Sebastian's pair of penalties in vain in ARFC's 2-3 defeat

 Playing under hot weather against a young but not-so-sporting team called Chubby Alonso, ARFC suffered its first defeat in 2022 after falling 2-3 at the Compassvale SS pitch on 24 Apr at 3 pm.

 

ARFC welcomed back Eng Lai and Hee who made their first appearance in their new jerseys for the ARFC Open team. 

 

ARFC was severely hit by the late withdrawal of How Meng who was struck down by Covid19.

 

ARFC took to the pitch with this 4-4-2 line-up:

 

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

 

 

After some close exchanges, ARFC found itself 2 goals down.  0-2

 

ARFC did not give up and Kerwin threatened with several long throws which were not capitalised by ARFC.  Particularly, one long throw actually struck the cross-bar and bounced out.

 

At the 20^th min mark, ARFC then made changes with Alvin and Chun Haw replacing Hee and Guoxiong, with Kerwin switching to left midfield.  Eng Lai and Ron also took over from Elvis and Toh at the heart of the defence too.

 

The substitutions soon reaped dividends within 3 mins.  

 

Chua, who was impressive throughout, took a quick throw-in to Sebastian.  Sebastian then passed to Chun Haw who did a very clever flick ball with his right foot for the on-rushing Weilit who had charged into the box from his right midfield position.  Weilit killed the ball with a great first touch, moved in and was brought down by their left-back, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.   

 

Sebastian stepped up and with his usual penalty routine, slammed the ball to the usual spot, i.e bottom left corner of the goal frame. 

 

1-2 and this was Sebastian’s 120^th ARFC goal.

 

Chun Haw then met Kerwin’s missile-like throw-in but his glancing header was just 0.23 mm wide of the right post.

 

Derrick then came up with a fantastic block with his feet after their striker was clean through.

 

In the second half, Chun Haw replaced the tired Sebastian at centre mid and partnered Soon.  Within minutes, Chun Haw pinged a long diagonal ball ala Jordan Henderson down the right flank for Kerwin.  Kerwin reached the ball but his cross just eluded Alvin, who had made a brilliant run into the box, by about 0.99 mm!

 

The opponents then scored a break-away goal to lead 3-1.

 

Strangely enough, the opponents then engaged a provocative act by making uncalled for remarks at our fiery GK Derrick, even though they were already leading and having the upper hands in the match.  Their unsporting act nearly caused the match to be abandoned but thankfully good senses prevailed and the match proceeded.

 

Alvin then won a foot race with their hugely-impressive Eurasian defender and with their GK charging out, Alvin deftly lobbed the ball over their GK.  The ball looked to be ending up in the net till their covering defender made a last-ditch clearance.  Unlucky!

 

With 7 mins to go, Sebastian made a quick a throw-in to Hee who expertly trapped the ball and enticed their defender to close in.  Hee took a quick step forward and he was duly bundled over in the box, giving the referee the easiest of decisions to award another penalty.

 

Again, Sebastian took the penalty and the end result and destination of the ball were the same, i.e hit low and hard to the bottom left corner of the goal frame which gave their GK no chance at all.

 

2-3 and this was Sebastian’s 121^st ARFC goal.

 

ARFC tried to grab the equalising goal but to no avail despite valiant efforts from the team.

 

Man-of-the-Match has to be Tze Ern who did very well at left back and managed to repel their attacks and often faced with 2 speedy opponents at the same time.

Birthday Boy Chun Haw inspired ARFC's 4-4 come-back draw

  

In a heavily-delayed match due to useless/senseless lightning alert system, ARFC showed remarkable teamwork and determination to claw back from 0-4 down to draw 4-4 at the Greenridge SS on 17 Apr 2022 at 3 pm.

 

As a matter of fact, ARFC could have easily snatched victory if not for some “very weird” refereeing decisions throughout the match, including the fact that he shortened and ended the match after we totally dominated and ran all over the opponents in the 2^nd half.  This was evidenced by the fact that the opponents did not even have a single shot at our goal at all in the 2^nd half!

