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Frenchmen fulfill promise as Beijing run ragged
A. Ong
info@sleague.com
Prior to this match, ten games had already been played in this year’s edition of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League, but still we had yet to see the two newest additions to Singapore football in action, namely Beijing Guoan Talent and Etoile FC.
That wait was finally over, and a vocal crowd at Jalan Besar Stadium was treated to a fascinating match which was not settled until five minutes from time.
Etoile midfielder Flavien Michelini eventually clinched the points for his side, blasting home from close range after Beijing goalkeeper Su Boyang had failed to gather a deep cross into the area.
Despite both teams being deadlocked for a full 85 minutes, most would agree that the French side fully deserved the win, with much of the play being concentrated in the Beijing half, and the Chinese side content to play on the break.
“Everyone could see the difference in quality between the two teams,” pointed out Beijing head coach Zheng Xiaotian.
“But we expected this high level of quality from them, and their organisation was very good.”
Much had been made of Etoile’s promise to bring free-flowing football to the S.League, and they did not disappoint from the get-go, stroking the ball around confidently in a style which was definitely pleasing to the eye.
Despite their dominance, the French side struggled to create clear chances early on, although captain Matthias Verschave’s attempted cross would nearly creep in on 17 minutes, Su being forced to tip it over for a corner.
Beijing had played cautiously up till then, but they showed what they were capable of just a few minutes later. Quick interplay between Zhang Ye and Li Tixiang released the former into space, but his shot was straight down the throat of Etoile keeper Yohann Lacroix.
On the half-hour mark, the Chinese team would break once more, almost with devastating effect. A great pass from the back put Zhao Yang clean through on goal, but the attacker dragged his shot wide with only Lacroix to beat.
Still, these efforts were but isolated incidents in long periods of Etoile possession.
In particular, winger Cyril Bagnost was a handful for his marker the whole night, and his cross to Verschave on 38 minutes nearly brought the opener. However, Su was to save the resultant header, gathering the ball at the second attempt.
Coach Zheng brought on Jiang Tao at the break in a reshuffle of his defence, and the substitute would play a huge role in maintaining parity just minutes later.
With Verschave bearing down on goal after being put through by strike partner Frederic Mendy, Jiang produced a superb tackle at the edge of the six yard box to prevent what seemed a sure goal.
The chances were flowing now, and Julien Deletraz was next to fluff a chance, wastefully heading over the Beijing bar after an excellent cross from Mendy.
On the hour mark, Zhao Yang was taken off due to cramps. In some sense, this set the tone for the remainder of the game, with the rapidly-tiring Beijing players firmly on the backfoot, and Etoile piling on the pressure in their search for the winner.
But luck did seem to be on the Beijing’s side, with Michelini and Mendy both denied from close range, the latter having created his opportunity by juggling the ball past three bemused defenders.
Were we going to get a goal? Su was seemingly unbeatable, with his full stretch save from Deletraz’s freekick adding to his ever-lengthening highlight reel.
It was then rather unfortunate that the decisive moment would be due to an error from Su five minutes from time.
The Beijing custodian went for Daniel Nna’s swirling cross, but could only palm it straight to the waiting Deletraz. The midfielder calmly took the ball past the stranded keeper, and blasted it home to the delight of the Etoile fans in the stands.
With the Beijing players seemingly spent, and several suffering from cramps, it was rather a formality for Etoile to play out the remaining minutes and clinch a winning start to their life in the S.League.
“One thing that really pleased me today was the spirit the whole club showed, from the chairman all the way to the kitman,” said Etoile head coach Patrick Vallee.
“The players never gave up, and we always tell them to play until the end of the game.
“Actually we prefer scoring the first goal at the 85 minute mark,” quipped Vallee. “Then there is only five minutes left for the opponent to come back!”
Club chairman Johan Gouttefangeas also paid tribute to the fan support, and he promised an even better atmosphere at upcoming Etoile games.
“I think the fans were quite happy with the way we played today,” said Gouttefangeas.
“But it being a French holiday today, we will be expecting a lot more of the French community to come down for future games and make some noise!”
With Etoile still very much a team in its infant stages, the signs do point to better performances and results in the future, as the players start to gel with each other.
In the other camp, Zheng was remarkably positive, despite the result which left Beijing as the only team without a point in the league standings.
“I was satisfied with the players’ performance throughout the entire game, and they followed my instructions very well,” commented Zheng.
“What we are lacking now is a finisher. But we are soon getting three to six players from the senior Beijing Guoan squad, and we hope that amongst them will be a top striker.”
If Zheng’s words hold true, then we could indeed be seeing a very different Beijing side in upcoming matches.
The Chinese team next faces Woodlands, while Etoile will do battle once more at the Jalan Besar Stadium, this time against Sengkang Punggol. |
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