Team HC went into the match as the underdogs as the Saints were the clear favourite to take away all 3 points from the match. Their fluent passing game won over many neutral supporters as they are tipped to be one of the title contenders this year. Past meetings between the two teams also went Saint's way as HC lost 7-0 during a friendly match late last year. Although HC did not field its full team, it was nevertheless a demoralising experience.
It was barely a minute into the game when the Saints scored their first goal. A tap was all that was needed to score following confusion in Hwa Chong’s penalty box. For a moment, team Hwa Chong felt as if history were to repeat itself. In the first 10 minutes, the Hwa Chong defence looked shaky. To compound matters, Saints added a second goal with a beautiful shot from right outside the penalty area. Silence filled the Hwa Chong camp.
However, this proved to be the turning point of the game. With nothing to lose, the HC team captain, Wincoln Tham, stood above the crowd and inspired his team to give the Saints a run for their money.
The start of the second half saw Hwa Chong make a couple of substitutions, a notable one being the introduction of Tay Zeng Hao. Zeng Hao being a natural winger with menacing pace, proved that his dribbling and speed was too much to take for the Saints’ defence.
Right from the start, HC assumed absolute control as their superior fitness level and stamina saw them out-play, out-dribble and out-run the opponent. Indeed, the excellent condition of the Hwa Chong squad was rewarded with a goal 10 minutes into the second half.
Upon receiving the ball in an awkward position, striker Lee Kwang Yueh adjusted with one touch and sent a cross into the penalty box, accurately picking out Aran Atsuo. A player of his finishing ability wasn’t about to miss from that range. Aran calmly slotted the ball past the keeper into the bottom left hand corner. The shot was executed with perfection.
The next 30 minutes saw even better football as HC went in search of that one elusive goal, with Zeng Hao wreaking havoc by terrorising the opponent’s defence with his constant runs and pinpoint crosses. With 10 minutes to go, Midfielder Chan Min Jian executed a perfectly timed volley, only to hit the bar.
Unfortunately, the second goal never came. The score line of 2-1 was kept to the final whistle. Lady luck just wasn’t on our side as the team failed to score despite greater possession.
As the Saints coach put it bluntly, “Hwa Chong has two extremely good players. One tall Indian and one short Chinese.” (He was referring to co-captain Aran Atsuo and winger Tay Zeng Hao.)The signs are positive for the soccer team with their commendable performance against the Saints. Hopefully, the team can once again look to their two talismanic figures for inspiration in their next match.
2 comments:
hello you guys are sexy pls qualify this yr!
the 'volley' although well timed was weak.
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