Today's (27 May 07) goal-less draw was only the second goal-less draw in the entire ARFC's illustrious history. The first time it happened was on 28 Jan 2001, but at that time, the match was only about 17 mins into the second half when it was called off due to a "small scuffle".
Today's draw was also ARFC's 31st draw in its history.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
ARFC held to goal-less draw
In a match played under very humid weather at Stadia Braddell de Westlake, ARFC was held to a 0-0 draw by a very youthful and hard-running boys from the NUS.
ARFC was hit by the absence of several ARFC stalwarts, namely ARFC scoring legend Haron, Hard-man Tjioe, astute-reading sweeper Elvis, Kiat Gulam, reliable David Mak (father of Marco Mak) mean-machine Hock and unpredictable Blackburn. The first six’s absence was due to personal and work commitments while unpredictable Blackburn’s absence was purely due to influential Sebastiano’s oversight as he totally forgot to SMS him about the match. Hence, there were only 12 ARFC warriors turned up.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with Towering Toh partnering determined Huiming at the heart of the defence to be flanked by entrepreneur Guoxiong and left-foot wizard Bernard. Influential Sebastiano, hard-working Tong, sublime Khim (who returned after his hand injury) and quick-silver Derrick formed the midfield quartet. Speedy Hee and WO Neo led the line, with powerful Alvin surprisingly dropped to the bench.
As expected, the youthful opponents soon utilized their speed to try to wear down the aging ARFC warriors. However, the defence, ably led by Towering Toh, held them at bay. Our strikers and flanks also had a hard-time breaking them down as they were totally out-run and “out-stamina” by their players.
There were nevertheless several good chances by ARFC, mainly through free-kicks and corners where several good balls were sent in but were not capitalized by ARFC warriors.
The second half started just like the first half. By the 67th min, the ARFC warriors were clearly tiring but used their experience to keep the opponents at arms’ length.
In the 77th min, hard-working Tong almost put ARFC ahead but his shot from inside the box was curled wide. Unlucky!!
Though the match ended goal-less, the ever-faithful fans applauded the worn-out warriors as they acknowledged that the opponents were clearly superior in fitness, speed and stamina. Even our sublime Khim, Speedy Hee, quick-silver Derrick, powerful Alvin, WO Neo and entrepreneur Guoxiong had no answer to break them down. It should also be noted that the opponents did not trouble dependable Jinzhong at all, a sound testament to how well our defence played in this match.
Speaking to John Dykes after the match, Man-of-the-Match Towering Toh thanked his fellow defenders for their good play “It’s never easy to play against fast and not-tiring opponents, but I must give full credit to my fellow 3 defenders for coping with this mammoth task, especially in the absence of astute-reading Elvis. I am very tired and really need a good massage now…..”
ARFC was hit by the absence of several ARFC stalwarts, namely ARFC scoring legend Haron, Hard-man Tjioe, astute-reading sweeper Elvis, Kiat Gulam, reliable David Mak (father of Marco Mak) mean-machine Hock and unpredictable Blackburn. The first six’s absence was due to personal and work commitments while unpredictable Blackburn’s absence was purely due to influential Sebastiano’s oversight as he totally forgot to SMS him about the match. Hence, there were only 12 ARFC warriors turned up.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with Towering Toh partnering determined Huiming at the heart of the defence to be flanked by entrepreneur Guoxiong and left-foot wizard Bernard. Influential Sebastiano, hard-working Tong, sublime Khim (who returned after his hand injury) and quick-silver Derrick formed the midfield quartet. Speedy Hee and WO Neo led the line, with powerful Alvin surprisingly dropped to the bench.
As expected, the youthful opponents soon utilized their speed to try to wear down the aging ARFC warriors. However, the defence, ably led by Towering Toh, held them at bay. Our strikers and flanks also had a hard-time breaking them down as they were totally out-run and “out-stamina” by their players.
