ARFC in baffling 2-1 defeat

Playing in front of 77,777 fans including Anna (Elvis’ wife) and Tracie (Guoxiong’s beau), ARFC suffered a very undeserving 2-1 defeat to Mammoet despite camping at their half for almost the entire 2nd half!!

ARFC welcomed back Toh (illness), Tong (injury) and Elvis (reservist) but Tjioe continued to be out after his injury last week. ARFC started with this line-up:

Keeper: Dependable Jinzhong
Right-back: Hard-running Guoxiong
Sweeper: Elegant Edwin
Stopper: Towering Toh
Left-back: Unpredictable Blackburn
Right-mid: Hardworking Tong (captain)
Centre-mid: Combative Ron
Centre-mid: Dynamic Soon
Centre-mid: Influential Sebastian
Left-mid: Speedy Hee
Striker: Powerful Alvin

Sub:

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis

ARFC started with a lone forward Alvin in a bid to reverse the defeat against the same team just 3 weeks earlier. The moved reaped dividends in the 17th min after some persistent pressing by Tong and Soon resulted in the poor back pass by their defender. In a flash, Alvin intercepted the ball and duly used his outside-right foot to shoot home for his 102nd goal. 1-0

Elvis then replaced Hee who requested the sub and Blackburn moved up to left-mid with Elvis taking the left-back slot.

However, history repeated itself just like the same match against the same opponent. From 2 lapses, ARFC conceded 2 goals to trail 1-2 at half-time.

As Tong has to leave due to praying session, ARFC reverted to 4-4-2 in the 2nd half, with Blackburn joining Alvin in attack and Soon switching to right-mid.

Just mins into the 2nd half, ARFC almost equalized after Sebastian’s corner fell to Soon whose first shot was blocked by their defender on the line. From the rebound, Soon’s shot hit the post and rebounded to safety. Unlucky!!

ARFC was now firing on all cylinders and created so many chances. Particularly, Hee broke clear but was cruelly upended by their last defender. However, the referee merely awarded a free-kick and only booked the defender. From the free-kick, Sebastian’s curling shot just sailed slightly over.

Alvin was also upended at the similar position later. This time the referee did not even booked the offender. Edwin’s resultant free-kick was way too high.

ARFC came close to an equalizer after Alvin’s corner was headed out. Sebastian brought down the loose ball and lobbed everybody but the ball hit the cross-bar. Unlucky again!!

By now, the opponents clearly could not cope with ARFC’s play and resorted to ugly fouls which you see from the Argentina national team and league teams. The lenient referee clearly aided their fouls.

Guoxiong came to ARFC’s rescue when he headed the ball away from the goal-line after their corner almost headed to an empty net. Great defending ala Ashley Cole.

Edwin also ensured ARFC did not fall further behind after he came out tops in his duel against 2 forwards ala Alan Hansen. Fantastic!!

Tried as it could, ARFC simply could not get the equalizer as the opponents “parked a bus in front of their goal”. Real baffling defeat!!