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SAFFC ensure no repeat victory for Sengkang
Paul Green
info@sleague.com
Sengkang Punggol left their League Cup form behind them when they returned to Hougang Stadium to face SAFFC on Monday night.
This was, incidentally, the same team they had beaten 3-1 at the Warriors’ own Choa Chu Kang Stadium in a quarterfinal match of the competition, in which the Dolphins earned the bronze medal.
The last time the Dolphins had played at home they beat Gombak United 2-1, but they had also been beaten by Balestier by the same score in their opening Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League match of the season at the ground.
Here, the Warriors had their national team players back in the side, and in one of them they had someone who used to be a member of the Sengkang side last season.
Indra Sahdan Daud turned in his best performance thus far since joining the champions at the start of this year, scoring the first goal and being heavily involved in both of the others, put away by in-form winger Taisuke Akiyoshi.
Also returning was Daniel Bennett, while the injured Noh Rahman, himself a former Sengkang man alongside Indra, had to sit this one out, and of course the champions will be without John Wilkinson and Shaiful Esah for some time yet.
SAFFC coach Richard Bok spoke before the game of the need to stay in touch with the other clubs near the top of the table, and for his players to reproduce the same form and intensity they showed in their two Asian Champions League matches.
His players answered the call with a strong, sustained showing over the 90 minutes; but for Sengkang and their star winger Jordan Webb, it was a game when nothing went right.
In the fourth minute Webb was guilty of unnecessarily playing a ball across the face of his own goal, and the lively and fired-up Indra dashed through to intercept and tuck the ball past Dolphins keeper Fadhil Salim with his usual alacrity.
It had been an even start to the game, and for most of the first half Sengkang looked capable of making a game of it.
They were able to draw level just eight minutes after conceding that embarrassing opening goal, though they needed some help from one of the tall defenders in the Warriors’ side.
Murphy Wiredu lifted in a free kick from deep on the left and as the ball arrived high in the goalmouth and hung in the air, a defender’s head inadvertently looped it over Shahril Jantan’s head and into the roof of the net.
It was later established that the unfortunate man in white was Bennett.
Sengkang managed to win a few corners and free kicks during the first period, but their only outstanding chance fell to Webb on 35 minutes, and that attempt was saved by Shahril with his legs at pointblank range after an initial shot by Faizal Amir had been blocked.
Surprisingly, at 1-1, Dolphins coach Aide Iskandar elected to replace Jaspar Seet with new Canadian signing Ryan Fante after only 22 minutes.
“I wanted more height, for the set plays especially,” the former Lions captain explained after the match.
Fante, a friend of Webb’s, has only been in Singapore since last Tuesday and had taken over the striker’s spot vacated by Moussa Keita, whose employment pass had expired early.
Judging on the new man’s contribution in this game, it will take a while for the newest member of the Canadian contingent at Hougang Stadium to settle down.
“With the weather and the different style of play here it may take him a while to adjust,” admitted Aide.
As things transpired, the Warriors were able to forge to the lead again on 28 minutes.
Mustaqim Manzur, showing the outstanding form he revealed in the Champions League matches, was at his best to get past his markers down the right and find Indra lurking on the far side.
The sometime national captain saw his volley blocked by the goalkeeper, but Akiyoshi put away the rebound to make it 2-1, a lead the Warriors never really looked like relinquishing for the rest of the game.
Having said that, perhaps Webb could have done better, not least moments before half-time when he scuffed the ball wide at the near post, following a ball played in from the right by Fante.
The only sour note for the SAFFC side was the need to take off Uruguayan striker Federico Martinez, who in stretching to reach a cross from the left by Indra damaged his groin muscles and signalled at once to come off.
With Park Tae Won sidelined by injury after leaving the field in the League Cup game against the Dolphins, coach Bok will be hoping at least one of the pair will be fit for the crucial Thursday night game away to Gombak.
SAFFC should probably have beaten the Dolphins by more than the 3-1 they eventually managed thanks to another opportunist strike from Akiyoshi, who again pounced on a loose ball after Fadhil had saved yet another Indra shot from close range with 20 minutes to go.
Indra had already seen his volley pushed around the post by the keeper 20 minutes earlier, and watched a header from a Mustaqim cross being expertly tipped over the bar by Fadhil a minute later.
The striker was similarly denied by Fadhil on 65 minutes, after good work from Akiyoshi, who did much of the work up front following the departure of Martinez, as replacement Rhysh Roshan Rai’s mission was to control things in the middle of the park.
Mustaqim himself was denied by the keeper in the last minute inside the six yard box, after an Akiyoshi run down the left and a smart by-line cross.
“I was happy with the way we played,” said Bok.
“That said though, I thought our finishing could have been better, even allowing for their keeper’s excellent saves.
“We weren’t looking for revenge against Sengkang or anything, just the three points, and I felt it was an entertaining game so that was pleasing for me too, getting the result as well as pleasing the fans.
“We’re going to be facing a very busy programme until June at least, and it’s important that we don’t drop off the pace through our other commitments. Tonight was what we were looking for and we’ll hope for something similar on Thursday at Jurong West.”
As for Sengkang, who face Woodlands Wellington on the same night at the Rams’ own ground, coach Aide will be urging his men to rediscover their League Cup form.
“The players were fine in the first half, but lacked any focus in the second,” he noted.
“We’ll be talking about that and how to get back to doing what we were doing before we played this match.”
Abdoulaye Diallo, midfielder brother of striker Mamadou, was left out of the starting eleven this time as all four foreign spots were already taken, including new boy Fante.
“We’ll see how the players come back after this game before deciding who to rest on Thursday,” said Aide.
“The other Diallo may play, but it’s too early to say at this stage what our starting eleven might be.” |
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