There were nevertheless several good chances by ARFC, mainly through free-kicks and corners where several good balls were sent in but were not capitalized by ARFC warriors.
The second half started just like the first half. By the 67th min, the ARFC warriors were clearly tiring but used their experience to keep the opponents at arms’ length.
In the 77th min, hard-working Tong almost put ARFC ahead but his shot from inside the box was curled wide. Unlucky!!
Though the match ended goal-less, the ever-faithful fans applauded the worn-out warriors as they acknowledged that the opponents were clearly superior in fitness, speed and stamina. Even our sublime Khim, Speedy Hee, quick-silver Derrick, powerful Alvin, WO Neo and entrepreneur Guoxiong had no answer to break them down. It should also be noted that the opponents did not trouble dependable Jinzhong at all, a sound testament to how well our defence played in this match.
Speaking to John Dykes after the match, Man-of-the-Match Towering Toh thanked his fellow defenders for their good play “It’s never easy to play against fast and not-tiring opponents, but I must give full credit to my fellow 3 defenders for coping with this mammoth task, especially in the absence of astute-reading Elvis. I am very tired and really need a good massage now…..”
Sunday, May 13, 2007
ARFC came from behind to record its 121th victory
In a match played under cooling weather on a half-soccer/half-water-polo pitch at ITE Balestier, ARFC came from a goal down to defeat a not-so-weak Winning-11 FC. Despite the heavy downpour hours before the game, the usual faithful 77,777 fans turned up to cheer their heroes, including influential Sebastiano’s wife-to-be Caren and Kiat Gulam’s lovely wife, Josephine and daughter.
Missing several important first-team players including determined Huiming, ARFC scoring legend Haron, sublime Khim and Dependable Jinzhong, ARFC started with Kiat Gulam in goal, astute-reading sweeper Elvis, Towering Toh, hardworking Tong and left-foot wizard Bernard as defence; In the midfield, quick-silver Derrick and entrepreneur Guoxiong took up the flanks with influential Sebastiano and hard-man Tjioe at the middle; At the front, Speedy Hee was partnered by unpredictable Blackburn. Powerful Alvin, who was feeling unwell, was the sole substitute.
ARFC took a long time to settle down as it was clear that it could not adapt to the water-logged pitch. What made it worse was unpredictable Blackburn’s unwillingness to close down opponents and chased after balls played to him, leaving Speedy Hee as the only forward chasing after opponents. ARFC’s skilful midfielders also had a hard time as they could not play its usual passing game and could only resort to long balls.
Hence, it was no surprise that the opponents took the lead in the 17th min. Slow to react to their quickly-taken free-kick, Towering Toh was only 0.77 seconds slower to close down and their striker slotted in their opening goal. 0-1!!
However, ARFC did not give up and created several chances but were not taken by our forwards and midfielders.
In the second-half, unpredictable Blackburn replaced Kiat Gulam at goalkeeper and Kiat Gulam took over the left-back role, moving left-foot wizard Bernard up to left flank and quick-silver Derrick partnered powerful Alvin upfront.
This tactical move soon reaped dividends. Just 7 mins into the half, entrepreneur Guoxiong won a loose ball at the middle and relayed the ball to hard-man Tjioe. Looking up, hard-man Tjioe pushed the ball to the lurking powerful Alvin on the left middle side of the pitch. Powerful Alvin, living up to his nick-name, embarked on a powerful accelerating run that took him past 3 defenders before equalizing for ARFC for his 27th ARFC goal. 1-1 and the crowd went wild, chanting his name repeatedly.
17 mins later, ARFC took the lead. Kiat Gulam intercepted a ball on his side and cleared the ball down the channel. The ball, however, unexpectedly found its way to powerful Alvin’s feet. In an almost similar fashion to the first goal, he embarked on yet another powerful run and eluded 3 defenders before coolly placing the ball past their stranded keeper. 2-1 and the crowd went ballistic this time. This was powerful Alvin’s 28th ARFC goal. This was also ARFC’s 707th goal in its illustrious history.
