Guoxiong scored ARFC's 2nd-ever fastest goal in 3-1 win

Watched by his son Gerrard for the very first time, Alvin was the key architect in Guoxiong scoring the 2^nd fastest ARFC goal in a hard-fought 3-0 victory a very good Musang Kings team.

ARFC had to call up Kerwin (GK) and Javier to bolster the numbers.  Thankfully, both Kenny and Sebastian also turned up at the 11^th hour.

As Kerwin was late, Darren gamely volunteered to start as GK first.

ARFC was supported By Gerrard (Alvin’s son), Dylan and Tiara (Elvis’ kids) and Clara (Guoxiong’s princess)

ARFC started with this 4-4-2 line-up:

Jersey No.:	Name	Position
6	Unbeatable Darren	Goalkeeper
20	Composed Eng Lai	Right-back
3	Astute-reading sweeper Elvis	Sweeper
15	Towering Toh	Stopper
14	Combative Ron	Left-back
16	Marauding Guoxiong	Right Mid
4	Dynamic Soon	Centre Mid
7	Influential Sebastian (Captain)	Centre Mid
17	Nippy Kenny	Left Mid
66	Wonder Wayne	Striker
99	Powerful Alvin	Striker
Substitutes:
11	Speedy Hee
19	Skillful Weilit
31	Vintage Chua
xx	Javier
Missing In Action:
2	Unpredictable Blackburn
5	Impeccable How Meng
8	Talented Chun Haw
9	ARFC Scoring Legend Haron
10	Sublime Khim
12	Remarkable Rashid
18	Determined Huiming
21	Rampaging Raymond
28	Hard-man Tjioe
33	Talisman Derrick
45	Commanding Ismail
77	Dependable Jinzhong
78	Steely Tze Ern

Straight from the kick-off, Alvin, Wayne and Guoxiong closed the opponents down speedily and forcefully, stunning the opponents in the process.  The end result? Alvin robbed their defender and cut the ball back across goal for Guoxiong to slide in and score. The excite tim? 23 seconds on the clock.

1-0 and this was Guoxiong's 33rd ARFC goal and first goal for ARFC in the year 2019.

The 23-second goal, however, was not the fastest-ever ARFC goal.

The fastest-ever ARFC goal was scored by Alvin almost 11 years ago on 11 Sep 2008 when he netted at the 17-second mark in a 7-0 demolition of Yellow Submarine.

The opponents had not recovered from their shock and nearly conceded a similar goal. This time round, the pressure came from the left from Kenny, Wayne and Alvin. With Wayne through on goal and their goal gaping, Wayne tried to backheel the ball into the empty net but failed to generate enough power and the bal was cleared off the line.

Sebastian then combined superbly with Guoxiong whose cross saw Alvin timing his jump too prematurely and the chance was lost.

The same Sebastian-Guoxiong combi almost reaped dividends 2 mins later.  From a free-kick, Sebastian passed to Guoxiong on the right and latter returned the ball to Sebastian. With a pin-point curling cross that eluded their defenders, Wayne connected beautifully but saw his flicked header flew just 0.66 mm away from the far post.

Replacing Darren, Kerwin then made a stunning quick reaction save to claw the ball away to safety.

Hee then came on for the tiring Alvin who had gave his all in the opening 20 mins.

Hee then shot wide from just outside the box.

Hee then redeemed himself with a brilliant piece of work. Receiving the ball from Guoxiong, Hee dribbled inwards and faked a left foot shot that fooled their defender. Hee cut the ball back to his right foot and duly planted a stinger past their GK for his 109^th ARFC goal. 2-0 which remained the score at half-time.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC and the opponents were even-stevens in the match with the opponents showing some nice passing and touches.  However, ARFC’s famed stingy defence, led by Elvis, held firm.

7 mins after the re-start saw the goal of the match.

From defending an attack, ARFC quickly counter-attack by switching the ball to Kenny on the right.  Spotting Alvin’s call for the ball at the left, Kenny hit a long ball that saw Alvin bursting clear. Alvin saw Javier making a darting run from deep and placed a world-class low ball diagonally into the box.  Javier then came sliding in and thump the ball home that left their GK rooted to the spot. What a Firminho-Salah-Mane classic move! 3-0 and this was Javier’s 4^th ARFC goal.

