Goal!

Saturday, December 30, 2006

MUNJEN PORTUGAL 1-3 KOSMOS

Starting line-up :
Wee Yang, Siu Sing, Von, Izzat, Hithaya, Firdaus, Amin, Jiewei, Hidayat, Adrian, Haris.

The match kicked off to a rather quiet crowd at Marina Stadium with a surprising record low attendance by the home fans. Earlier reports suggest that the home fans have gone on to boycott their loving team unless they prove otherwise. With much pressure mounting on the players coupled with a low team morale, MPFC kicked off to a worried start.

Pre-match concerns were mainly of teh unplayable pitch due to heavy thunderstorm two days back. The pitch have yet to settled and were postpone-bound until a green light was given by stadium officials to carry on the game at the home's 1st pitch where they previously lost to SexBFC 0-1.

Rough pitch conditions deterrred both teams' style of play greatly. However knowing this, KOSMOS took advantage of it.

KOSMOS clearly dominated for most of the first half with MPFC only managing to make a first 10 minutes push to the away team.

With brilliant passing around the KOSMOS players, they were rewarded with a fine shot by Ali Haikal on the right, with Wee Yang only managing to tip the ball into his own net. The goal was celebrated wildly by the away fans as previous attempts to break down the shot stopper failed.

MPFC tried to claw their way back into the game but to their dismay, a solid back four by KOSMOS denied them the chance to break down.

And with that, referee Mr Jiewei blew his whistle for half time.

Kick off at second half saw a brighter light at the end of the tunnel for MPFC. They pushed hard for the equaliser but great defending by KOSMOS' centre-backs proved a little too strong for them.

With Vishal aka Crazy Horse making his usual strides around the muddy and soggy pitch, MPFC came close several times to get on the scoresheet but only to be saved by the National GK Arief of KOSMOS.

The home fans went furious when a lapse of concentration by the back four allowed Ali Haikal to grab his second of the day with a magnificent 25 yard strike that was way off Wee Yang's reach. 0-2 to KOSMOS.

With possesion largely to KOSMOS, MPFC managed to grab a lifeline in the 56th minute when a counter attack by a combination of passes down the right flank saw Adrian drift the ball into the penalty area to beat the full stretched keeper and Crazy Horse to hit home his second goal for the club. 1-2 the score now.

A tussle between Adrian and Amin of KOSMOS nearly broke out when harsh words were exchanged following a body push by Adrian to get ahead of the defender. Personal war have since been forged between them.

Another counter attack down the right flank saw Adrian crossing in for Haris to equalise, but he only managed to convert a weak shot straight into the hands of the goalkeeper.

With time running out, an indirect free kick resulting from a backpass by KOSMOS saw Haris' laid out shot saved on the line by the the national goalie.

By this time, the home fans were already leaving the stadium empty, leaving the away fans' cheers echo the Marina Stadia.

Another tussle by Adrian with Benedict from KOSMOS saw a mini fracas break out between both sets of players.

KOSMOS, knowing that they were only minutes away from the final whistle, played the advantage of a better attacking pitch to clinch home their third from Terence Tan, a low drive right of penalty area only to see Wee Yang smother his ball after the ball had crossed the line.

With that, the son-of-FAS-referee-whose-father-didnt-officiate-the-last-match-after-reports-said-he-could blew the final whistle, leaving the home fans drowning from relishing their turnaround prospects.

All in all, a game that truly went out of MPFC's hands that could have ended as a close encounter.

Post match conference with the captain of KOSMOS Ali said that he was truly very pleased with the team's performance in both halves as they manipulated MPFC's weaknesses in defence which could have put them on a 1-4 win had the earlier shot from Terence went in instead of hitting the post.

On the home side, a weak atmosphere was felt throughout the dressing room with many hanging their heads in disbelief, again, on what and where had they gone wrong. The team captain Wee Yang denied to give any comments to the media.

However vice-captain Adrian said, "We will all look into this seriously and will work on our mistakes. However on a good note, I could see that many of the young lads have improved and contributed much to the team's matches. For today, Von's commanding at the back four was magnificent and he has held build a stronger defence than when the club just started. We will see the matter of the team and will work on it."

When asked for comments on the home fans' dismay, Adrian only said taht tehy have to have trust in the team and support the team in good and bad times, something that plays a pivotal role in the team's performance. He reassured the fans that once the tarnsfer window opens in January, two new signings will help make the club turn the corner and show the performance the once enjoyed a long time ago.

-haris

7:44 PM