 

As the auntie only allowed the teams into the field about 40 mins after ARFC hastily took to the pitch with this 4-5-1 formation:

 

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

 

 

The only difference was that the opponents had already changed while waiting for the auntie to let both teams in, whereas ARFC warriors only changed when they were at the pitch side. 

 

ARFC then paid the price for not having proper warm-up and it showed when the referee blew for kick-off.

 

ARFC conceded a penalty in the 5^th min but perennial penalty-saver Derrick blocked their spot-kick with his feet when he read the kick perfectly. 

 

Incredulously, the referee somehow spotted that some ARFC warriors had ran into the box (it was a huge wonder on how he could see it as he was supposed to see whether GK had stepped off his line) before the penalty was taken, and ordered a re-take.

 

From the re-take, Derrick read the mind of the same penalty taker and again blocked the kick with his feet.  World-class goal keeping!

 

However, ARFC then inexplicably conceded 4 goals within 17 mins to trail 0-4!

 

Realising that 4-5-1 formation didn’t work out, Sebastian then did a tactical switch to 4-4-2, with Chua, Weilit and Pardiphan replacing Elvis, Kerwin and Tjioe respectively. 

 

Darren then moved to stopper with How Meng dropping to Sweeper, and Pardiphan took up the left-back position.  Chua came in as right-back, with Guoxiong pushing up to right midfield.  Weilit was deployed as left midfield, with Chun Haw moving upfront to partner Wayne.

 

The switch paid dividends almost immediately.  Attacking down the right, Guoxiong received a cut-back from Wayne who did very well to hold up the ball throughout the match.  Looking up from his right byline position, Guoxiong swung in a cross to the far post which sailed over their GK to nestle nicely into the top left-hand corner.  1-4 and this was Guoxiong’s 37^th ARFC goal. 

 

Guoxiong’s last goal for ARFC was on 8 Dec 2019 when he netted in a 6-0 win at AMK SS.

 

With another attacking move down the right, ARFC grabbed another goal.  Guoxiong passed to Wayne who waited for Chun Haw to arrive.  Receiving the ball from Wayne, Chun Haw did a quick switch and heard Weilit’s call for the ball at the middle, about 27 metres away from their goal.  Off Chun Haw’s low pass, Weilit then killed the ball, looked up and clipped a well-placed curling ball over their GK that saw the ball landed at almost the same spot as Guoxiong’s goal.   

 

2-4 and this was Weilit’s 18^th ARFC goal, with his last goal for ARFC coming on 15 Mar 2020 in 4-4 draw.

 

By now, Chun Haw was driving ARFC forward in front of his watching parents and cutest daughter.  He was unlucky with a few shots and was also fouled repeatedly by the opponents.

 

The half-time then ended 2-4.

 

In the re-start, Tjioe replaced Sebastian.  10 mins later, Kerwin took over Wayne upfront.

 

Together with Soon, Tjioe then came to the fore with some very muscular pressing and won many good balls which propelled ARFC.

 

Kerwin also forcefully closed down their defenders and the opponents could not coped with him and brought him down.

 

Kerwin drew a foul after his sharp pull-back completed fooled their defender who had no choice but to hack Kerwin down.  From the resulting free-kick 37 metres out, Pardiphan simply drilled in a powerful rising shot that had goal screaming all the way.  Their GK got his hands to the ball but could not keep out the shot. 

 

3-4 and this was Pardiphan’s 2^nd goal for ARFC in as many matches.

 

3 mins later, ARFC drew level.

 

Pardiphan passed the ball to Chun Haw who turned away from the opponents before firing in a venomous dipping shot from distance.  Their GK flew and palmed the ball way for a corner.

 

From the resulting corner, Kerwin hit a precise ball into the box.  How Meng simply muscled his way into the box and thumped home a header, ala Konate’s goal against Man City in the FA Cup semi-final, that gave any GK in the world no chance at all!

 

4-4 and this was How Meng’s 18^th ARFC goal.

 

Chua then played a brilliant long low pass from his right-back position to Chun Haw but the latter’s shot was just slightly wide.

