Sebastian's outrageous goal in 4-0 win

Probably inspired by his watching wife and daughter, Guoxiong produced a superlative performance to inspire ARFC to a 4-0 victory over a much younger and fitter Velocity FC.

ARFC was supported by Dylan and Tiara (Elvis’ lively children), Reyes (Darren’s son), Tracie and Clara (Guoxiong’s wife and daughter).

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

Jersey No.:	Name	Position
xx	Sunny	Goalkeeper
31	Vintage Chua	Right-back
3	Astute-reading sweeper Elvis	Sweeper
20	Composed Eng Lai	Stopper
6	Unbeatable Darren	Left-back
16	Marauding Guoxiong	Right Mid
4	Dynamic Soon	Centre Mid
14	Combative Ron	Centre Mid
17	Nippy Kenny	Left Mid
9	ARFC Scoring Legend Haron (captain)	Striker
99	Powerful Alvin	Striker
66	Wonder Wayne
Substitutes:
5	Impeccable How Meng (late)
7	Influential Sebastian (late)
8	Talented Chun Haw (late)
11	Speedy Hee (late)
Missing In Action:
2	Unpredictable Blackburn
10	Sublime Khim
12	Remarkable Rashid
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
xx	Kerwin
xx	Javier

ARFC started very brightly in the match with the strikers Alvin and Haron particularly lively, while Kenny and Guoxiong were creating havoc at both flanks.

ARFC was awarded a penalty in the 9^th min after Darren’s cross struck their right back’s hand.  Haron stepped up but his well-placed low shot to the right was guessed by their GK correctly as he dived low to turn the ball away for a corner.  Unlucky Haron!

After a few more attacks, ARFC opened the scoring in the 17^th min with the credit going to Guoxiong.  First, he “ole” their left back, then glided past their covering stopper and reached the bye line.  His cross reached Alvin who was surrounded by probably 4 opponents.  However, Alvin did not panic as he pushed the ball slightly to his right before placing the ball to the bottom right corner for his 316^th ARFC goal.   1-0 and what calmness.

In the 20^th min, Sebastian, Chun Haw, Hee and How Meng came on for Ron, Haron, Alvin and Guoxiong respectively.

ARFC continued its relentless assault at opponents’ goal but to no avail.

How Meng then nearly scored but his fierce piledriver from 30 metres was blocked by their defender for a throw-in.

With seconds to go, Hee looked poised to score when a cross from Chun Haw eluded the opponents at the far post.  However, Hee’s vision was impacted by the blazing sun shining at his eyes as he only managed glance his header slightly wide.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC did not take its foot off the gas as it continued to create chances after chances, and pressed the opponents at every turn.

7 mins after the restart, ARFC scored its best goal in the match.  A cross from the left was headed away by their defender about 37 metres away from goal.  Sebastian then allowed the ball to bounce once, took aim before letting fly a thunderous and perfectly-executed volley with his right foot that saw the ball sailed over their GK and dipped just right below the cross-bar.  2-0 and this was Sebastian’s 115^th ARFC goal.

The opponents looked deflated at this goal and within 2 mins, ARFC extended its lead.  Chun Haw was fouled about 37 metres from goal.  Sebastian then took a quick free-kick by threading a diagonal low ball down the right.  Soon dashed in from deep but hearing a shout from Guoxiong, who had also ran in from the right, let the ball ran through to Guoxiong.  In the meantime, Chun Haw continued his run into the box and pulled away to the far post.  Guoxiong spotted Chun Haw’s run and whipped in a low ball across the 6-yard box for Chun Haw to thump the ball home.  3-0 and this was Chun Haw’s 82^nd ARFC goal.

In the 60^th min, ARFC sealed the match off a very quick counter-attack ala Liverpool.  Sunny saved a shot and immediately hit a long high ball down the channel ala Alisson.  Kenny chased for the ball and held up the ball well.  Kenny twisted and turned their left-back before chipping a brilliant high ball to the far side.  Haron was the biggest beneficiary when he turned the ball into the unguarded net with his thigh for his 269^th ARFC goal. 4-0.

ARFC had a few more chances but just could not score again.

I wish to take this opportunity to give credit to ARFC’s defence. Elvis was really imperious as sweeper as he led the line very well and even made a foray upfront with some neat passes.

Eng Lai aided Elvis very well and closed down their striker before they had a chance to run at Elvis.

Ron came in and was fearless in his tackles, while How Meng also done well as stopper though he gave away a few careless balls.

Chua continued to defy logic and his age as their left winger could not even get past him at all. 