By then, ARFC warriors were tiring and barely hang on to its lead. However, the opponents could not find a way past our experienced defenders and in fact, ARFC missed several glitz-edged chances. 2-1 was the final score.
Speaking to the reporters after the match, Man-of-the-Match entrepreneur Guoxiong enthused: “The stupid water-logged pitch clearly affected us more than them. If it is on a dry pitch, surely we would have walked away with a more emphatic victory. Anyway, please feel free to contact me if you are looking for handphone and /or accessories…….”
On a separate note, astute-reading sweeper Elvis is actively seeking a sponsor to buy him a fresh pair of boots……
Missing several important first-team players including determined Huiming, ARFC scoring legend Haron, sublime Khim and Dependable Jinzhong, ARFC started with Kiat Gulam in goal, astute-reading sweeper Elvis, Towering Toh, hardworking Tong and left-foot wizard Bernard as defence; In the midfield, quick-silver Derrick and entrepreneur Guoxiong took up the flanks with influential Sebastiano and hard-man Tjioe at the middle; At the front, Speedy Hee was partnered by unpredictable Blackburn. Powerful Alvin, who was feeling unwell, was the sole substitute.
ARFC took a long time to settle down as it was clear that it could not adapt to the water-logged pitch. What made it worse was unpredictable Blackburn’s unwillingness to close down opponents and chased after balls played to him, leaving Speedy Hee as the only forward chasing after opponents. ARFC’s skilful midfielders also had a hard time as they could not play its usual passing game and could only resort to long balls.
Hence, it was no surprise that the opponents took the lead in the 17th min. Slow to react to their quickly-taken free-kick, Towering Toh was only 0.77 seconds slower to close down and their striker slotted in their opening goal. 0-1!!
However, ARFC did not give up and created several chances but were not taken by our forwards and midfielders.
In the second-half, unpredictable Blackburn replaced Kiat Gulam at goalkeeper and Kiat Gulam took over the left-back role, moving left-foot wizard Bernard up to left flank and quick-silver Derrick partnered powerful Alvin upfront.
This tactical move soon reaped dividends. Just 7 mins into the half, entrepreneur Guoxiong won a loose ball at the middle and relayed the ball to hard-man Tjioe. Looking up, hard-man Tjioe pushed the ball to the lurking powerful Alvin on the left middle side of the pitch. Powerful Alvin, living up to his nick-name, embarked on a powerful accelerating run that took him past 3 defenders before equalizing for ARFC for his 27th ARFC goal. 1-1 and the crowd went wild, chanting his name repeatedly.
17 mins later, ARFC took the lead. Kiat Gulam intercepted a ball on his side and cleared the ball down the channel. The ball, however, unexpectedly found its way to powerful Alvin’s feet. In an almost similar fashion to the first goal, he embarked on yet another powerful run and eluded 3 defenders before coolly placing the ball past their stranded keeper. 2-1 and the crowd went ballistic this time. This was powerful Alvin’s 28th ARFC goal. This was also ARFC’s 707th goal in its illustrious history.
By then, ARFC warriors were tiring and barely hang on to its lead. However, the opponents could not find a way past our experienced defenders and in fact, ARFC missed several glitz-edged chances. 2-1 was the final score.
Speaking to the reporters after the match, Man-of-the-Match entrepreneur Guoxiong enthused: “The stupid water-logged pitch clearly affected us more than them. If it is on a dry pitch, surely we would have walked away with a more emphatic victory. Anyway, please feel free to contact me if you are looking for handphone and /or accessories…….”
On a separate note, astute-reading sweeper Elvis is actively seeking a sponsor to buy him a fresh pair of boots……
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Men best friends....!!!!
For all the boozers & beer kakis in ARFC....We shall worship all these green friends of us....(Not Heinekens k?)