 

Sebastian and Elvis then came on for Weilit and Darren (who had a good game containing their speedy winger and striker) respectively.  Elvis then did well to marshall the defence. 

 

Wayne then replaced Guoxiong 2 mins later.

 

Pardiphan was then played in by Soon but his rocket was just 0.77 mm over the bar.

 

Sebastian then exchanged wall-passes with Chun Haw down the left flank before Chun Haw spun away but skied his shot about 0.23 mm over the bar.

  

How Meng then nearly scored another header. Off Kerwin’s corner kick from the right, How Meng lost his marker but the ball hit his shoulders for a goal kick.

 

ARFC then caused mayhem in the crowded penalty box with Wayne, Soon and Chun Haw pressurising them. The loose ball rolled out to Tjioe, and with Kerwin free to his right and shouted for the ball desperately, who could only managed to scoop the ball over the bar.

 

With literally the last kick of the match, Sebastian lumped a long high ball into the penalty box and the ball dropped and clearly hit their defender’s hands.  However, the referee somehow missed the clear handball. 

 

By now, the opponents were out of breath and were simply waiting for the referee to blow the final whistle which the referee duly obliged by ending the match at least 5 mins early.

 

This was probably the first time that ARFC had fight back to draw/win after going 4 goals down.

 

There is also a need to highlight a key but heart-warming moment in the match. Chun Haw was brought down at the middle of the park and when he got up, the opponents tried to provoke him by taunting him.  The Chun Haw of old would surely have take the bait but this time round, Chun Haw simply ignore him and walked away.  Truly maturing Chun Haw!!

King Kenny opened accounts for his ARFC Veterans matches with brace in 4-3 victory

  

 

Playing its 2^nd match in 2022 and 29^th Veterans match overall, ARFC Veterans eked out a hard-fought 4-3 win over Elites Veterans FC at the magnificent pitch at The Cage@Turf City on 13 Apr at 9 pm.

 

Due to the kick-of timing of the weekday match, ARFC Veterans had to call up 4 gust players.

 

ARFC Veterans started with this 4-5-1 line-up:

 

GK – Andrew (guest player)

RB – Guoxiong

Sweeper – Eng Lai

Stopper – Toh

LB – Darren

RM – Raymond

CM – Tjioe

CM – Sebastian (captain)

CM – Soon

LM – Kenny

SC – Haron

 

Subs:

 

Desmond (guest player)

Chong Ghee (guest player)

Minghui (guest player)

 

 

ARFC Veterans started quickest off the blocks and pressed the opponents incessantly.  Not surprisingly, ARFC Veterans drew first blood in the 5^th min.

 

On the left side of the pitch, Soon, Tjioe, Sebastian and Kenny squeezed the opponents with very astute positioning and pressing, similar to how Mane, Firmino, Henderson and Keita would do for Liverpool.  The opponents were all at seas and conceded possession, with the ball then rolling to Haron who was lurking in the box ala Mo Salah. 

 

Haron then allowed the ball to come to him and faced their GK. Despite their defender closing in, Haron maintained his composure and calmly placed the ball past their GK.  1-0 and this was Haron’s 273^rd ARFC goals, with 14 of those goals coming from Veterans matches.

 

The opponents then regained its footing and from a counter-attack, they scored to level the match.  1-1

 

ARFC Veterans quickly regained its lead within 2 mins with a very smooth transition from defence to attack.  Guoxiong, who shone all night, passed the ball from his right-back position to Sebastian in the middle of the pitch.  Sebastian then switched play, ala Tiago, to Darren at left-back.  Darren, who was back to his very best, then hit a long low ball to Kenny who sprinted in from his left midfield position.  Their GK then rushed out and looked to almost clear the ball away, but Kenny had other ideas as he was quicker and sliced the ball into the penalty box.  Raymond then dashed in from the right midfield, and with their covering defender looking to clear the ball away, Raymond summoned all his speed to reach the ball ahead of their defender, and slided the ball into the empty net. 2-1 and this was Raymond’s 25^th ARFC goal.

