Defense woes for Mavericks
25 August 2007
Venue: Yio Chu Kang Sec
Line-up: Alex, Adrian, Jiunwei, Clement, Calvin, Amir, Wei Jie, Boon Leng, Chao Xing, Fuad, Tommy, Boon Kee, Chung Wei
FT score: 4-0 (HT score:2-0)
Scorers: Kiu ('5, '10, '60, '80)
Mam-of-Match: Wei Jie (MFC), Kiu(Horny)
Mavericks FC slumped to a 4-0 defeat into the hands of Horny Team after losing flampoyant playmaker Kee Siang and influential centre-half Chuan Ji to injury. The loss of the duo proved too much for Mavericks as 4 sloppy goals were slotted past the net.
Horny Team took an early lead through Kiu when the offside trap was beaten and was one-on-one with Alex. The problems of the rearguard persisted as Kiu doubled the lead with another somewhat similar goal. Without Chuan Ji marshaling the defense, there was confusion and the setting up of offside traps were ineffective and Horny Team used this to their advantage as they pumped long balls cleverly to its forward, Kiu.
The return of Tommy showed some sparkle in Mavericks' attack but it was just not enough for them to hit past Horny Team's net. Amir was marked tightly and could not get past the back four of Horny Team while Boon Kee was shut out by the full backs. At this time, Horny Team was enojying the majority of possession and Mavericks' attackers had to fall back to help defend.
In the second half, morale was still high as the previous thumping of Antics was still on their minds. There was an aura surrounding Mavericks that they could turn the tables around to come from behind to beat Horny Team as they had done before on others.
Mavericks gambled on an untested formation of 3-5-2 as they switched to a more attacking style. This proved to be rather effective in the early stages as Mavericks were the one to harass Horny Team's rear guard. A goal was cleared off line by its defenders when Tommy was put through on goal and was one-on-one with the keeper as he tried a lob over him. The speedy left-back of Horny Team wasted no time in clearing the ball.
As the game wears on, the possession of the ball was thrown back to Horny Team as Kiu got his hat-trick. Clearly the third goal was a massive demoralization for Mavericks as hopes of getting back into the match with a goal were dashed. However, Mavericks showed their fighting spirit by not giving up and giving their all till the whistle.
There was still 10 minutes left to full time and still no goal for Mavericks as it started to rain cats and dogs. On the other hand, it was Kiu who got his fourth when he took advantage of the wet weather to drive the slippery ball past Alex.
After the full-time whistle, contentions for the man-of-match award was disputed as everyone's performance in Mavericks was quite similar. However, it was Wei Jie who stands out as he won many balls in midfield and showed sublime passing of the ball. As such, the man-of-match award was given to him for his fine performance.
This loss will not hamper Mavericks in their confidence for the next match as they seek to avenge it by beating Team Uncles next week. In fact, everyone will be relishing the chance to shine next weekend as they seek another clean sheet and inspiring performance.
~Clement
Venue: Yio Chu Kang Sec
Line-up: Alex, Adrian, Jiunwei, Clement, Calvin, Amir, Wei Jie, Boon Leng, Chao Xing, Fuad, Tommy, Boon Kee, Chung Wei
FT score: 4-0 (HT score:2-0)
Scorers: Kiu ('5, '10, '60, '80)
Mam-of-Match: Wei Jie (MFC), Kiu(Horny)
Mavericks FC slumped to a 4-0 defeat into the hands of Horny Team after losing flampoyant playmaker Kee Siang and influential centre-half Chuan Ji to injury. The loss of the duo proved too much for Mavericks as 4 sloppy goals were slotted past the net.
Horny Team took an early lead through Kiu when the offside trap was beaten and was one-on-one with Alex. The problems of the rearguard persisted as Kiu doubled the lead with another somewhat similar goal. Without Chuan Ji marshaling the defense, there was confusion and the setting up of offside traps were ineffective and Horny Team used this to their advantage as they pumped long balls cleverly to its forward, Kiu.
The return of Tommy showed some sparkle in Mavericks' attack but it was just not enough for them to hit past Horny Team's net. Amir was marked tightly and could not get past the back four of Horny Team while Boon Kee was shut out by the full backs. At this time, Horny Team was enojying the majority of possession and Mavericks' attackers had to fall back to help defend.
In the second half, morale was still high as the previous thumping of Antics was still on their minds. There was an aura surrounding Mavericks that they could turn the tables around to come from behind to beat Horny Team as they had done before on others.
Mavericks gambled on an untested formation of 3-5-2 as they switched to a more attacking style. This proved to be rather effective in the early stages as Mavericks were the one to harass Horny Team's rear guard. A goal was cleared off line by its defenders when Tommy was put through on goal and was one-on-one with the keeper as he tried a lob over him. The speedy left-back of Horny Team wasted no time in clearing the ball.
As the game wears on, the possession of the ball was thrown back to Horny Team as Kiu got his hat-trick. Clearly the third goal was a massive demoralization for Mavericks as hopes of getting back into the match with a goal were dashed. However, Mavericks showed their fighting spirit by not giving up and giving their all till the whistle.
There was still 10 minutes left to full time and still no goal for Mavericks as it started to rain cats and dogs. On the other hand, it was Kiu who got his fourth when he took advantage of the wet weather to drive the slippery ball past Alex.
After the full-time whistle, contentions for the man-of-match award was disputed as everyone's performance in Mavericks was quite similar. However, it was Wei Jie who stands out as he won many balls in midfield and showed sublime passing of the ball. As such, the man-of-match award was given to him for his fine performance.
This loss will not hamper Mavericks in their confidence for the next match as they seek to avenge it by beating Team Uncles next week. In fact, everyone will be relishing the chance to shine next weekend as they seek another clean sheet and inspiring performance.
~Clement
posted by The Outsider at
5:54 PM