Match pictures taken on 06 May 2007
Top to bottom:Pic 1 - Shinji Tong & Guoxiong celebrating in estacy after Guigui scoring ARFC 1st goal!!
Pic 2 - Opponents attacking via our left flank.
Pic 3 - Delighted Guigui posing for the camera after putting ARFC the lead.
Pic 4 - Opponents getting ready to restart the game after ARFC scoring the 2nd goal against them.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Mid-week football at "The Cage"
Dear ARFC warriors:
Our entrepreneur Guoxiong has booked the pitch at "The Cage" this wednesday (09 May 07) from 2200 hrs to 2359 hrs (sorry to sound like book-in camp time).
Pl SMS to him direct at 9108 8598 so that he can co-ordinate the attendance.
Barring any last-min work commitment, I should be there.
Thanks a lot.
Our entrepreneur Guoxiong has booked the pitch at "The Cage" this wednesday (09 May 07) from 2200 hrs to 2359 hrs (sorry to sound like book-in camp time).
Pl SMS to him direct at 9108 8598 so that he can co-ordinate the attendance.
Barring any last-min work commitment, I should be there.
Thanks a lot.
ARFC bounced back from last week's debacle with victory
In a match played under searing heat on a almost-perfect pitch ITE Balestier, ARFC bounced back from last week’s demoralizing defeat with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over a team that kept the ball quite well. Naturally, the crowd was the usual 77,777 fanatical and flag-bearing fans.
ARFC’s potential sponsor was supposed to turn up but due to last-minute work commitment, she was unable to make it. ARFC also received a crushing blow when sublime Khim was ruled out with a swollen hand. His absence, however, was somewhat cushioned by the returning quick-silver Derrick, who returned to Singapore last night after a 5-month attachment at FC Mindanao of the Philippines sponsored by ARFC.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with astute-reading Elvis, Towering Toh, determined Huiming and hardworking Tong as the defence. In the midfield, left-foot wizard Bernard and WO Neo took up left and right flank respectively, with hard-man Tjioe and influential Sebastiano at the centre. As usual, ARFC’s frontline was the fearsome ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee. On the subs bench of ARFC, the names would send shivers down every team’s spines – quick-silver Derrick, powerful Alvin, unpredictable Blackburn, entrepreneur Guoxiong and Kiat Gulam.
The experienced opponent started the game with its well-worked passes and possession. ARFC nevertheless kept its shape and refused to be cowed by them. With the forwards and midfielders harassing them no end, the opponents soon started making mistakes. ARFC also spurned a couple of chances before taking the lead in the 17th min.
Picking up the ball down the left flank, ARFC scoring legend looked up and chipped in a well-measured ball into the 6-yard area. WO Neo ran from deep and bravely headed the ball into the empty net before being KO by their slow keeper. The 77,777 fans all rose with grave concern on their faces as WO Neo layed down for a good 77 seconds. The fans looked relief when WO Neo eventually stood up and celebrated his goal which was his 46 ARFC goals. His lovely daughter can be seen jumping up and down at the sidelines, celebrating his dad’s courageous goal.
The opponent drew level 7 minutes later. Despite their best efforts at trying to keep out their tall and strong forward, our defence failed which led to him laying the ball to their unmarked forward. His shot was partially parried by dependable Jinzhong but the ball just triggled over the line by a mere 0.77 cm. Unlucky!!! 1-1 now.
ARFC restored its lead 7 minutes later. Quick-silver Derrick, who had replaced hard-working Tong earlier, received the ball on the left-side of the pitch. He skipped past 2 defenders and was cruelly brought down by them, earning ARFC a direct free-kick. Influential Sebastiano took his time, ran up and curled in the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net that gave their keeper no chance at all!!! 2-1 and this was his 47th ARFC goal. Upon the goal, lots of hot and young bikini-clad babes were heard screaming his name and started throwing their tongs and mobile numbers onto the pitch sideline.
