target, but only into the safe hands of Lionel Lewis.
But Beijing’s efforts finally paid off close to the halfway mark, when Zhang Xizhe closed in on the right of Lewis’ goal and let fly a shot from outside the box that clipped Tengku’s shoulder to make it 1-1.
Losing the lead was a shock to the system for the Protectors, who were losing the plot further in the second half, allowing an unmarked Yu Yang to volley Zhang’s corner right into Lewis. The goalkeeper spilled the shot, but was saved from embarrassment by a scrambling defence.
The Chinese side finally took the lead on 71 minutes through Liu Teng, who had an easy putt in from distance from a speedy counterattack, after Shi was forcefully dispossessed in defence.
Home appeared to regain some small bit of control after conceding the second goal, attempting to restore parity, but Choi Chul Woo’s header was cleared off the line by Zhang.
The Korean striker showed his attacking influence once again when he provided a cross for Shahril’s header, which bounced off the right post and back into play.
The woodwork proved to be an obstacle in the Protectors’ way to find the equaliser, as substitute Firdaus Idros was denied a pointblank volley, while El-Masri scuffed the rebound.
However, despite their efforts to draw level, it was game over when Zhang lofted a ball in over the goalkeeper from distance to double his team’s lead with only minutes left to play.
The Chinese were still not done, as Zhang came off to much applause from the Beijing fans, to be replaced by Zhao Yang.
Zhao had an almost immediate impact as he shook off a shambolic Home defence, and while he could only hit the post, fellow substitute Wang Hao was on hand to add insult to injury and complete the rout with a simple finish.
It was an eyebrow-raising performance from Beijing, showing speed and simplicity in their play and never giving a hint of falling to cramp, as they had so often done in their previous matches.
Compared to their high-energy showing in the second half, the Protectors rarely looked like they were going to be able to compete, as their title credentials took a heavy beating at the hands of a team few had fancied at the start of the season.
Home head coach Lee Lim Saeng was visibly upset over the loss, but again showed remarkable stoicism, refusing to blame the players.
“I don’t want to blame the players for the defeat, it is my fault,” said the former Korea international.
“We played badly tonight, made mistakes on our part and I am sorry to say, I don’t think our opponents were very strong.
“People talk about Home United having eight national team players, but tonight the team also did not show why people think it is strong. I can see the players tried, but they were not in the right physical condition, and I think that is my fault, not the players’ fault.”
On the other hand, Beijing head coach Zheng Xiaotian was happy with the win, and hailed the positive mentality of his side.
“I have said before that this team is capable of playing anyone in the S.League, a win or a loss would not be a surprise for us by now,” said the Chinese coach.
“Previously against Geylang it was (Tan) Tiancheng, but today it was Xizhe who stood out in the contest. Both of them are a tremendous impact to the rest of the team.
“We know we have beaten a big team, but we are not worried about the next game (against Balestier Khalsa) as we will employ the same approach to any game. Our players just have to go all out and show their very best.” |
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