Scores - 19 May 2010

Bulletin

21 May 2010

Team Ascendas 2 vs Inspectorate 2

We welcome Team Inspectorate to the Ascendas Street Soccer League. This is the first time they are taking part in the tournament. The game kicked off and possession seemed to be equal on both sides. However, Team Ascendas broke the deadlock on the 4th minute with some nippy play. A good string of passes allowed them to score the 1st goal. Inspectorate responded almost immediately and equalized the next minute with a goal headed in by their captain, Sharam. As a result, both teams went into half time with the same score line.

The 2nd half kicked off and it seemed to be anyone’s game. Both teams were on par till the 14th minute when Inspectorate scored. Not bad for the new boys of the league. Complacency might have set in for Inspectorate and they conceded a goal in the 17th minute with the score leveled at 2-2. With 3 minutes to go, both side wanted to score the winner badly but unfortunately time ran up and both sides had to share the points. All in all, it was a good evenly contested game between both teams.


Kung Fu Pandas 0 vs Amkor United 3

This seemed like an exhibition game. It was played at such a slow pace that it makes you wonder if the players were worn out from work. Kung Fu Pandas missed Geoffrey and Suresh badly. They lacked fire power upfront with only Vaibhav being the lone ranger in front of goal. They decided to play a defensive game and contained Amkor very well. However the deadlock was broken when super sub Richard from Amkor United came on and scored a goal on the 8th minute thus releasing all the tension. With that, Amkor went into half time with a 1 goal lead.

The second half kicked off and Amkor scored almost immediately. With a 2 goal lead, Amkor wanted to ensure full points. And 3 minutes later, they scored again to make the score line 3-0. After that, the game seemed one sided though Kung Fu Pandas defended well. The Pandas need to get their grove back. As for this game, Amkor was the ‘A’ team, with the ‘A’ for Arsenal.

Bulletin

12 May 2010

SAIPEM MALVIVENTE 2 vs AMKOR UNITED 0

Amkor United clearly missed the touch line wisdom of Anthony and the calmness of Boon Hwee. The seasoned campaigner was forced to submission by the new boys in the league. Saipem Malvivente came prepared to battle it out for a win fighting for every ball and defending from the mid field to choke Amkor United’s attacks. This simple game plan from the start of the first half worked for Saipem. It was a classic game of Blackburn Rovers against Arsenal two seasons ago under Mark Hughes. At the end of first half, the combative play of Saipem got on Amkor United nerves resulting in them losing their rhythm and composure of play in the first half.

With Saipem dictating the game, Amkor did well with good organization at the back to defend Saipem’s attacks. However a very costly mistake led to a penalty against Amkor United. Amkor’s most reliable last man was caught handling the ball inside the “D”. But how did such an experienced player who marshaled his defense like John Terry make a mistake like that? Unfortunately he was pushed into the “D” by his own player witnessed by the referee who was just 2 meters away. Hence the penalty stood despite the protest by the penalized defender. It certainly seems he doesn’t even know who pushed him into the “D”. In summary it was a blunder of all blunders that caused Amkor to concede their first goal.

With Saipem keeping constant pressure on Amkor’s goal it was a matter of time for the second goal to materialize. And it came from a scorcher from an acute angle. Saipem certainly deserved that beautiful goal for all the hard work they brought to the game.

Amkor failed to see Saipem’s game strategy from the first minute of play. They should have fielded Richard to do all the hard fighting in the center to match Saipem. Allan and Ravi are not well suited for the physical game of Saipem. And Richard and Anthony could have brought in the physical strength to make a difference in last night’s game.

If Saipem maintains such robust play and energy, we are possibly looking at a title contender.

DSO A 9 vs KUNG FU PANDAS 0

DSO A came to play the game with just 5 players. That’s the level of confidence the team has. Even though DSO A had a strong attack, their weakness in defense was well exposed. DSO A’s last man was opened up by simple crosses into the center from both flanks. There was no cover for the running man from the center.

The score may read 9-0 but Kung Fu Pandas’s Jimmy missed 3 open goals while Ahilan missed 2 which only needed the simplest of touch to direct the ball into the net. That amounted to a whopping 5 missed goals. It makes us wonder if there were any sports bookie involved in this game because after the game Kung Fu Pandas were seen smiling and taking pictures with DSO A. An Italian job may be? Well, humor aside, this was the most interesting game to watch and learn.