Just seconds before the half-time, unpredictable Blackburn, who replaced astute-reading Elvis as sweeper, cleared the ball to the unmarked quick-silver Derrick on the left-side of our half. Picking up the ball, quick-silver Derrick embarked on a mazing run that took him past 2 defenders, ala Roberto Baggio’s goal in Italia 90. His shot proved too powerful and their keeper could only parry into the net. 3-1 and this was his 8th ARFC goal!
About 7 minutes into the second half, determined Huiming made a crucial block after another mistake by unpredictable Blackburn. Refused to give up, determined Huiming followed their forward like a leech and made a crucial block which could have allowed the opponent to launch a comeback.
ARFC was determined to put last week’s debacle behind them. All ARFC warriors played their hearts out and they were well-applauded and appreciated by the fans.
Dependable Jinzhong made some routine but important saves, astute-reading Elvis was in his usual self with some intelligent interceptions. Towering Toh, as usual, was dominant in the air and gave their equally-good forward no room at all. Left-foot wizard Bernard was effective at left-back/left-mid but was guilty of 2 foul-throws which is unacceptable to the esteemed ARFC and its fans. Unpredictable Blackburn had one of his good game with timely clearance. Enterpreneur Guoxiong made a mickey of their veteran left-back with so many forays down the right flank and good deliveries. Hard-working Tong and hard-man Tjioe made influential Sebastiano’s job so easy with their constant harassing and strength. Kiat Gulam, despite his aging legs, still contributed with several important interceptions and several direct long balls to the forwards. WO Neo has one of his best games with his play and of course the courageous goal. Quick-silver Derrick’s presence added another useful dimension to ARFC’s play and greatly compensated for sublime Khim’s absence. Speedy Hee, powerful Alvin and ARFC scoring legend Haron were very effective today with their constant closing down of their defenders, and their intelligent link-up play, speed and power. In fact, when choosing which forwards to put in every match, I always have a splitting headache on deciding which two will lead the forward line.
This leaves us with determined Huiming, who in my opinion is clearly the Man-of-the-Match. Often in a unglam position, he always stayed in the defence to pick up the messes created by ARFC’s midfielders and fellow-defenders. He also would never give up on their midfielders/forwards who are threatening ARFC’s goal. His importance to the team was clearly felt in last week’s crushing defeat by Raven, where he was loaned to them.
ARFC’s potential sponsor was supposed to turn up but due to last-minute work commitment, she was unable to make it. ARFC also received a crushing blow when sublime Khim was ruled out with a swollen hand. His absence, however, was somewhat cushioned by the returning quick-silver Derrick, who returned to Singapore last night after a 5-month attachment at FC Mindanao of the Philippines sponsored by ARFC.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with astute-reading Elvis, Towering Toh, determined Huiming and hardworking Tong as the defence. In the midfield, left-foot wizard Bernard and WO Neo took up left and right flank respectively, with hard-man Tjioe and influential Sebastiano at the centre. As usual, ARFC’s frontline was the fearsome ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee. On the subs bench of ARFC, the names would send shivers down every team’s spines – quick-silver Derrick, powerful Alvin, unpredictable Blackburn, entrepreneur Guoxiong and Kiat Gulam.
The experienced opponent started the game with its well-worked passes and possession. ARFC nevertheless kept its shape and refused to be cowed by them. With the forwards and midfielders harassing them no end, the opponents soon started making mistakes. ARFC also spurned a couple of chances before taking the lead in the 17th min.
Picking up the ball down the left flank, ARFC scoring legend looked up and chipped in a well-measured ball into the 6-yard area. WO Neo ran from deep and bravely headed the ball into the empty net before being KO by their slow keeper. The 77,777 fans all rose with grave concern on their faces as WO Neo layed down for a good 77 seconds. The fans looked relief when WO Neo eventually stood up and celebrated his goal which was his 46 ARFC goals. His lovely daughter can be seen jumping up and down at the sidelines, celebrating his dad’s courageous goal.