Chua then belied his age when despite a 20-metres disadvantage, he chased down the much younger left winger and cleared the ball away!  Simply brilliant!

Kenny then continued his bad luck in front of goal while playing for ARFC.

Again, the ball was switched by Kenny from right to Weilit on the left. Weilit changed passes with Alvin who laid on a similar ball to Javier earlier.  Kenny dashed into the box and with every opponents rooted to the spot and all the ARFC substitutes already shouting “GOAL”, Kenny inexplicably kicked thin air and failed to connect with the ball.

Another sweeping move nearly saw ARFC scoring. The ball was passed from left to centre and then to right which saw the ball rolled nicely to Eng Lai who was lurking inside the box on the right side.  Killing the ball with a great first touch, Eng Lai hit a sumptuous-looking and fiercely-struck ball that saw their GK palming the ball away. Unlucky for Eng Lai but what a move from ARFC!

With virtually the last kicks of the match, Wayne conjured 2 fantastic corner kick in quick succession.  First, his corner from the right sailed over every opponents and looked destined to curl into the far corner. Alas, their competent GK put a strong hand up and turned the ball over the bar to concede a corner.

Wayne took the corner again and this time round, he hit to the far post and who else but Toh came towering in.  However, Toh missed the ball by a mere 0.15mm!  The referee then blew for final whistle.

This was a match where ARFC played really well against a strong opponent.  ARFC’s play and passing was simply simple yet effective, and the teamwork was really a sight to behold.

Voting results:

Toh – 9

Elvis – 7

Chua – 6

Alvin – 4

Guoxiong – 4

Kenny – 3

Ron – 2

Wayne – 1

Soon – 1

Darren – 1

Weilit – 1

Sebastian scored his 111th ARFC goal in 4-1 win

Playing its 20^th Veterans match on 29 Apr 2019 at 7 pm at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) pitch under very cool conditions, ARFC Veterans totally dominated the match but could only emerged with a 4-1 victory over DC FC.

ARFC Veterans was watched by Elvis’ prince (Dylan) and princess (Tiara). 

Due to poor response, Rashid was activated to bolster the numbers. Special thanks to Ismail too for coming to be GK after Derrick’s anus problem (not caused by being poked from behind).

ARFC Veterans started with this 4-4-2 line-up:

GK – Ismail

RB – Eng Lai

Sweeper – Elvis

Stopper – Toh

LB – Chua

RM – Tze Ern

CM – Sebastian

CM – Son

LM - Darren

SC – Haron

SC – Hee

Subs:

Alvin

Rashid (late)

With its fast and furious start where the strikers and midfielders harassed the opponents ala Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool, ARFC Veterans took the lead with virtually its first attack of the match in the 3^rd min.

Hee made an intelligent run by peeling away and running down the left flank which Darren quickly spotted and sent a long ball to the left.  Displaying his world-renowned speed which is only slightly slower than Usain Bolt, Hee sprinted clear of their right back before crossing the ball into the box.  Haron dashed in and though the ball was slightly away from him, Haron still managed to twist his body, swivelled and slotted home his 267^th ARFC goal. 1-0

ARFC Veterans doubled its lead 5 mins later.  Tze Ern delivered yet another superb corner kick which saw Toh jumped and headed the ball downwards. The ball was blocked but rolled to the right side of the goal at the byeline.  In an improvised move, Soon then executed a back-heel right at the right byeline which deceived the opponents and GK, and the ball rolled into the net.  2-0 and this was Soon’s 83^rd ARFC goal.

ARFC Veterans put the result to bed with its 3^rd goal in the 17^th min.  Darren’s cross into the box was blocked by their stopper’s out-stretched hand, giving the referee no choice but to award a penalty.  Sebastian stepped up and hit the penalty to the usual spot – bottom left corner (GK’s right), that left their GK rooted to the spot.  3-0 and this was Sebastian’s 111^th ARFC goal.