The ingredients needed to win a game are simple and straight forward. All one need is team work, discipline, short passing and communication. DSO A made it look so easy in the court that winning the game seemed like just a formality. The goal line should have been 15 – 0 if not for Jason (the top scorer from last year) who was a bit rusty in his finishing in the first half. The second half was the same and DSO A showed a little out of touch in their finishing as well with the eventual result of a modest 9-0.

Kudos must be given toKung Fu Pandas for battling hard till the last whistle against DSO A.

TEAM ASCENDAS 0 vs DSO B 3

The game between Argentina and Paraguay in the World Cup Qualifier best describes this match between these two teams. Ascendas had individual skills and creative play but lacked direction and vision to go forward. Too much of individual play and holding onto the ball too long wasted Team Ascendas’ game. While DSO B did not play very talented football, they kept their industry up throughout the 20 minutes to secure the win. Their first goal in the first half against Team Ascendas came from a blunder by Team Ascendas’ last man while the last 2 goals in the final 3 minutes of the game came when Team Ascendas lost steam in their legs to defend. A simple cross from the flank into the center for a running man to tap into goal was done to perfection by DSO B. Team Ascendas’ last man could not do anything as he was clearly beaten with the center being opened up. Team Ascendas’ tracking defenders were caught out of pace and speed in the last 3 minutes of the game.

While Team Ascendas defended together for 17 minutes of the game, they failed to hold together in the last 3 minute due to a lack of fitness. As a result DSO B edged Team Ascendas in fitness and out played them in the last 3 minutes. Just like Paraguay out played Argentina last year. Fitness can make or break a game. The truth is fitness underwrites all victories in sports.

Bulletin

14^th April 2010

AMKOR UNITED 5 vs NANO BOYS 0

A new comer to Ascendas Street Soccer League took on veteran campaigner Amkor United and had a taste of the league’s expectation. Amkor started with Ravi as their lone attacking option upfront. Nano Boys failed to organize their defense and conceded 3 fast goals in the first 7mins. Nano Noys quickly learnt basic defending from Amkor United and applied the same basic defending strategy after that and were able to hold off Amkor United. Nano Boys showed fight back after the break by constructing some clever play on their own to threaten Amkor United’s last man. They had a few chances at goal until Amkor United decided to bring on Ravi again into play in the last 4mins of the game. Ravi scored the last 2 goals to seal victory for Amkor United.

28^th April 2010

KUNG FU PANDAS 4 vs NANO BOYS 2

Maybe the opening of Marina Bay Sands affected Kung Fu Pandas. They were in a gambling mood when they took on Nano Boys. Nano Boys from their earlier game had already proven to be a team that will not give up easily and will fight till the final whistle even if they are trailing by 3 goals or more. Nano Boys can attack and have learned to defend as a team from their first game. Geoffrey was substituted right after Kung Fu Pandas were 2 goals up. Then it looked like Rafa Benitez took over Kung Fu Pandas. Every minute there was a substitution and it killed their game momentum. The game ended with 2-0 at half time. After the break, Nano Boys scored first and started to move forward with some decent attack from the center. Kung Fu Pandas woke up and saw their own weakness and fielded their stable players to wrestle the game back from Nano Boys. Both teams scored 2 goals each in the second half resulting in the game ending in favor of Kung Fu Pandas.

AMKOR UNITED 5 vs TEAM ASCENDAS 1

Amkor United used their experience to see off this new team in the league. The score line may look like an easy game for Amkor United but strangely Team Ascendas will be the team to look out for this season. The team has the fitness to fight back, does loads of running and they have the individual skills to play football. The only weakness which Amkor exploited was the lack of communication and organization. Team Ascendas has one good player to look out for who played the full 20 mins of the game. They have Ryan who plays like Giggs.

SAIPEM MALVIVENTE 1 vs DSO B 0

Both teams played in the center of the court for a full 10 mins in the first half. There was enough substance in the midfield play to make Jose Mourinho proud if he had managed both teams. DSO B showed how to defend from midfield and Saipem showed how to nibble and grind the opponent’s midfield from the center. The game was heading for a draw and it was quite clear that the first team to make a mistake is going to concede the first goal. Eventually Saipem scored their only goal from a misunderstanding between two DSO defenders. The goal was poached literally from their legs into an empty net. There is more to come from both teams.

Ascendas Street Soccer League 2010