"Matchpix" - November 2011

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• S.League - Gombak Utd 0-3 Etoile FC (5/11/11)

The last match before another adjournment saw Etoile FC beat Gombak Utd 3-0 at the JBS.

Two quick early goals set the precedence with some leakage on the flank allowed the goals from Kamel Chaaouane in the 4th minute and Jonathan Toto in the 5th.

Toto added on another on the 51st to seal all three points for the Stars who are aiming to finish third on the ladder...

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• World Cup Qualifiers - Singapore vs China (15/11/11)

What could more heart-pain than see your team being thrashed convincingly by a better team on home ground when it always have a feel of being "away"?

A decent first half performance was punctured by a "slip-in" goal at the closing stages of the first half to deflate the team morale and the worst thing I can never imaging is to see a Singapore player being jeered whenever he touched the ball.

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• 2011 Singapore Cup Final(19/11/11)

A Cup Final is never a dull moment and always a tense affair for both teams.

Albirex Niigata (Singapore) may have the experience of going through that when they defeated Hougang United to win the League Cup earlier.

Unfortunately being the more determined side Home United persevered and triumphed 1-0 over the White Swans to clinch their fifth Singapore Cup in the club history.

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• S.League - Tampines 1-0 Home Utd (23/11/11)

To describe the field as "Wet and Muddy" was an understatement for the condition of the field for this "epic" match.

A gem from Ahmad Latiff was enough to dislodge the Protectors from the top of the ladder to force the title down to the wire in front of crowd of approximately 2.800.

It was a pleasant sight to see a match as such well-attended.

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• S.League - Home United FC 5-0 Geylang United FC (27/11/11)

This must be the bitterest victory for winning handsomely against your opponents and only to realize you didn't get the biggest prize offered.

Home United fall short and achieving the double after saw their closest rivals Tampines Rovers beat their neighbours across Braddell Road - Balestier Khalsa with the same score line.

Protectors Coach Paul Lee stop-short to access whether it had been a successful season for him, as he would rather let the rest to judge him instead of doing his own assessment.

The game also marked the exit of Lions like Isa Halim and Juma'at Jantan who will be joining the M-League bound "Singapore Lions" squad next year.

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Kari's double with Albirex's triple crowns

The year's award night was held on the following evening after the last three games were completed on the previous night at Grand Copthorne with the usual gala setting for this annual get-together for the local football fraternity.

The night kicked off with the awarding of the "Young Player of the Year" to Albirex Niigata (S)'s Tatsuro Inui beating the likes of Lions stars Hariss Harun and Safuwan Baharudin.

This blog's entry titled "The Defining Moment from the Flank" (pictured above hold by the blogger) was among the nominees for the "Picture of the Year" that eventually went to TNP's Benjamin Seetor's "Tampines Trip Up" (P.S: Benjamin is standing behind the blogger on the left of the picture above).

Upstart Safuwan (pictured above) did eventually make up for the earlier disappointment by walked away with the "People Choice" award, a honour that was decided by online voting.

Having steered the White Swans to two successive Cup finals and clinched the League Cup along the way had set the mood right for Albirex's Koichi Sugiyama (pictured above center, with Tatsuro Inui on the left and skipper Shimpei Sakurada on right) claimed the "Coach of the Year" accolade.

Picture credit: FAS (from Great Eastern Yeo's S League's FB page)

Capping his relatively successful debut season for SAFFC, Croatian striker Miroslav Karoglan (pictured above) scored a double on the glittering evening with the "Player of the Year" on top of receiving his "Top Scorer of the Year" award in the same ballroom.

The bitterest victory ....

To many at the game just now at Bishan Stadium, they jolly well knew that Home United's title fate was no longer in their hands after they lost to their closest rivals Tampines Rovers nights ago that saw they being dislodged from the top of the table.

Home United - 2011 League runners-up

Still to the recently crowned Singapore Cup winners, they remained focused with their task tonight and went on to beat a depleted Geylang United 5-0 before collecting the league runners-up cheque of $75,000 and medals from the guest of honour, Mr Sarjit Singh who is the honorary treasurer of the FAS at the end of the night.

Although, one can't help but feeling sorry for the visitors who were playing their first game after more than a month break due to the rescheduling of the league fixtures and resulted them fielding a number of fringe players after having to release three of their imports - Jeon Byung Euk, Daniel Hammond and Yuta Nakano following the fulfilment of their contractual obligation.