Darren continued to live up to his high standard even when he was faced with 2 opponents at times. 

Voting results:

Guoxiong – 10

Kenny – 5

Soon – 5

Sebastian – 5

Ron – 5

Darren – 2

How Meng – 2

Eng Lai – 1

Chun Haw – 1

Elvis – 1

Alvin – 1

Haron – 1

Darren starred in dominating 3-0 win to maintain ARFC Veterans' unbeaten run in 2019

Playing its 23^rd Veterans match on a rare Saturday 5 pm match at the far-flung Juying SS, with the surrounding terrain resembling JB, ARFC Veterans maintained its 100% record in 2019 with a dominating 3-0 victory over an Indian team.

ARFC Veterans was watched by Lingzhi (Ron’s beau), Jerald and Nicole (Toh’s kids) and Tiara/Dylan (Elvis’ children).

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

GK – Sunny (Guest GK)

RB – Huiming

Sweeper – Elvis

Stopper – Toh

LB – Chua

RM – Eng Lai

CM – Sebastian

CM – Soon

LM - Darren

SC – Haron

SC – Daniel Fonseca

Subs:

Ron (late)

Hee (late)

ARFC Veterans started brightly and Haron was especially lively when he fired successive shots at goal.  Particularly, his sharp volley from 39 metres nearly found the net but was just 0.99 cm over the cross-bar.

ARFC Veterans took the lead in the 16^th min through a fortuitous manner.  From a aerial ball about 30 metres from goal, Darren challenged for the ball and though he won the header, the opponent charged in late and resulted in a clash of head. 

The ball then bounced towards their goal and while Darren was scrubbing and massaging his head, the ball somehow bounced over their GK and into goal!  1-0 and this was Darren’s 23^rd ARFC goal, putting him on level terms with David.

While Darren’s first goal was somewhat a fluke, his second goal was certainly crafted with well-drilled passing and movement.  From his left mid position, Darren passed to Soon who held up the ball well.  Darren continued his run down the left as Soon passed the ball to Sebastian who was just inside his own half.  Reading Darren’s run perfectly, Sebastian pinged a high diagonal ball down the channel which saw Darren speeding past their right back before lofting the ball over their GK for his 24^th ARFC goal. 2-0.

With this goal, Darren is now just one goal behind Kiat’s 25 ARFC goals.

Hee and Ron then came on for Daniel Fonseca and Toh respectively.

ARFC Veterans then put the result to bed with its 3^rd goal in the 30^th min.  Winning a throw in down the left, Darren had the quick sense of mind to take a quick throw-in while Haron quickly took up position in the box.  Their defender seemed to be unaware that throw-in will never be off-side and appealed for off-side.  Haron ignored such ignorance and duly lobbed over their GK for his 268^th ARFC goal.  3-0

Eng Lai then took a fierce shot from about 27 metres on the right but their GK saved his shot.

With 7 mins to go in the first half, Darren nearly sealed his first-ever hat-trick for ARFC when he broke clear on the left before letting fly a left-foot rocket that was just 0.6 cm over the cross-bar!

In the 2^nd half, ARFC Veterans pulled back a little as the opponents seemed hell bent to kick ARFC Veterans at every opportunity with their very late tackles from behind.  Unfortunately, the referee took a blind eye to all those late and dirty fouls which only seemed to encourage the opponents further. 

Particularly, Haron, Hee, Sebastian and Eng Lai were all victims of their under-the-belt tackles.

ARFC Veterans then missed a series of chances despite very good and patient passing and movements that carved opened their defence on many occasions.

With this win, ARFC Veterans maintained its 100% record in 2019 – 8 wins out of 8 matches.

This was a match where ARFC Veterans dished out a very disciplined, patient and smooth performance. ARFC Veterans kept their tempers in check despite on the receiving end of those tackles.  

As our GK, Sunny was really dependable and he received the best compliment from the opponents during the match when one opponent shouted to his own team-mates “Don’t try such shots. Their GK very good. Cannot beat him one.”

The opponents also only had about 2 shots at our goal and the credit must really go to the defence, led superbly by Elvis, for shutting them out.  Toh was imperial in the air, while Chua, Huiming and Ron gave their wingers no room to move too.

In the midfield, Darren was a monster with his incisive runs down the left flank, while Eng Lai put in a very good display with his attacking and defending support.

As always, Soon covered every blade of the grass on the pitch by harassing at will, while Sebastian orchestrated play with very clever switching of balls and controlling the pace and rhythm of the match.

