Monday, April 28, 2008
Home United v Balestier Khalsa 1-2
What a game!
When you get the unbeaten top of the league side hosting the bottom of table side there is, you would expect, one winner.
Home United started on the attack with midfield play maker Peres de Olivera controlling things exqusitely but apart from a flurry of questionable free kicks on the edge of the area Home rarely threatened the visiting keeper Daniel Ong.
For all their possession it was Balestier who looked lively on the break with Paul Bekombo and Mba Vitus Onyekachi being ably supported by their hard working midfield.
With Home squandering chance after chance from set plays it was perhaps no surprise when Po Yi Feng gave the Tigers the lead 3' before half time.
Second half the pitiful crowd of just over 1,000 settled back for the Home onslaught but what we got was more of the same. Ludovick finally did equalise after Ong had fumbled a corner with 8' to go but this game wasn't over.
After a mix up in the Home defence from a corner Khalsa, attacking in numbers with 5' on the clock got an unlikely winner when Farhan Musbah turned home after captain Haruki Seto injured himself stretching for the ball.
The travelling support went mad as did the players and the bench while the Home fans looked on distraught. Smash and grab!
The ref added 6 minutes as first Seto then Ong recieved treatment but the points and the glory belonged to Balestier Khalsa.
Inspired by Robbie Savage lookalike Seto at the back Khalsa never stopped going for the three points in this pulsating game that was evidence indeed the SLeague is becoming an attraction in it's own right.
The only downside was the attendance and I will be looking at some of the challenges the SLeague faces in attracting the paying punter in this week's ESPN column I hope!
When you get the unbeaten top of the league side hosting the bottom of table side there is, you would expect, one winner.
Home United started on the attack with midfield play maker Peres de Olivera controlling things exqusitely but apart from a flurry of questionable free kicks on the edge of the area Home rarely threatened the visiting keeper Daniel Ong.
For all their possession it was Balestier who looked lively on the break with Paul Bekombo and Mba Vitus Onyekachi being ably supported by their hard working midfield.
With Home squandering chance after chance from set plays it was perhaps no surprise when Po Yi Feng gave the Tigers the lead 3' before half time.
Second half the pitiful crowd of just over 1,000 settled back for the Home onslaught but what we got was more of the same. Ludovick finally did equalise after Ong had fumbled a corner with 8' to go but this game wasn't over.
After a mix up in the Home defence from a corner Khalsa, attacking in numbers with 5' on the clock got an unlikely winner when Farhan Musbah turned home after captain Haruki Seto injured himself stretching for the ball.
The travelling support went mad as did the players and the bench while the Home fans looked on distraught. Smash and grab!
The ref added 6 minutes as first Seto then Ong recieved treatment but the points and the glory belonged to Balestier Khalsa.
Inspired by Robbie Savage lookalike Seto at the back Khalsa never stopped going for the three points in this pulsating game that was evidence indeed the SLeague is becoming an attraction in it's own right.
The only downside was the attendance and I will be looking at some of the challenges the SLeague faces in attracting the paying punter in this week's ESPN column I hope!
# posted by Me @ 5:34 AM 