While the remaining foreigner - Kim Jae Hong (pictured above second from left) combined decently with national striker Hafiz Rahim upfront, they failed to prick through the brick-like defence of Valery Hiek, Kenji Arai, Rosman Sulaiman and relatively left Protectors' custodian Lionel Lewis alone for the large part of the game.

When asked after the game if this was a successful season for him personally, Home United coach Lee Lim Saeng felt others are in a better position to judge his performance rather than having himself to assess his record this year.

"It's a difficult for me at first when I first arrived in Singapore (last year), as it was a totally different environment from where I was." said coach Lee (pictured above) in the post match press conference held in the club office.

"And that's why I trying to change the mindset of my players to make them work harder, I'm happy some of them responded well and like the case of Firdaus Idros who was called up to the national team recently that I hope for more players to follow up as well." added the Korean coach who recently inked a renewal with the club for another two years.

The game tonight also signalled the end of the national midfielder Isa Halim's (pictured above) involvement with the Bishan-based club as he embarked to his next career move with the M-League bound Singapore Lions squad.

"It's a wonderful three years for me with this club that has been like a family to me and everybody in Home United is so close to each other.

"On a personal note, it's disappointing to lose the league title by one point in a season we had been performed consistently well, but I'm glad that we did won the Singapore Cup being the first title for the club in six years." said Isa.

The other match at Tampines Stadium saw Tampines Rovers beat Balestier Khalsa with the similar scoreline to clinch the League title.

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Hang on to your seat....

Mr Teo Hock Seng, Tampines chairman hugged by his players
after the 1-0 victory over Home United on an atrocious field. 

A decent turn out at the Tampines Stadium saw the epic clash between Tampines Rovers and league leaders Home United on a unplayable surface marred by the heavy downpour before the start.

The condition of the field was so bad that it had proven to be a nightmare for the laundry man after both sides had to change to a new set of jersey before the game resumed for the second half.

Did the soiled jersey brought Latiff the luck?

However, Ahmad Latiff's soiled jersey remained with him and probably that was the reason why (that must have brought him luck) his strike in the 62nd minute from outside the box had triggered wild celebration after it beaten Protectors' custodian Lionel Lewis.

This marked a crucial moment for the season title race as the champions would only be made known on this coming Sunday when both Stags and Protectors will be featured in a double-header at their home turf.

(Just like last year when the League Trophy had to decide its final venue at the dying moments)

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[Feature] Isa Halim strives for optimum fitness with H-TWO-O!‏

(This entry is formulated with the transcript obtained from S.League title sponsor, H-TWO-O, via the Football Association of Singapore)

Isa and H-TWO-O - a perfect combination

Boasting a score of 13.3 in the pre-season beep test, Home United and Singapore national team midfielder Isa Halim is one of the best in the business.

After seven seasons in the S.League, Isa has proven year after year that he is one player who thrives on doing well in the beep test and he puts it down to H-TWO-O.

“The Beep Test is one of the toughest hurdles we have to go through prior to the start of each season."said the midfielder who started out his career with Woodlands Wellington.

"For that, I always ensure that I prepare well for it by constantly hydrating myself with H-TWO-O before, during and after each work out session in order to recharge and replenish my body with ample fluids and carbohydrates to take on the beep test." he added.

Isa in action for the national team against Iraq

Renowned for his tough-tackling and industrious play in the middle of the park, Isa has kept his standard as one of the top midfielders of the Lion City since he first started his career back in 2005.

"When I first started playing football professionally, I didn’t know how important it is to take care of my diet and hydration to ensure that I am in top form.

"Now as a seasoned footballer, I have learnt how crucial it is to prepare and recover correctly in order to have a successful career." as the boyish-looking star appreciate the well being factors of that of a good football player.

Isa helped Home United recently to win the Singapore Cup

Indeed, together with his Home United team-mate Lionel Lewis, Isa is also a proud endorser of H-TWO-O for the past three years and walk-the-talk the benefits of being well hydrated.

The isotonic giant has always been a frontrunner when it comes to hydration for athletes and for the past seven years, H-TWO-O has played a key role as title sponsor of the S.League to provide players with the proper hydration in training and matches.

Can Isa Halim keep up with the benchmark he set in 2011? With H-TWO-O in his corner, you can be sure that it will happen.

Back to HOME...

HUFC's skipper Shi Jiayi hoisted the Cup

It was indeed a hard fought triumph for Home United who with the win over Albirex Niigata (Singapore) had claimed the accolade being the most successful Singapore Cup side with their fifth record win.

Cautious play from both sides dominated much of the play with Albirex stroking the ball around the park with possessive tactics that failed to shackle the rock solid defence line of Rosman Sulaiman, Kenji Arai and man-of-the-match, Valery Hiek.