The opponent drew level 7 minutes later. Despite their best efforts at trying to keep out their tall and strong forward, our defence failed which led to him laying the ball to their unmarked forward. His shot was partially parried by dependable Jinzhong but the ball just triggled over the line by a mere 0.77 cm. Unlucky!!! 1-1 now.
ARFC restored its lead 7 minutes later. Quick-silver Derrick, who had replaced hard-working Tong earlier, received the ball on the left-side of the pitch. He skipped past 2 defenders and was cruelly brought down by them, earning ARFC a direct free-kick. Influential Sebastiano took his time, ran up and curled in the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net that gave their keeper no chance at all!!! 2-1 and this was his 47th ARFC goal. Upon the goal, lots of hot and young bikini-clad babes were heard screaming his name and started throwing their tongs and mobile numbers onto the pitch sideline.
Just seconds before the half-time, unpredictable Blackburn, who replaced astute-reading Elvis as sweeper, cleared the ball to the unmarked quick-silver Derrick on the left-side of our half. Picking up the ball, quick-silver Derrick embarked on a mazing run that took him past 2 defenders, ala Roberto Baggio’s goal in Italia 90. His shot proved too powerful and their keeper could only parry into the net. 3-1 and this was his 8th ARFC goal!
About 7 minutes into the second half, determined Huiming made a crucial block after another mistake by unpredictable Blackburn. Refused to give up, determined Huiming followed their forward like a leech and made a crucial block which could have allowed the opponent to launch a comeback.
ARFC was determined to put last week’s debacle behind them. All ARFC warriors played their hearts out and they were well-applauded and appreciated by the fans.
Dependable Jinzhong made some routine but important saves, astute-reading Elvis was in his usual self with some intelligent interceptions. Towering Toh, as usual, was dominant in the air and gave their equally-good forward no room at all. Left-foot wizard Bernard was effective at left-back/left-mid but was guilty of 2 foul-throws which is unacceptable to the esteemed ARFC and its fans. Unpredictable Blackburn had one of his good game with timely clearance. Enterpreneur Guoxiong made a mickey of their veteran left-back with so many forays down the right flank and good deliveries. Hard-working Tong and hard-man Tjioe made influential Sebastiano’s job so easy with their constant harassing and strength. Kiat Gulam, despite his aging legs, still contributed with several important interceptions and several direct long balls to the forwards. WO Neo has one of his best games with his play and of course the courageous goal. Quick-silver Derrick’s presence added another useful dimension to ARFC’s play and greatly compensated for sublime Khim’s absence. Speedy Hee, powerful Alvin and ARFC scoring legend Haron were very effective today with their constant closing down of their defenders, and their intelligent link-up play, speed and power. In fact, when choosing which forwards to put in every match, I always have a splitting headache on deciding which two will lead the forward line.
This leaves us with determined Huiming, who in my opinion is clearly the Man-of-the-Match. Often in a unglam position, he always stayed in the defence to pick up the messes created by ARFC’s midfielders and fellow-defenders. He also would never give up on their midfielders/forwards who are threatening ARFC’s goal. His importance to the team was clearly felt in last week’s crushing defeat by Raven, where he was loaned to them.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
2nd heaviest defeat of ARFC's history
In a match played under extremely hot weather at Admiralty Secondary School, ARFC suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat to Raven.
As Raven turned up with only 9 players, and at the request of Raven’s captain, ARFC lent its 2 most senior players, unpredictable Blackburn and determined Huiming to them. The loan of determined Huiming was to prove ARFC’s own downfall later.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with astute-reading Elvis, Towering Toh, Kiat Gulam and left-foot wizard Bernard as the defence. In the midfield, sublime Khim and entrepreneur Guoxiong were at the flanks, with Sebastiano partnering hardworking Tong in the middle. Up front, ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee led the line. Hard-man Tjioe, powerful Alvin and WO Neo were the subs.
