| |
|
|
Profligate Sengkang lose first game to Balestier
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
A combination of wasteful finishing by one side and inspired goalkeeping from the other resulted in Sengkang Punggol losing their opening league game 1-2 at home to ten-man Balestier Khalsa.
Brazilian forward Rivaldo Costa provided the foundations for the Tigers’ continued success at Hougang with a brace in six minutes midway through the first half, and even losing defender Sofiyan Abdul Hamid to a second yellow and conceding a goal from Canadian winger Jordan Webb – all within the first half – were not enough to force their collapse.
Although the Dolphins saw much action at the attacking end after the break, they were unable to break down their opponents’ dogged defence.
Visiting goalkeeper Ahmadulhaq Che Omar in particular was outstanding between the posts, when he pulled off a series of top saves to keep the final score.
A new-look, youthful Sengkang took to the pitch looking to start a new chapter on a positive note. New signings Fadhil Salim, Jalal, Faizal Amir, Guinean Moussa Keita and Webb made their competitive debuts for the home side.
Rightback Lau Meng Meng was the acting captain on the night, as regular skipper Nor Azli Yusoff was serving a one-match ban carried over from last year.
All of Balestier’s new foreign imports made their first competitive appearances for the club, with skipper Daniel Hammond partnering Paul Cunningham at the heart of defence, while Rivaldo paired with compatriot Vitor Borges up front.
Also wearing the Tigers jersey for the first time were Ahmadulhaq, Nurhilmi Jasni and former Singapore international Ishak Zainol, who is making his return into the league after a two-season absence.
The visitors were missing suspended midfielder K. Vikraman while Goh Swee Swee (shoulder), Kamal Nasir (illness) and Mushthafa Kamal (anterior cruciate) were sidelined.
It was the Dolphins who showed more promise early in the game, as their attacking players stretched the away defence to their limits.
They could have been two goals up within the first ten minutes. First, in what could possibly be the miss of the season, an unmarked Keita headed the rebound over an empty net after an initial effort hit the crossbar.
Then Ahmadulhaq had to be alert to tip over Webb’s goalbound header off a Faizal cross on the right.
Murphy Wiredu wasted another golden chance to take the lead for the hosts when his strike outside the box blazed over.
Sengkang were made to pay for their profligacy when Balestier took the lead on 18 minutes against the run of play.
A Sofiyan throw-in on the right found Hammond, whose flick-on across produced an early contender for goal of the season as Costa produced an overhead bicycle kick that left Fadhil rooted on the line.
Things went from bad to worse for the home side six minutes later, when referee Abas Daud awarded a penalty following Fadhil’s challenge on Borges inside the six-yard box.
Costa stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick despite Fadhil guessing correctly and having a hand at the shot.
Just as they seemed on the up, though, Balestier went one man down just before the half-hour, when Sofiyan was shown his second yellow for a reckless challenge on Keita.
Although the home side had an additional player on the pitch, they struggled to produce any meaningful goalscoring chances.
They were given a glimmer of hope one minute before the break, when Webb made a mazy run down the middle to catch a long deep cross and took advantage of the mix-up in the Balestier defence to slot home.
That goal was the spark the Dolphins needed as they spent much of the next 45 minutes laying siege at the Tigers’ goal.
Six minutes after the restart, Ahmadulhaq was called into action to deny Faizal after the latter danced past three Tigers inside the crowded penalty box.
The former Woodlands Wellington custodian’s confident reactions and command in the six-yard were the main difference between the sides, as he thwarted several dangerous crosses and snuffed out a few close attempts late on.
Failure to find another way past Ahmadulhaq was to be Sengkang’s undoing as they eventually succumbed 1-2 at the final whistle.
Their head coach Aide Iskandar lamented the lack of killer touch in their defeat.
“While I am disappointed with the final result, I am happy with my team’s performance,” he said.
“We played with fluidity, good passing and good attacking positions. It was just the final touch we were lacking.
“I think we have loads of chances in the opening minutes. Luck is maybe not on our side, but we should have concentrated more on finishing.
“In the first half we should have put at least four in, but we did not finish off. We also had some chances too in the second half as well.”
The former Singapore skipper hopes the Dolphins can learn some important lessons and come back stronger in the next game.
“Not to worry, we still have 32 more games to go, and I do hope they realize how important chances are,” he added.
“When we do not convert chances, we do not win games. Even if it is 11 versus 10 or 10 versus 11, it’s the same.”
His Balestier counterpart Nasaruddin Jalil was delighted to open his 2010 campaign with three points on his favourite away ground.
“Hougang has been good for us ever since I took the team in 2008,” he beamed.
“Every year we come here, we win. We can draw or lose all the other matches, but we will definitely win at their home ground.”
Nasaruddin also hailed the experience and resoluteness of his team, after they were reduced to ten men and still managed to hang on for the win.
“Everybody worked hard and did his part,” he noted.
“When we played with ten men, we faced the problem of covering bigger gaps on the pitch. It’s very tough, but they fought hard and did well.
“Previously we would have thrown away two points at this situation even if we had the lead then. Now, the opponents cannot simply walk through the twin towers (Hammond and Cunningham) in defence unlike previous years.”
He had critical words for Sofiyan, though, for putting his team in danger following his dismissal during the first half.
“The player should learn from this,” he said. “He needs to learn how his actions just now nearly damaged the team.”
Match hero Ahmadulhaq was modest on his feats at goal, and hoped the game-winning performance could be a spark for better things to come for his team and himself personally.
“I thank my teammates because they are the ones who make this possible for me,” he said.
“I also want to make a good impression for my new club as first choice. What I did in the field meant I was hungry to do my best there.
“Playing with the cellar-dwellers, it’s an early big six-pointer for us, so we need to start afresh and do well this season. Playing ten men was very taxing but worth it.
“Having the twin towers in front of me gave me more confidence to focus on my task.
“I personally hope to continue to play as much as possible and finally establish myself as the first-choice goalkeeper.” |
|
|