No way past Ron in 2-0 win

Playing a 9 am match for the first time since god-knows-when, ARFC came up against a hard-tackling but fair AKFC to emerge 2-0 victors.

Surprisingly, the turn-out was superb as 18 warriors appeared. It could have been more but Tze Ern’s son fell sick and pulled out at the 11^th hour; while Elvis was still laid sprawling outside Mask69 at Joo Chiat Road with an unknown female Vietnamese.

Keeper - Commanding Ismail

Right-back - Dependable Jinzhong

Sweeper - Combative Ron

Stopper - Towering Toh

Left-back - Unbeatable Darren

Left-mid - Speedy Hee

Centre-mid - Hard-man Tjioe

Centre-mid - Dynamic Soon

Right-mid - Marauding Guoxiong

Striker - Powerful Alvin

Striker - Nippy Kenny  

Subs:

ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (captain)

Talisman Derrick

Impeccable How Meng

Influential Sebastian

Skilful Weilit

Unpredictable Blackburn 

Chun Haw (guest player)

Absent:

Astute-reading sweeper Elvis 

Wonder Wayne

Sublime Khim

Steely Tze Ern

The match was even-stevens in the opening exchanges though ARFC began to dominate.

First, Tjioe and Jinzhong both glanced their headers slightly wide from Alvin’s corners.  Then, Alvin put his shot well wide after picking up from a defensive error and with their keeper fully exposed.

In the 20^th min, Haron, who sacrificed himself for a place at the bench, replaced Soon with Sebastian, while Weilit came on for Hee.

With his first touch of the match, Sebastian scored. Kenny was fouled about 37 metres away and Sebastian pleaded for Kenny to allow him to take the free-kick. Sebastian drove a fierce free-kick right through the wall which saw the ball took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot their keeper. 1-0 and this was Sebastian’s 96^th ARFC goal.

Chun Haw then came on for Tjioe and immediately played with fire in his belly by covering so much space and challenging for balls.

Jinzhong then glanced wide from Sebastian’s free-kick.

How Meng, Blackburn and Derrick also came on.

Chun Haw then displayed the ‘Fernando Redondo’ moment at the left touch-line. Trapped at near the corner flag, Chun Haw’s back-heel fooled their 2 players. Weilit picked up the ball and played to Kenny who then laid on for the on-rushing Sebastian ala Paul Scholes. However, Sebastian’s side-footed shot was blocked by their defender for a corner.

[For those with short memory – Fernando Redondo fooled about 3 Man United players in a superb piece of back-heel skill in Real Madrid’s champions league match in season 2001, I think. Go google!]

From the corner, ARFC nearly scored as the ball was like in a pin-ball machine. However, Kenny, Jinzhong and Toh just could not get a clean shot in. Unlucky!

7 mins into the 2^nd half, ARFC doubled its lead. From a quick counter-attack, the ball was parried by their keeper. Both Alvin and Chun Haw came charging in like raging bulls and luckily, Alvin heard Chun Haw’s call and let him in. Chun Haw then thrashed in a low left foot shot for his 30^th ARFC goal. 2-0

By now, ARFC was in total control and created chances after chances.

Ismail then produced a great save when he tipped the ball over the bar.

Alvin then had everybody in total disbelief. After stealing the ball away from their keeper, Alvin had at least 7 seconds with the gaping goal. Inexplicably, Alvin managed to somehow carass the ball against the post!

Guoxiong chipped in a deliciously-looking high through ball and Alvin nicked the ball away from their keeper. His square ball was converted by Kenny who came running in from a deep but the referee incorrectly ruled out for offside!

Thereafter, Soon, Kenny, Guoxiong all had their venomous shots blocked!

All in all, I think ARFC created close to 20 chances.

Credit to the defence once again as all defenders, well marshaled by Ron who had a monster of a match, had a great match. 

Voting results:

Ron – 14

How Meng – 11

Darren – 8

Toh – 4

Kenny – 4

Guoxiong – 3

Tjioe – 2

Soon – 2

Blackburn – 1