Soon then had a goal incorrectly ruled out.  A series of passes between Tze Ern and Darren saw the latter chipping in a long ball into the penalty box.   Their defender tried to head clear but only succeeded into heading the ball backwards towards their own goal. With their GK stranded, the ball was slowly heading towards goal when Soon ran in from deep and touched the ball in.  However, the referee ruled, incorrectly, that Soon was off-side!  Unlucky Soon.

Sebastian then hit an outrageous volley from 37.77 metres but the ball was just 0.77mm over the bar.

From Tze Ern’s corner, Sebastian hit a half-volley with his left foot but the ball hit row Z.

Soon was not to be denied his 2^nd goal of the match.  Alvin held up the ball very well at the half-way line while waiting for someone to run in from deep.  Soon obliged and Alvin hit a defence-splitting ball to him.  Breaking clear from his own half, Soon ran in and despite the close attention of their defender, Soon placed the ball beyond the despairing dive of their GK.  4-0 and this was Soon’s 84^th ARFC goal.

This goal also saw Soon moving past Kenny who was stuck at 83 goals.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC Veterans had so many chances to increase the lead.

From a very clever reverse pass from Haron, Alvin powered clear but shot straight at their GK though no opponents were near him.

Soon was next to be infected by Alvin’s miss.  Despite facing their GK one-on-one, Soon also shot straight at their GK, missing the chance to notch his 2^nd-ever hat-trick for ARFC.

Soon’s first-ever hat-trick was on 08 March 2009 in a 6-3 win at the now-defunct MacPherson Secondary School pitch (near Tze Ern’s current big house)

Further bad luck heaped on Soon later.  From Sebastian’s classic corner on the right, Soon met the ball powerfully but the ball smacked against the cross-bar!  Really unlucky for him.

The opponents then scored a consolation goal 4-1

ARFC Veterans continued to miss many chances and had to be satisfied with a 4-1 win.

Besides the powerful strikers and energetic midfielders, credit must be given to Elvis, Eng Lai, Toh and Chua for holding the defence very well which allowed us to attack at will.  

ARFC luckless in Penalty shoot-out tournament on 28 Apr 2019

On 28 Apr 2019, ARFC participated in the WDL Sec Alumni Penalty Superstars 2K19 and was represented by Haron, Sebastian, Toh, Alvin, Elvis and Sunny (last-min call-up to replace Derrick).

In the first round comprising 8 teams, ARFC finished 2nd with 14 points.  The results and the sequence of ARFC penalty takers are as follows:

Game 1 vs Vastavu: Drew 5-5

Haron, Sebastian, Toh, Alvin and Elvis all converted.


Game 2 vs Atlas: Won 4-3

Haron, Sebastian, Toh and Alvin all converted. Elvis struck the post. The opponents had one put wide and Sunny saved one

Game 3 vs LB Bros: Won 5-3

Haron, Sebastian, Toh, Alvin and Elvis all converted. Sunny saved 2 kicks.

Game 4 vs Woodgrove: Drew 4-4

Haron, Sebastian, Toh and Elvis all converted. Alvin's kick was saved. Sunny saved one.

Game 5 vs SKR: lost 3-4

Haron, Sebastian and Toh all converted. Alvin put wide and Elvis' was saved.

Game 6 vs Aviators: Won 5-4

Haron, Sebastian, Toh, Alvin and Elvis all converted. Opponents put one in Row Z.

Game 7 vs Sengkang Rangers: Won 5-3

Haron, Sebastian, Toh, Alvin and Elvis all converted. Sunny saved 2 kicks.


In the round of 16, ARFC lost 3-5 to Sayur and this is the sequence:

Opponents scored. 0-1
Haron scored. 1-1
Opponents scored. 1-2
Sebastian scored. 2-2
Opponents blazed over. 2-2
Toh's kick was saved. 2-2
Opponents' kick saved by Sunny. 2-2
Alvin's kick was saved. 2-2
Opponents scored. 2-3
Elvis put wide. 2-3

Haron and Sebastian were 100% in all their 8 spot-kicks.  Particularly, all Sebastian's 8 penalty kicks were hit at exactly the same way and same spot - low and hard to GK's right into the bottom corner.

Power midfield duo of Soon and Chun Haw key to ARFC's 5-1 win

Despite playing only one half of the match, Chun Haw combined powerfully with the ever-industrious Soon to help ARFC demolished Santos FC 5-1 on 21 Apr 2019.