ARFC started the match brightly with ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee troubling their defence often with their speed and guile. However, ARFC fell behind after its defence stood like wood which allowed their highly-impressive left-winger to slot in their first goal. 0-1 but ARFC continued to stay calm.
In the 17th min, ARFC drew level through influential Sebastiano. A clever exchange between sublime Khim and ARFC scoring legend Haron resulted in the latter laying the ball to influential Sebastiano just outside the penalty box. Taking a touch, influential Sebastiano unleashed a shot that took a slight deflection past their keeper. 1-1 and it was his 46th ARFC goal, thereby lifting him to ARFC’s 4th highest goal-scorer. Immediately after his goal, he asked to be substituted as he was clearly unwell after suffering from whole-night “lao-sai” on Saturday.
In the 27th min, Raven went ahead but a dubious penalty call against left-foot wizard Bernard. Though Dependable Jinzhong got a hand to the ball taken by their penalty-taker, the ball somehow trickled over the line. Agonising!!
Just 7 seconds before half-time, disaster struck when Raven launched a counter-attack and their left-winger sprinted clear of ARFC’s defence to slot the ball past our keeper.
In the second-half, ARFC tried its best at a comeback and was roared on by the ever-faithful 77,777 fans. However, the referee, who was having an extremely poor game, made some disgusting calls against ARFC which infuriated some ARFC warriors.
ARFC then conceded 2 more goals and lost 5-1, its second-heaviest defeat of all time.
Due to the questionable refereeing decisions, Kiat Gulam, one of the ARFC Board of Directors, refused to attend the post-match mortem.
As Raven turned up with only 9 players, and at the request of Raven’s captain, ARFC lent its 2 most senior players, unpredictable Blackburn and determined Huiming to them. The loan of determined Huiming was to prove ARFC’s own downfall later.
Dependable Jinzhong started in goal, with astute-reading Elvis, Towering Toh, Kiat Gulam and left-foot wizard Bernard as the defence. In the midfield, sublime Khim and entrepreneur Guoxiong were at the flanks, with Sebastiano partnering hardworking Tong in the middle. Up front, ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee led the line. Hard-man Tjioe, powerful Alvin and WO Neo were the subs.
ARFC started the match brightly with ARFC scoring legend Haron and Speedy Hee troubling their defence often with their speed and guile. However, ARFC fell behind after its defence stood like wood which allowed their highly-impressive left-winger to slot in their first goal. 0-1 but ARFC continued to stay calm.
In the 17th min, ARFC drew level through influential Sebastiano. A clever exchange between sublime Khim and ARFC scoring legend Haron resulted in the latter laying the ball to influential Sebastiano just outside the penalty box. Taking a touch, influential Sebastiano unleashed a shot that took a slight deflection past their keeper. 1-1 and it was his 46th ARFC goal, thereby lifting him to ARFC’s 4th highest goal-scorer. Immediately after his goal, he asked to be substituted as he was clearly unwell after suffering from whole-night “lao-sai” on Saturday.
In the 27th min, Raven went ahead but a dubious penalty call against left-foot wizard Bernard. Though Dependable Jinzhong got a hand to the ball taken by their penalty-taker, the ball somehow trickled over the line. Agonising!!
Just 7 seconds before half-time, disaster struck when Raven launched a counter-attack and their left-winger sprinted clear of ARFC’s defence to slot the ball past our keeper.
In the second-half, ARFC tried its best at a comeback and was roared on by the ever-faithful 77,777 fans. However, the referee, who was having an extremely poor game, made some disgusting calls against ARFC which infuriated some ARFC warriors.
ARFC then conceded 2 more goals and lost 5-1, its second-heaviest defeat of all time.
Due to the questionable refereeing decisions, Kiat Gulam, one of the ARFC Board of Directors, refused to attend the post-match mortem.
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