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Protectors clinch long-awaited second win
Bhaskaran Kunju
info@sleague.com
Title hopefuls Home United got back to winning ways against Sengkang Punggol at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night with only their second victory of the campaign.
The 2-1 win also brought to an end a disappointing five-match winless run in all competitions, stretching back to their opening-day defeat of Albirex Niigata (Singapore).
The Protectors, who had hit the headlines this week for the wrong reasons over the acrimonious disappearance and subsequent exit of club captain Peres de Oliveira, did not seem to be missing their Brazilian talisman too much.
But their lack of form and the added cloud of uncertainty would have tempted Sengkang Punggol coach Aide Iskandar into thinking a win was there for the taking.
Despite starting with a conservative formation that had Mamadou Diallo as sole striker and Jordan Webb in support, the Dolphins were clearly set on taking the upper hand right from the start.
With Home’s players also up for the task, a clash of tempers was only inevitable, and the opening ten minutes saw referee Muhd Taqi having to first calm down Juma’at Jantan and then separate Nelson San Martin and Webb from a scuffle that involved most of the players on both sides.
The overall temperament of the game was evident in the number of yellow cards issued in the match, with no less than four players from each team having received a caution by the end of 90 minutes.
As the game slowly settled, it was Home who found their rhythm as Sengkang resorted to long balls to catch the opposing defence off with the pace of their front men.
The first real chance of the game fell to Home striker Choi Chul Woo, who inexplicably found himself in the clear on 16 minutes when a looping ball into the penalty box landed at his feet. With no offside given, the Korean hurriedly scuffed his shot right into the arms of Sengkang goalkeeper Fadhil Salim.
Choi was again at the centre of play just eight minutes later when a neat one-two with San Martin inside the penalty box had him one-on-one with the keeper. But it was Fadhil yet again who had the benefit of collecting an easy shot.
However, with seven minutes to go to half-time, it was to be a reversal of fortunes between the Sengkang custodian and the Home striker.
A harmless looking cross from Home leftback Zulfadli Zainal Abidin was dropped by Fadhil, who had rushed out from his line. The unmarked Choi fumbled the loose ball into the net and did not seem to know much about the goal, having been caught off guard.
With a one-goal advantage, Home coach Lee Lim Saeng then made a peculiar decision in taking out the uninjured San Martin for Canadian Sherif El-Masri on 41 minutes.
The first half yielded just one further clear chance and it fell to Sengkang, when a cross from rightback Lau Meng Meng was touched on at the near post by Faizal Amir towards Webb at the far post. But the diving Webb could only just react to head the ball wide of goal.
The second half saw a little more flair in Sengkang’s approach, and an in-swinging free kick on 53 minutes by leftback Duncan Elias from the corner of the penalty box was punched away by Lionel Lewis.
Just two minutes later at the other end, Choi was at it again when he glanced a header past the post from a Shahril Ishak free kick.
As the second half wore on Sengkang quickly looked to be out of ideas, and Home comfortably kept possession and controlled the flow of play.
It was only at the 76-minute mark that the game came back to life, when Sengkang’s Sim Li Ming hacked Shahril down outside the centre of the penalty box. Sim, who had only just re-entered the field having needed medical attention from a foul by Isa Halim minutes before, picked up a caution for his troubles.
But worse was to come as Valery Hiek confidently stepped up to send the free kick over the wall and to the far right of the goalkeeper, doubling the lead for Home with twelve minutes to go.
Sengkang’s season had been plagued by inconsistent performances, and it was to show its flip side yet again within the match.
Only a minute after conceding the second, they pulled a goal back to get themselves back into the game. A cross from the in-form Elias was missed by Hiek in the six-yard box and fell to Farizal Basri, who had only just entered the fray in place of Diallo.
With Hiek and Zulfadli unable to close him down, Farizal had all the time in the world to chest the ball down and hit a low left-footed shot to the far corner for an easy finish.
Home almost put the game out of reach with five minutes left when goalscorer Choi brushed aside a defender, hustled his way into the penalty box and got a shot past the onrushing keeper.
His effort was however dramatically hacked away by Sim before it could cross the line.
The Dolphins could only conjure up one more real chance with the final kick of the game, when a quickly-taken free kick from Elias whizzed just over the goal.
Breathing a collective sigh of relief, Home collected the three points and got their title hopes back on track.
Sengkang coach Aide, speaking after the match, was optimistic in defeat and credited the quality of their opponents.
“My boys did well and we needed to deal better in defending but Home took their chances well,” he remarked.
The former Singapore captain also lamented the refereeing for the evening, claiming that it had affected the flow of the game.
“The referee was too early or too late in issuing a card, and I thought he didn’t have a good game today,” he said.
“There were instances where the Home players were tripping or tackling my players like Jordan or Diallo from the back, which I thought would have warranted a yellow card. I had to speak to the fourth official and voice my disappointment with the decisions, but there is nothing we can do.”
The win was much welcomed by Home’s Korean coach Lee, who looked to be in better spirits than on recent occasions.
But he was cautious about over-celebrating.
“I want my players to be modest,” said Lee.
“We have to be a strong team to keep pace in the table and we need to play for the long run. Today is just one small step.”
When asked on the decision to take off San Martin before the break, Lee offered some hints on fitness and discipline without being specific.
“I told Nelson I want to give him a chance to show me more after he played very well in the last game,” he said.
“But frankly speaking, he did not have the fitness, that is why I decided to take him out. I will give him a chance again when I think he can show a higher level of performance.” |
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