ARFC started with this 4-4-2 line-up:

Jersey No.:	Name	Position
xx	Sunny (guest GK)	Goalkeeper
31	Vintage Chua	Right-back
20	Composed Eng Lai	Sweeper
xx	Damien (guest player)	Stopper
6	Unbeatable Darren	Left-back
16	Marauding Guoxiong	Right Mid
4	Dynamic Soon	Centre Mid
8	Talented Chun Haw	Centre Mid
17	Nippy Kenny	Left Mid
9	ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (Captain)	Striker
99	Powerful Alvin	Striker
Substitutes:
3	Astute-reading sweeper Elvis
66	Wonder Wayne
Missing In Action:
2	Unpredictable Blackburn
5	Impeccable How Meng
7	Influential Sebastian (Captain)
10	Sublime Khim
11	Speedy Hee
12	Remarkable Rashid
14	Combative Ron
15	Towering Toh
18	Determined Huiming
19	Skillful Weilit
21	Rampaging Raymond
28	Hard-man Tjioe
33	Talisman Derrick
45	Commanding Ismail
77	Dependable Jinzhong
78	Steely Tze Ern

Though the opponents were almost half the age of the ARFC warriors, ARFC still started the match strongly with its experience and good passing and movements.

ARFC fired the first warning shot when Haron just headed 99 mm narrowly wide of the goal off a brilliant left-wing cross from Alvin.

Making his first appearance since few matches ago, Chun Haw picked up a misclearance from the opponents and flashed a vicious shot at goal.  Alas, his shot missed the top corner by 8 mm with their GK stranded.

Chun Haw then made amends when the opponents’ hurried clearance landed at the feet of Chun Haw just outside the box.  Despite 2 opponents closing down on him, Chun Haw simply brushed them aside by dribbling past them before dispatching the ball into the bottom corner of the goal. 1-0 and this was Chun Haw’s 75^th ARFC goal.

The opponents then equalised 7 mins later. 1-1

ARFC regained the lead 7 mins late after a slick counter-attack move.  Elvis retrieved the ball ala Virgil van Dijk and passed to Guoxiong on the right.  Guoxiong, who was totally dominant at right mid, hit a quick ball to Chun Haw who was waiting outside the box.  Playing a simply yet effective one-two with Alvin, Chun Haw faced their GK and duly smashed the ball past him for his 76^th ARFC goal. 2-1 which remained the score at half-time.

ARFC started the 2^nd half with only 1 sub as Chun Haw had to leave for work.  Nevertheless, this did not affect ARFC as it kept up its dominance.

Kenny then demonstrated his elegance, pace and power when he bamboozled his way past 5 opponents down the left bye-line.  His outrageous cross across goal was simply begging for someone to apply the finishing touch which Wayne almost did but missed the ball by a mere 0.77 seconds.

Wayne redeemed himself 2 mins later.  From a free-kick on the left, Wayne bend a world-class curler ala David Beckham to the top corner.  Despite getting a touch to the ball, their GK could not keep out the wicked curler and succeeded in pushing the ball into the net.  3-1 and this was Wayne’s 44^th ARFC goal.

Wayne then grabbed his brace when he rose highest, off Alvin’s wonderful corner kick delivery, to nod the bal past their stunned GK. 4-1 and this was Wayne’s 45^th ARFC goal.

Kenny then continued his recent bad luck of near-misses when his cannonball shot from 40 metres smacked against the bar.  Unlucky!

Haron then put the icing on the cake with a goal that bore uncanny resemblance to Torres’ goal against Man Utd in the 2009 season. Again, Elvis hit a Virgil van Dijk-looking long ball over the top right into the heart of the opponents’ defence.  From nowhere, Haron ran from deep, outmuscled their defender similar to how Torres did to Vidic, and snatched the ball away from him.  Of course, before their defender could bring down Haron (like how Vidic did to Torres), Haron duly lobbed the ball over their GK with his left foot for his 266^th ARFC goal. 5-1!

Voting results:

Soon – 8

Chun Haw – 8

Darren – 4

Chua – 4

Guoxiong – 3

Kenny – 3