Upfront, Haron was very clever with his closing down of defenders and his movement was top-class.  Hee troubled their defence no end and won several fouls, and was really unlucky not to score.  Daniel Fonseca, despite pulling his calf slightly due to insufficient warm-up, came up with some very nice touches and one-two with the midfielders.

ARFC run riot in 7-1 thumping victory over Pionneer FC

After struggling to score goals last Sunday, ARFC made things right on this Sunday by putting 7 goals past the hapless Pionneer at the very small pitch at Compassvale Sec Sch.

ARFC was supported by Dylan and Tiara (Elvis’ lively children) and Lingzhi (Ron’s beau).

Credit to both Haron and Chun Haw for volunteering to be GK for each half. 

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

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

Within 77 seconds of the kick-off, ARFC conceded a goal.  0-1

This was probably the fastest goal that ARFC had conceded in its illustrious history.  In fact, the goal was so quick that all the 6 substitutes and fans did not even manage to see the goal!

ARFC then woke up from its slumber and began imposing its authority in the match, with Soon particularly impressive in closing down opponents at every opportunity.

Upfront, Alvin worked tirelessly as he would only play for 30 mins as he had to rush off to home.

Rashid and Khim then began to work their magic with quick neat passes that often caught the opponents off-guard.

ARFC equalised in the 7^th min thanks in large part to Chua.  From his right back position, he challenged for a loose ball near the right centre area.  Betraying his 54 years of age, Chua reached the ball ahead of the much younger opponents and poked the ball aay down the right flank.  Chua continued his overlapping run before sending over a high looping cross to the far post.  Rashid came in and allowed the ball to bounce once before unleashing a stinging drive to the bottom right corner that gave their GK no chance at all.   1-1 and this was Rashid’s 2^nd goal for ARFC.

Rashid’s debut goal came on 20 May 2018 at the Yio Chu Kang SS pitch in a 1-1 draw against Wolf FC.

ARFC led for the first time 7 mins later with a great team goal.  Alvin came forward to receive the ball before passing to Rashid who spotted Khim making a run down the left side.  With his right foot, Rashid lobbed the ball to Khim who headed the ball downwards and goalwards for Chun Haw to run in from the blind side to steer the ball home. 2-1 and this was Chun Haw’s 81^st ARFC goal.

ARFC extended its lead 77 seconds later.  Again, Rashid whipped the ball down the left side for Alvin who held up the ball extremely well. Hearing Khim’s call, Alvin laid the ball on a platter for Khim to simply place a precise grounder beyond the despairing dive of their GK.  3-1 and this was Khim’s 61^st ARFC goal.

ARFC then made a string of substitutions with all 6 substitutes getting a run in the game.

Eng Lai then nearly scored the goal of the season when he brought the ball on the right flank and spotted their GK slightly off position, Eng Lai let fly a 40-metres scorcher which narrowly missed the goal as it hit the side-netting. Unlucky!

ARFC then had stroke of fortune when Alvin and Hee pressured their defence and GK into a grave mistake when their GK cleared the ball against Hee and the ball bounced into goal.  4-1 and this was Hee’s 114^th ARFC goal, putting him on level terms with Sebastian.

In the 2^nd half, ARFC continued its relentless search for more goals which duly arrived 7 mins after the re-start. For the umpteenth today, Rashid hit a searching long diagonal ball all the way to the right.  Soon and their GK both went for the ball but Soon won and poked the ball away from their GK before walking the ball home for his 86^th ARFC goal. 5-1

Chun Haw then produced a world-class diving save to deny their striker.

Kerwin then demonstrated his throw-in prowess when his powerful throw-in from the left was flicked into his own net from their defender. 6-1 and this was the 37^th own goal conceded by ARFC’s opponents.

Chun Haw then made another stunning block to deny the striker again.

ARFC was not done and chalked up its 7^th goal of the match.  Rashid exchanged neat passes with Sebastian before passing to Haron who had made a run upfield.  Receiving the ball, Haron executed a slide-rule pass down the left flank for Darren to embark on his Andrew Robertson-like overlapping run.  Darren then won the duel with their GK who had charged out, and brought the ball inwards.  With an open goal, Darren demonstrated his selflessness and team-work when he passed to the unmarked Wayne who duly thumped the ball home for his 48^th ARFC goal. 7-1 and what a great team play from Darren.

Voting results:

Rashid – 15

Chun Haw – 13

Khim – 8

Soon – 5

Kerwin – 3

Chua – 2

Alvin – 2

Ron – 2

Darren - 1