Valery Hiek (no 13) - rock solid in the Protectors defence

However, their counterparts were equally up to the task to contain usually reliable strikeforce spearheaded with Fred Mendy and Sherif El-Masri who were frustrated countless time by the lack of luck during the match.

Did the officials spot this "infringement" to deny Mendy first?

Just as the thought of having the match to go into extra time loomed over the sky of Tyrwhitt Road, Mendy finally found his header at the back of the net that was only to be overruled due to an infringement (pictured above).

Again with the match being perceived to head into the cruelty of penalty shootout, the lanky Frenchman finished off from close range off a Hiek latch-on header from inside the box to send the Cup to Bishan Stadium.

 Agony for Albirex's 'keeper Yoshito Matsushita (no 1) after the match

By the time everything is over at the Jalan Besar Stadium, moments after the night of glory, the title contenders didn't pop the champagne just yet.

Instead, it'll be back to the business the following day as the victorious Protectors will be at their Bishan base for their recovery session ahead of the ultimate clash against Tampines Rovers on coming Wednesday.

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[Not-So-Instant Reaction] after we won and packed up as well...

Read a tweet from my timeline that goes like this before the Indonesia-Malaysia SEA Games match after the Cubs defeated the supposedly perennial powerhouses Thailand 2-0.

"This is e first (and probably will be e only) time a 2-0 win over Thailand feels like a defeat..."

Can't blame that sense of pessimistic when the Cubs initially failed in achieving the target that mammoth task of four goals against the Thais because the goal difference between them and the Malaysians, whom they defeated the hosts to progress to the semi-finals.

Anyway, will not comment on the game itself when I did not see the match in the first place (due to work again).

However, gathered from the timeline it was perceived that the Cubs were better up against their opponents with several offside decisions that went against them in the second half that one suggested it would have been 5-0.

At the end of the day when your fate is not in your hands, one just have to learn and accept the eventual outcome after a not-so-smooth-sailing preparation throughout the almost one whole year.

"It was a very good performance by the boys and I am pleased for them. You cannot fault their effort tonight and throughout the tournament, they followed the game plans we had and tried their very best." said coach Slobodan Pavkovic after match.

Added the concurrent FAS Technical Director:"When the draw was made, we knew we were up against very good opponents in Group A and worked towards preparing the team for the tournament."

"It has been a tough journey for us and I apologise on behalf of the team to the fans for the disappointment of not making it to the knockout stages." said team captain Hariss Harun.

"We tried our best to pull together despite all the issues we faced here in Jakarta and back home but we still fell short.

"Nevertheless, we will take the lessons learnt and come back stronger for the next SEA Games.” concluded the "Boy Wonder"

(Quotes extracted from media release issued by FAS after the match.)

"Tonight there seems to be more China supporters than the locals...."

Picture tells a THOUSAND words....

Decent first half defensive display by the Lions until the sucker punch that came in the 42nd minute to see the well placed grounder by Yu Hai (pictured below foreground) to give the Chinese the headstart before end of the first period.

As what they always said in football that conceding a goal at this juncture of any game would have a psychological demoralizing effect on team that conceded that goal.

That is the kind of curse that seemed to haunt the Lions soon after the game restart when the Chinese skipper Li Weifeng's header sunk home in the 55th minute.

If only this shot by Duric didn't hit the beam in the 2nd Half

Despite having a man sent off that gave them numerical advantage, the Lions failed to capitalize and eventually allowed the visitors to tap in two more goals to seal the deal.

Despite the downside of the result, Home United's striker Firdaus Idros (pictured above on left) was singled out during the post match media conference by assistant coach V Sundramoorthy as one of those who performed well.

The former Singapore striker also added:"Tonight there seems to be more China supporters than the locals and I think we need to work very hard to bring them back to the stadium."

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[Instant Reaction] Left to fight for pride.... [edited]

Screen-grab from the livestreaming

When asked after the loss to the Jordanians earlier in their first meeting of the qualifiers if we still stand a chance of making to the next round, assistant coach V Sundramoorthy said there's still "mathematical" chance of doing so if we could take "maximum points out of the remaining matches".

So when referee Ben Williams of Australia blew to signal the end of the match at Amman where the hosts beating the visiting Lions 2-0, it's clear that we are left to fight for our pride for the remaining matches against China and Iraq.

We were practically camped inside our own half since the start and the slip up on the left flank allow the Jordanians to score with an ease passed Lionel Lewis to see Jordan leading 1-0 at half time.