 

Out of the 25 goals, this was Raymond’s 18^th goal for the ARFC Veterans matches, cementing his apex position as the top scorer for ARFC Veterans team.

 

Kenny then hit 2 good corners from the left but on both occasions, Toh narrowly missed the headers.

 

Raymond then missed a great opportunity.  Darren’s overlapping run to the left flan k saw him threading a fine ball to Raymond who was free in the box.  However, Raymond took the wrong option when he brought the ball to his right, instead of driving down centre, and fired the ball which was palmed away by their GK for a corner.  Unlucky but what a move!

 

ARFC Veterans then replaced both Guoxiong and Raymond with Minghui and Desmond respectively.  Moments later, Chong Ghee came on for Sebastian, with ARFC Veterans switching to 4-4-2 formation as Chong Ghee partnered Haron upfront.

 

In the 2^nd half, ARFC Veterans maintained its control of the match and extended its lead within 5 mins of the re-start.  From his left midfield position Desmond received a quick ball from Sebastian and duly dished out a slide-rule pass for Kenny.  In the blink of the eye, Kenny turned and sped away from their defender.  Driving into the box, Kenny drilled a well-placed shot past their GK to the far post to make it 3-1.

 

This goal was Kenny’s 85^th ARFC goal and a first for ARFC Veterans team!

 

The opponents then pulled a goal back. 3-2.

 

Kenny was then super unlucky when first, his long-range shot clipped the left of the cross-bar.  3 mins later, Soon’s pass found him but Kenny’s cannon-ball bounced off the right side of the cross-bar this time.

 

It was then 3^rd time lucky for Kenny as he grabbed his brace with arguably the move of the match.  Sebastian sold their centre mid with a body faint and dribbled past him.  Receiving the ball from Sebastian, Soon spotted Raymond’s run into the central area and laid the ball to him.  With such good anticipation, Kenny started to take off and Raymond read his move perfectly when he flicked the low ball right into the path of Kenny.  Breaking their off-side trap, Kenny charged inwards before dispatching the ball home for his 86^th ARFC goal and 2^nd ARFC Veterans goal.  4-2.

 

Tjioe then limped off but his contributions were immersed with his hard-tackles at both centre mid and stopper when Toh was taking a break.

 

Chong Ghee, who played like Mane with so many closing down of and winning balls from the opponents, then followed suit when he was brutally hacked down by their left-back, injuring his ankle in the process.

 

With mins to go, the opponents pulled a goal back. 4-3 now.

 

ARFC Veterans then held on for a well-fought but certainly well-earned 4-3 victory. With this win, this was ARFC Veterans’ 23^rd wins in 29 Veterans matches.

 

This was a match where ARFC Veterans displayed great passing moves and energy.  Haron did an Firmino-like take with his clever movements and linked up play when he dropped in from deep, while Soon was his usual industrious self which was always so vital to ARFC Veterans. 

 

Andrew also came up with very safe handling to the opponents’ speculative shots from distance.  Eng Lai also overcame some early jitters with an assured marshalling of the defence, aided ably by Toh and then Tjioe.  Toh was unlucky not to score with his towering headers from corners but his aerial prowess was unmatched throughout the match. Tjioe was immerse with his tackles and closing down of the opponents

 

The displays from Darren and Guoxiong (and later Minghui) as full-backs was almost like Andrew Robertson and TAA, particularly Guoxiong who produced so many crosses from the right, while Raymond’s penetrative runs and Chong Ghee’s relentless pressing made huge differences too.  Desmond’s calm passing and positioning was good for the team, with Sebastian the glue for the team with his orchestrating of the flow, drive and tempo during the match.

 

This leaves me to Man-of-the-Match Kenny who was a monster throughout the match.  Pace, energy, passes, shots and all, Kenny was only extremely unlucky not to score at least 4 goals in the match.

 

These are the top 5 scorers for ARFC Veterans’ 29 matches:

 

1.    Raymond – 18 goals

2.    Haron – 14 goals

3.    Darren – 11 goals

4.    Soon – 10 goals

5.    Sebastian – 9 goals