IHG - Soccer (13/Jan/11)

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Hall6 vs Hall7 [Proceed to QF]

2 : 0

the winners pool match of the group stage saw a rematch of the IHG soccer finals 2 years ago where Hall 6 lost narrowly to Hall 7 due to a highly controversial golden goal. while the bulk of both teams have changed since the fateful day, the intense rivalry between the 2 powerhouses were nevertheless evident in what promises to be a exhilarating match. with both side boastings a handful of IVP players in their ranks, a classic encounter was predicted.

in the first 20 minutes of the game, both sides failed to dominate the proceedings with the ball being fought mainly in the middle of the park. while hall 6 seems to be more threatening on the offensive, it did not really pose a problem for the organised hall 7 defence. chances are rare, if any. 

the match suddenly sprung into life in the 23rd minute where a mistake from the hall 7 defence saw the ball rolling narrowly wide past an otherwise empty goal. the resultant corner kick saw Juffri hitting the post. suddenly it was game on. hall 7 was not to be denied, with their star player #7 winning a freekick just outside the box at the 25th minute. he took it himself, and the ball looked destined for the back of the net before Kennard cleared from the goalmouth, much to the relief of the hall 6 supporters.

hall 6 again hit the woodwork on the 30th minute, with Khai hitting the bar from a freekick. in response, hall 7 launched an attack down the right, which flashes through the 6 yard box and their striker failing to make the all important connection. the best chance of the first half went to hall 7 when hall 6 captain Melvin gave away a foul outside the box just before half time. this time round hall 7 had their fair share of the woodwork as the ball hits the bar and caused a goalmouth scramble. Kennard eventually made a last ditch overhead clearance, which led to half time.

no changes were made during half time. hall 7 started the second half brightly with a couple of chances in the first 10 minutes. once again, there was a goalmouth scramble and a last ditch clearance that pulled hall 6 out to safety. the tides started to turn at the 46th minute when Juffri floated in an excellent weighted ball into the box, only for Colin to head wide. not to be discouraged, hall 6 launched another attack from a sprint down the left from Khai, who subsequently crossed for Juffri to hit it on a half volley into the wrong side of the right post. hall 6 is getting close.

the opening goal finally came on the 55th minute from a corner by Juffri. a stingly left footed curler into the 6 yard box met by centreback Omar, who rose highest to head into the net with the keeper rooted. 1-0 to the defending champions.

Juffri was almost rewarded for his hard work at the 60th minute when his shot from outside the box flashes agonisingly across the box when it seemed destined for the bottom left corner of the goal.

the turning point of game occurred at the 62nd minute. the referee, who had been making poor calls all day long, showed a red card to hall 7's #7. he was unhappy with the referee failing to spot a challenge on him, thus lunging in for a similar tackle to show his displeasure, which resulted in a straight red. it was a harsh decision in my opinion, which once again highlighted the dubious decisions made by the referee. with their main attacking supply out, hall 7 seemed to be out of ideas.

substitutions rang in, as hall 7 continued to search for the equaliser despite being a man down. while their efforts were commendable, it exposed the defence to the deadly counter-attacks from hall 6. in the 77th minute, Yanfu sent a defence splitting pass into the path of Khai, who hit the ball over the bar, to the disappointment of the hall 6 supporters. in the 79th minute, Khai was again released down the left, who cut in and sent a shot crashing into the left post. credits to Khai for not giving up when he once again broke the offside trap to receive a pass from Melvin. he was third time lucky as this time round he managed to calmy slot the ball past the incoming keeper with the last shot of the game.

2-0 the final whistle, with a deserved victory to the sixers. the team is starting to show signs of better chemistry, which only leads us to wonder how strong the team is when they unleash their full potential. on a sidenote, despite clinching an important win, there were few supporters present to witness it today. hopefully there will be more supporters to cheer/hit bottles/ hit styrofoam box/scream the team to victory in the future games!

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Best Regards,
Nelson Lim