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Duric double downs Dolphins
Fabius Chen
info@sleague.com
Defending champions SAFFC extended their lead at the top of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League to 10 points, following a comfortable 2-0 win over Sengkang Punggol at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Sunday evening.
Goals either side of the interval from league top-scorer Aleksandar Duric were enough to take all three points from a match in which both sides rarely got out of first gear.
With midfield star John Wilkinson suspended, the Warriors were thankful to have Therdsak Chaiman and Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin back in their starting line-up after recovering from injury.
And it was the home side that looked threatening right from the start, taking less than 90 seconds to force Amos Boon in the Dolphins goal into his first save of the night.
Duric’s cross into the box was flicked on by Park Tae Won to Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, but the youngster’s effort was easily blocked by the veteran stopper.
Therdsak then struck a free kick from 30 yards out that Boon did well to push away to safety, as the Warriors looked to take an early lead.
Despite dominating possession, they were struggling to find a way through the visitors’ defence and with 38 minutes on the clock, were very nearly hit by a sucker punch.
Defender Jerry Bartholomeusz met Azhar Baksin’s deep corner at the far post and must have thought he had done enough to give his side a shock lead, but Shahril Jantan was alert and made a smart save at his near post to keep the game scoreless.
Just a minute later, Dolphins skipper Indra Sahdan Daud nodded the ball down to an unmarked Mamadou Diallo but from six yards out, the 19-year-old could only shoot straight at Shahril.
Two escapes in quick succession seemed to wake the Warriors up from their slumber, and with half-time fast approaching, they finally managed to find a breakthrough.
Sengkang’s Canadian midfielder Murphy Wiredu was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Latiff, giving away a free kick in dangerous territory.
Shaiful Esah stepped up and curled in a shot that beat Boon but not his left-hand post. The ball rebounded back into play, though, and Duric did well to react quickest and prod it into an unguarded net.
It was a sickening moment for the Dolphins and their caretaker coach Aide Iskandar.
“That goal gave them a very important advantage going into half-time,” he later admitted.
Meanwhile, the relief was evident on the faces of the Warriors and their fans in the stands, as if they knew that Duric’s goal had broken Sengkang’s spirit.
Indeed, it took SAFFC just five minutes after the break to double their advantage and effectively kill off the game as a contest.
From the right flank, Latiff produced a measured cross that Singapore international Duric met with a deft touch to send the ball in off the post and leave Boon rooted to the spot.
Unlike the scrappy first goal, this strike was all about finesse and showed just why the Warriors are sitting comfortably atop the S.League table.
They very nearly scored a third just minutes later with more scintillating football.
First Latiff and then Park each produced a backheel in the Dolphins penalty area before the former crossed to Duric, who was waiting in the centre.
However, with a hat-trick beckoning, the 38-year-old striker failed to get the right connection and sent the ball harmlessly over the crossbar.
A rather questionable decision by the assistant referee then robbed the home side of what would have been a spectacular goal.
From a corner, Therdsak pulled the ball back for Shaiful, whose low drive flew past Boon’s despairing dive and into the back of the net.
It looked like a training ground routine that went according to plan, but the assistant referee had his flag up and the goal was disallowed for a foul in the box.
Warriors coach Richard Bok later insisted that the goal should have stood.
“The ball just flew in; what obstruction was there?” he later questioned.
From the Dolphins’ bench, however, what Aide saw was to the contrary.
He stated: “I think Masahiro (Fukasawa) got a touch to the ball, so it was clearly a correct decision.”
The visitors did manage to create a number of half-chances as the second half wore on, with Indra coming closest to scoring for them.
Clever play by Diallo down the Sengkang left ended with Lau Meng Meng laying the ball off for the national team captain, who blazed his first-time effort over.
SAFFC did have a final chance to score a third on the night, with three minutes of normal time remaining.
The Sengkang defence failed to properly clear Zulfadli’s cross, but Park’s shot into the ground bounced just wide of Boon’s goal.
It was of little significance, though, as the final whistle confirmed the Warriors’ fifth win on the trot and left their opponents rueing missed opportunites.
“We had chances to make the final score 2-1 or maybe even 2-2,” Aide said after the final whistle.
“But it was pleasing that the boys didn’t give up and continued to give SAFFC a run for their money. We lost 7-1 the last time we played them, so we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
The Dolphins’ caretaker coach also spoke highly of youngsters Raymond Kwa and Darrel Tan, who came off the bench on Sunday, as well as Shane Neubronner, who started his fourth consecutive game.
“They are the future of Sengkang Punggol and they need these opportunities to play against the big clubs,” Aide stressed.
For Warriors coach Bok, on the other hand, it was another job well done as the side continues its relentless march toward a fourth successive league title.
“I’m quite happy with the way we played,” he commented.
“We moved the ball around well and played some very good football.”
Bok also reserved special praise for his two returning midfield stars, Therdsak and Latiff.
He said: “Therdsak did well tonight. It’s good to have him back and it’s good that he lasted the full 90 minutes.
“It was good to have Latiff back as well; he’s got real quality and is a key player for us.”
SAFFC’s next three games could very well make or break their title aspirations, with visits to Super Reds and Tampines Rovers coming either side of a mouth-watering home clash with DPMM, whom they have failed to overcome in three meetings this term.
“Every game is important; we’ll just have to take one game at a time,” Bok stressed. |
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