Team /S 2(Travers,Yuda) - 1 Team with EssienThe game began as planned despite the heavy rain 10-20mins prior to kick-off. Wet/muddy pitch, opponents in orange, uncles in their 30s-40s, it all seemed like it was gonna be a typical Sunday football game when we saw, to our horror, that Essien was playing for the opponents!
(ok, its a look-a-like, but a dam good look-a-like at that, even the build was the same)However, Essien began the game on the bench as /S took immediate control of the game. The first clear cut opportunity came when Yuda broke through the middle and squared the ball to Chengwei whose shot rebounded off the keeper to the feet of Kristanto whose shot was blocked yet again by the keeper.
A shot from Yuda was then deflected into the path of Kristanto but he uncharacteristically put the ball over from 6 yards out.
(Kristanto: 'the ball suddenly came then i too excited~)Chengwei then won /S a freekick when he recovered quickly from an opponent's slide tackle that left both players floored only for the opponent to hug onto his legs as to impede his run. Travers sent a ball deep into the opponent's penalty box from the freekick and a Yuda run left the opponent keeper in two minds as the ball landed in the back of the net. 1-0!
The wet conditions suited the opponent's dirty sliding-at-anything-that-moves style and the biggest victim was Junxiang who was treated to a mudbath on his final game for /S before returning to Canda. And that was the end of the first half.
Team with Essien finally unleashed Essien in the second half and he was causing /S' defence all kinds of trouble as Team with Essien started the half the stronger of the two sides. Dan had to be alert to tip over a shot destined for the top corner, but the defence was superb and repelled all their efforts.
/S then stepped up a gear and Yuda put /S 2 up when he latched on to a through ball and zao zao zao-ed all the way to score.
Bad habits then ensured as /S were unable to put away the many chances they created, with Chengwei, Kerk, and Foong all guilty of bad misses. To rub salt unto our wounds, a mix up in defence left Dan exposed as Team with Essien pulled one back to make the score 2-1.
With the opponents pushing men forward, /S made created another series of good chances but the finishing was just slightly off. The final whistle then came and its another good win for /S, lucky that our inability to kill off the game did not come back to haunt us.
2 draws, 5wins, 1 loss in 2nd half 2007, that's champions league form! ^^