“Indiscipline caused us to lose this game. We let emotions rule over us and commit silly fouls" - Richard Bok, SAFFC Coach speaking to sleague.com after the match.
Goals by Kengne Ludovick & Sharil Ishak plus a Man of the match performance by custodian Lionel Lewis gave the Protectors a 2-0 victory over traditional rivals SAFFC tonight at the Jalan Besar Stadium. This win propels HUFC back to the top of the league.
Home United are now the rightful leaders of the S-League with a swashbuckling display of attack football combined with some resolute defending, as a 2-0 win over eternal rivals SAFFC propelled them to the top. In one of the best football showpieces of the season to date, both teams played their hearts out, and the spectators were treated to two goals, two dismissals, and some brilliant, wonderfully crafted moves.
The Protectors had an almost unchanged line up, bar the suspended Shahril Alias, as their opponents had Razif Mahmud taking the place of Shaiful Esah, with Daniel Bennett moving across to left back. Ashrin Shariff, who would go on to endure a frustrating night, struck the post as early as the third minute. Undaunted, Mani expertly shepherded the ball out of play. Rosman and Swee Swee have to be noted for their bravery though, as first Rosman had to get in Ashrin’s way to prevent him from getting a clear strike, then Swee Swee had to deny Noor Ali on several occasions to prevent a goal. The lad even got on the receiving end of a nasty tackle by the Warriors skipper, who should have been cautioned.
Though the Warriors failed to carve out meaningful moves, as Therdsak and Wilkinson threatened only from set pieces and long-range attempts respectively. On 18 minutes, Qiu Li received the ball in the middle and laid it on for Ludovick, who set Jia Yi free on the right. He returned the favour by delivering an inch-perfect cross that evaded the defence, as the Cameroonian had the freedom of the box to ram home with a first touch. 1-0 to the Protectors and they were coasting. Meanwhile, Lionel was getting influential as time passed, as he single handedly kept the opponents at bay.
Though Ludovick could have put Home two up before the break, SAFFC had other ideas. Mani had to perform a brilliant last-ditch tackle to save the goal once again. Diakite was slowly but surely getting into the match, as he marked Duric stone dead who at times was scraping the ground. Juma’at Jantan, returning from suspension, stung Toh Guo’An’s fingers with a shot of his own. It looked like the battle of the keepers as the heroic Lionel was kept busy.
Second half began with the frustration getting increasingly evident on the Warriors’ faces. Never mind discipline, fair play was gradually whittled down to zero as referee Abdul Malik tried to restore order on several occasions. The disappointing Ashrin, who was to be replaced by Masrezwan Masturi later on, found no change out of our own Lionel as he tipped his shot over the bar. The supporters nearly had their hearts in their mouths, as the Warriors persisted with their forays upfront. The defence stood firm with Diakite in outstanding form, i.e. ‘Thou Shalt Not Pass’. One goal was never enough though.
The second half was all Home United as the fast players unnerved the opposition defence with their searing pace. Possession was aplenty, as the awful Warriors could find no rhythm. On 66 minutes, a swift counter attack set up by Mani found Juma’at free on the left. He wasted little time as he slalomed past the defenders and shot at goal. Toh could not keep it out, and all was left to Shahril Ishak who showed no mercy. He pounced on the ball and sent a stinger into the net. The Protectors were 2-0 up. It was curtains and the Warriors hung their heads, knowing there was no way back.
The match ended with seven yellow cards overall and two dismissals for SAFFC, with Kenji Arai punished for a professional foul on Ludovick who was clearly headed for goal. Mustaqim Mansur got his marching orders against his former club with a second bookable offence. Lionel still had to be kept alert as he cleared another goalbound effort before punching the ball clear from the resulting corner.
Lionel was deservedly crowned man-of-the-match. Despite that, the modest lad insisted luck had gone his way, but there was no doubting his efforts. He had won Home the game, along with Mani and Diakite. With this victory, the Protectors can look forward to further strengthen their grip at the top. Next bring on the Eagles next Wednesday.
Home United are now the rightful leaders of the S-League with a swashbuckling display of attack football combined with some resolute defending, as a 2-0 win over eternal rivals SAFFC propelled them to the top. In one of the best football showpieces of the season to date, both teams played their hearts out, and the spectators were treated to two goals, two dismissals, and some brilliant, wonderfully crafted moves.
The Protectors had an almost unchanged line up, bar the suspended Shahril Alias, as their opponents had Razif Mahmud taking the place of Shaiful Esah, with Daniel Bennett moving across to left back. Ashrin Shariff, who would go on to endure a frustrating night, struck the post as early as the third minute. Undaunted, Mani expertly shepherded the ball out of play. Rosman and Swee Swee have to be noted for their bravery though, as first Rosman had to get in Ashrin’s way to prevent him from getting a clear strike, then Swee Swee had to deny Noor Ali on several occasions to prevent a goal. The lad even got on the receiving end of a nasty tackle by the Warriors skipper, who should have been cautioned.
Though the Warriors failed to carve out meaningful moves, as Therdsak and Wilkinson threatened only from set pieces and long-range attempts respectively. On 18 minutes, Qiu Li received the ball in the middle and laid it on for Ludovick, who set Jia Yi free on the right. He returned the favour by delivering an inch-perfect cross that evaded the defence, as the Cameroonian had the freedom of the box to ram home with a first touch. 1-0 to the Protectors and they were coasting. Meanwhile, Lionel was getting influential as time passed, as he single handedly kept the opponents at bay.
Though Ludovick could have put Home two up before the break, SAFFC had other ideas. Mani had to perform a brilliant last-ditch tackle to save the goal once again. Diakite was slowly but surely getting into the match, as he marked Duric stone dead who at times was scraping the ground. Juma’at Jantan, returning from suspension, stung Toh Guo’An’s fingers with a shot of his own. It looked like the battle of the keepers as the heroic Lionel was kept busy.
Second half began with the frustration getting increasingly evident on the Warriors’ faces. Never mind discipline, fair play was gradually whittled down to zero as referee Abdul Malik tried to restore order on several occasions. The disappointing Ashrin, who was to be replaced by Masrezwan Masturi later on, found no change out of our own Lionel as he tipped his shot over the bar. The supporters nearly had their hearts in their mouths, as the Warriors persisted with their forays upfront. The defence stood firm with Diakite in outstanding form, i.e. ‘Thou Shalt Not Pass’. One goal was never enough though.
The second half was all Home United as the fast players unnerved the opposition defence with their searing pace. Possession was aplenty, as the awful Warriors could find no rhythm. On 66 minutes, a swift counter attack set up by Mani found Juma’at free on the left. He wasted little time as he slalomed past the defenders and shot at goal. Toh could not keep it out, and all was left to Shahril Ishak who showed no mercy. He pounced on the ball and sent a stinger into the net. The Protectors were 2-0 up. It was curtains and the Warriors hung their heads, knowing there was no way back.
The match ended with seven yellow cards overall and two dismissals for SAFFC, with Kenji Arai punished for a professional foul on Ludovick who was clearly headed for goal. Mustaqim Mansur got his marching orders against his former club with a second bookable offence. Lionel still had to be kept alert as he cleared another goalbound effort before punching the ball clear from the resulting corner.
Lionel was deservedly crowned man-of-the-match. Despite that, the modest lad insisted luck had gone his way, but there was no doubting his efforts. He had won Home the game, along with Mani and Diakite. With this victory, the Protectors can look forward to further strengthen their grip at the top. Next bring on the Eagles next Wednesday.
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