Just like their juniors in Jakarta match against the Indonesians in the SEA Games, a much adventurous display saw the Lions making forays into the Jordanians' half in the second period and being denied a legitimate goal via a Shi Jiayi's header in the six-yard.

Picture credit: FAS

Speaking at the post-match press conference, assistant coach V.Sundramoorthy (pictured above) said: “First of all, on behalf of the team I would like to congratulate Jordan for making it into the next round. As for the game itself, it was a tough game in this cold weather but the boys gave it their all only to lose to a better opponent. I wish Jordan the best of luck in the next round and with the team they have, I am sure they will do well.”

Tough Luck Lions and we once again lost to better side in Jordan...

(Quotes extracted from FAS media release after the match)

So they benefited from a "better head start" ?? [edited]

Like mentioned, I did not get to see the match that Cubs lost to the Indonesians due to work.

However, here's the Youtube clip of the match via a Vietnamese broadcaster.

General thoughts of the game gathered online lauded the performance of the Singapore side for keeping the scoreline respectable especially with their performance in the second half, after conceding two goals and a player sent off (Nigel Vanu)in the first half.
While some may blasted the Filipino referee for his handling of the match (as told), a friend feedback via SMS thought otherwise as he opined...

"The ref from philippines was first rate and had to penalise indonesians repeatedly for diving etc nigel (Vanu) had to go ref spot on if you watch a game in a one eyed way you do not get a true picture i am certain the indo fans felt the ref was hard on them as he kept denying them free kicks as he could read their tricks and was eagle eyed picking up infringements"

Now we are left with a mountain to climb with Thailand up next, although an earlier report on Mediacorp's TODAY did suggest if the organizers' planning of the footballing fixtures had in a way given Indonesian the head start ahead the rest?

Following the match, the Cubs' team manager Ashiq Idris said:"Coming into this game with the objective of getting a win after two good performances would have put us in a position to beat the Indonesian defence.

"However, conceding an early goal and losing a player in the 22nd minute, we had to make changes to our tactics. We then also faced many challenges in the match. Having said that, we will shift our focus onto the next all-important match against Thailand." he added

(Quotes extracted from the media release issued by FAS after the match)

First LEGO block laid???

(This entry is formulated from the media release issued by the Football Association of Singapore)

Much had been said about the revitalizing of the local football scene with talks of plans, ideas, etc. that kept coming from the pipeline which finally saw the first LEGO block laid in the foundation for such rebuilding.

Expansion of the capacity will take place at this part of JBS

In a media release released by the Football Association of Singapore this evening, it was announced the much touted expansion of the Jalan Besar Stadium will go ahead with 2,000 additional seats will be built parallel to King George's Avenue, along with two corporate VIP boxes built at the Grandstand section of the stadium.

Sharing his thoughts following the announcement, Mr Zainudin Nordin., the FAS president said:"I believe that the expansion of the seating capacity at Jalan Besar Stadium by 30% will help us reach out to more football fans and enable them to watch both the thrilling 2012 M.League and S.League season matches ‘live’ at the stadium and enjoy the match day experience."

Better viewing experience for the fans ??

All expansion works are expected to be completed in time for the opening match for the Malaysia Super League in January 2012 when a team represent the Republic will be featured for the first time since 1994, according to the same release.

Concluding his thoughts, the former Mayor of Central Singapore CDC revealed that "more details pertaining to other key initiatives and programmes will be announced shortly".

SHALL wait and see what are in store for us then...

[Instant Reaction] Much spirited performance from the Cubs...

Two contrasting emotions depicted in the picture snapped off the television after the game with a grim-looking Cambodian's Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon (top half of the picture) pondering what could have gone wrong after two straight defeats in Jakarta.

While his counterpart Sloban Pavkovic (below half) breathe a sight of relieve having see the Cubs came back from a goal deficit to beat the Khmers 2-1 in the near-empty Senayan with headers from Khairul Nizam and Nigel Vanu.

Following the thumping loss against the Indonesia, the Khmers started off with a fluke goal in the first half that caught all by surprise, before having to see the game slipped away with the Cubs gaining more of the dominance in the second.

Already under fire from the press back in Cambodia over his recent handling of the team's affairs, Lee's future with the Khmers certainly look shaky that even before the start of the tournament my fellow blogger, Phnom Pehn based Andy Brouwer of Kingdom of Football blogged a bleak outlook before they arrive in Indonesia.

Nonetheless, a much better showing from the Cubs in their second group match in terms of being more adventurous upfront, although the concern back at home is still the lack of the clinical touches in front of goal and the number of yellow cards accumulated.

