Well of Illusions!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

BREAKING NEWS

in the heart-stopping final of the Wanjoo Raffles Premier Lower League Cup, what started out as a keenly contested match turned into a thrashing for EFC as they were thumped 8 - 4 by the boys from GFC. captain samuel lau, star versatile defender cum keeper ong woosheng , and midfield general pern jie ran riot, bagging a brace each while their diminutive winger seetow shiun yang, playing out of position on the right side of a four-man midfield, and last minute introduction fu zhi hao scored a goal each to round off a convincing victory which no one could have portended given the even start to this crucial encounter at the RI Astroturf Stadium.

in a ding dong first half, both sides matched each other stride for stride, before captain, chairman and first team coach lau rose highest to head in a corner from the right by seetow, who delivered other quality set pieces on the night, but his forwards were too wasteful to reap the full benefits. the slack defending employed by the EFC defenders allowed lau to sneak in unmarked to the centre of the six yard box, and plant a firm header past the futile grasp on then-keeper jun ming.

having used up his karma and then unable to summon his byakugan for the time being, lau was forced to take over as keeper in order for the team to defend their lead. despite a number of comfortable saves, even a point blank one at the feet of EFC captain gan guo wei, his lack of experience in that position was telling, when he finally spilled a fateful long range effort from EFC's record signing koh jian ying, and the rebound was gleefully snapped up by right back for the day, chia keat loong despite the despairing dive of the tremendously embarrassed keeper.

both sides went into the break thus level at 1-1, but who was to know that the half time break was to signal the start of a trigger-happy second half that yielded 10 goals?

GFC started the second period in fine fashion, raining shot after shot on the EFC goal, while their opponents waited desperately for their chance to counterattack. lau had now taken a more advanced role, playing just behind the big forward zhu yi, and this switch proved crucial as he established GFC's lead for the second time in this match.

a miskicked clearance out of the EFC penalty area was blocked by lau, who laid the ball off to ong. the left winger then picked out lau as he charged into the penalty area, and with the defenders having been drawn out to the side by zhu yi's diagonal run, lau was left with the easiest chances as he slotted low and to the right of the keeper on the one on one.

as ecstatic as lau and his team were, EFC were not to be denied as they hit back almost immediately, catching GFC keeper lee soon yoong off his line, and EFC captain gan's long range speculative shot looped into the back of an empty net.

with the scores now locked at 2-2, the onus was now on GFC to go forward. and did they ever! almost every shot they took seemed to hit the back of the net, as their forwards and midfielders swept forward with such speed and movement that they left EFC's defence trailing in their wake. but out of all the goals, ong's goal that restored GFC's lead was the most crucial.

taking a pass on his right in one of his trademark bursts from midfield, pernjie slammed the ball straight into the crotch of the on-rushing goalkeeper for EFC, bao ningyu. floored, the keeper could only lie on the pitch in pain as ong gleefully tucked the ball into an unguarded net. captain gan protested vehemently, but there was no arguing the legitimacy of the goal, and the lead was now back in GFC's hands. 3 - 2 to GFC.

seetow then took over the show in midfield, putting his creativity and imagination on show as he then set up a goal for pernjie, and then got one himself on a long throw from lau. with the EFC team now in shambles, and their forwards koh and gan isolated in the opposition half, a hopeful long ball out of the GFC defence caught the EFC defenders flatfooted, leaving pernjie with a clear shot at goal, which he confidently took to take his tally for the night to two. ong extended the GFC lead to 7-2, and with the match supposedly dead and buried, the GFC team decided to sit back and defend their 5-goal lead.

but captain gan exemplified the spirit and determination that has prompted the sengkang punggol u-16 side to table record breaking offers for his signature, scoring again from long range, before setting up fellow forward koh, as the latter curled a superb shot from the edge of the penalty area into the far post, leaving then-keeper ong stranded. with the score at 7-4, lau decided not to take any chances, and swapped ong with seetow, who by then had already played three positions on the night: left back, right winger, and now shotstopper.

with the momentum now belonging to EFC, the GFC defenders were having a torrid time dealing with the enthusiastic players. sensing a need for change, lau brought on his newest signing, defensive midfielder fu zhi hao, to try and shore up the midfield and establish some solidity in his team.

but he gave GFC more than that, running onto yet another long ball out of the GFC defence to slot in low past the EFC keeper. that was the last goal of the night, and GFC then ran out the rest of the match to finish as 8-4 winners of the Wanjoo Raffles Premier Lower League Cup.

said captain lau after the match, "this is a relatively young group of players, but they have displayed such maturity and confidence today, that it belies their age. i really did not expect us to come away with such a convincing victory, and i am sure that my team will only go from strength to strength in the years to come."

well, he might have to start his search for a new goal-maker earlier than expected, with NYY Football Club having expressed interest in their chief goal creator for the night seetow. and with GFC yet to offer the versatile defender-midfielder cum keeper a new contract, the club mayy very well lose a top talent for absolutely nothing.

but for now, the GFC chairman/manager/captain and the rest of his team can spend some time enjoying the fruits of their labour, and savour the success that comes with winning this coveted Cup.

slau updated @ 8:35 PM

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