[Instant Reaction] I don't know man..... Singapore 0-0 Malaysia [edited]

Screen-grab off TV after the game was over...

The just concluded match saw the Cubs walked away with a 0-0 draw against the defending SEA Games champions Malaysia at the Senanyan in Jakarta in this "Group of Death" opener.

Due to work, I could only watched the second half of the match and therefore I am not in the best position to give an all-round review of the match.

Based on the tweets I gathered while the first half was played it seemed that we had a good start until the Harimau Muda settled into the later stages of the first period to dominate the play with slight better percentage in holding the ball.

Yet, it was the Cubs that had the chance of the match when a tweet suggested the following: -

Fazli Ayob with the best chance of the day when he twisted and turned 3 Msia players before Khairul Fahmi saves his shot.

While another tweet looked into a more tactical side of the match when he added -

They should have a three man midfield with Hariss (Harun) anchor n (Firdaus Kasman) with (Shahdan Sulaiman) supporting the striker...

Since most of the matches to be played under scorching sun, a tweet cheekily opined that:-

I hope all those 5pm games pays off in this hot weather

apparently because the bulk of the Cubs played their home game at 5pm for the Games prep team in the S.League, so he might suggest the effort will pay off in this biennial tournament.

Nonetheless, the failure of hold on to the possession for large part of the second period may have caused the Cubs dearly as some poor passing plays led to some chances created that looked hard to make any opportunity counted.

However, what could be more worrying when coach Slobodan Pavković is the number of the yellow cards accumulated in the game, although commentator Mark Richmond remarked it should be a result he must be pleased.

Speaking after the goalless draw, Coach Pavkovic said, “This was a game against the defending champions who have been preparing for a long time for this SEA Games, so I think it is one point gained rather than two points lost.”

“I think the boys played well and executed our plan correctly. We had quite a number of chances in the game and we were in control of the game at different points. This is very positive and I am happy with my team’s performance in this match." added the Serbian who concurrently serves as the FAS Technical Director and is the main person behind the implementation of the "National Football Syllabus".

Well, I don't know man...

(Quotes of coach Pavkovic extracted from the FAS media release after the game)

[SEA Games] Finalized Finally .... [edited]

Initially, when I gathered the news of the SEA Games squad being announced via some sources online I thought the nagging NS issue that had been bothering some of the boys had already settled at the nick of time.

It was only later when I opened my mailbox and saw the official release from the Football Association of Singapore regarding the squad list and realized the word "Provisional" in between the key words.

(Picture above right) Emmeric Ong, in white top, already enlisted
and not able to join the squad in Jakarta

So nothing is confirmed just yet and a number of the boys below are still keeping their fingers crossed as they are just a week away facing Malaysia at Jakarta.

Imaging just the night before leaving for Indonesia and the enlistment letter arrive in the letterbox ... Good Grief -___-

UPDATE...
Days later on 2nd November, FAS released an update of the new squad list with the inclusion of the Yasir Hanapi (pictured below left) from Home United to make it a 20-man squad with the word "Provisional" omitted from the subject title.

The Updated list squad List as follows...

20-man Singapore Men’s Football Squad List for 26th SEA Games

S/N	Full Name	Position	Club
1	Chan Yuhui (Jasper)	GK	CYL
2	Hariss S/O Harun	MF	CYL
3	Mohamad Izwan Bin Mahbud	GK	CYL
4	Mohammad Afiq Bin Yunos	DF	CYL
5	Muhammad Al-Qaasimy Bin Abdul Rahman	DF	CYL
6	Muhammad Faris Bin Ramli	MF	CYL
7	Muhammad Fazli Bin Ayob	FW	CYL
8	Muhammad Hafiz Bin Abu Sujad	MF	CYL
9	Muhammad Irwan Shah Bin Arismail	DF	CYL
10	Muhammad Khairul Nizam Bin Mohammad Kamal	FW	CYL
11	Muhammad Safuwan Bin Baharudin	DF	CYL
12	Muhammad Shahir Bin Hamzah	DF	CYL
13	Muhammad Zulfahmi Bin Mohd Arifin	MF	CYL
14	Navin Neil Vanu	FW	CYL
15	Quak Jun Yi (Gabriel)	MF	CYL
16	Safirul Bin Sulaiman	MF	CYL
17	Shahdan Bin Sulaiman	MF	CYL
18	Muhammad Yasir Bin Hanapi	MF	HUFC
19	Loo Zhan Quan Gary	MF	TPUFC
20	Mohammad Firdaus Bin Kasman	MF	TRFC