IHG - Soccer (20/Jan/11)

Pictures can be view at : Click Here

Hall6 vs Hall4 [Proceed to Semi]

2 : 1

hall 6 took on hall 4 in the quarter-finals of IHG soccer this Sunday afternoon. after capping an impressive comback win against last year's runner up hall 11, hall 4 seemed intent to make an impact after losing to the same opponent in the same round last year. with 2 foreign imports in their ranks, it remains to be seen what they can do. hall 6, on the other hand, was missing midfield lynchpin, Feroz. a shuffling in the attack saw Bull coming in for the first match of the season. Colin shifts to the right wing, while Juff drops to the left wing. Gabz was push up to partner khai in the striking department.

the first half seemed to be a one-way traffic. hall 4 started settling down better, and dominated the game with their hardworking midfield pressuring hall 6 whenever we got the ball, causing us to lose plenty of possession. on the 13th minute, sloppy defence caused confusion within the box, as hall 4 threatened to open the scoring. our goalkeeper was again tested by hall 4's #76 on the 22nd minute, where he shot right outside the box. however, he failed to trouble our experienced keeper who collected the ball with ease. 

hall 4 came closest to scoring on the 27th minute, where a freekick from the left was floated in and met with a good header by hall 4's forward. the ball was directed at the bottom right corner of the goal. thankfully, it ended up on the wrong side of the post. hall 6 survives yet again. barely a minute later, there was once again miscommunication amongst the defence as hall 4 poured forward with another counterattack. unfortunately for hall 4, luck was simply not on their side. their domination in possession did not materialise into the crucial goal that they were looking for.

the deadlock was broken 5 minutes before the end of the first half. in the first proper attack of hall 6, a patient buildup play from the defence saw Gabz gaining possession on the right. He skilfully skipped past 2 hall 4 defenders and sent a low cross into the awaiting Juff inside hall 4's 6 yard box. Juff needs no second invitation, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom left. hall 6 took the lead at half time, albeit not deservingly.

after some pep-talk by the coach at half time, hall 6 started the second half much brighter. the flow of the passing seemed to improve, but something still seemed lacking in the centre of the park, where hall 4 is able to gain possession far too easily. on the 45th minute, hall 4 picked up the ball in midfield and sprayed in out left to #91. this move seemed to have split the defence apart. #91 took the ball into the box under pressure from Melvin, and produced a stunning lobbed goal that left our keeper rooted. (Actually, I think he was looking to cross.) Its now one apiece and all to play for.

the equaliser seemed to be a wakeup call for hall 6 as we started to attack with more intent. however, we are still losing out on the tenacity and bite that hall 4 displayed. they seem more eager to win, fighting for every ball as if it was their last. 

hall 6 had their chances with several set pieces. Juff played in some good in swinging corners that got the crowd on the edge of their seats each time the ball was floated into the box. unfortunately, the final touch was lacking. Khai also had a chance on goal on the 54th minute when we were awarded a freekick right outside the box. he hit the ball straight into the arms of their Argentinian keeper. 

on the 70th minute, hall 4 missed a glorious opportunity to put themselves in front. both Kennard and Melvin went for the same ball, leaving the left side exposed. hall 4's #86 nicked in and gained possession just outside the box. it was a 3-on-1 situation, in hall 4's favour. instead of releasing the left player for an open shot at goal, he chose to go for goal himself,  blasting the ball wide and pulling his calf in the process.

hall 6 continued to pressure and was finally rewarded in the 74th minute. another corner from Juff caused panic in the box. the ball seemed destined for the net when hall 4's defender made a last ditch attempt to clear. unfortunately, the ball hit his hand. the referee pointed to the spot without any hesitation. the crowd held their breath, as Khai made no mistake, dispatching the ball into the bottom left corner. hall 6 regains its lead.

the final 8 minutes of the game saw hall 6 defend resolutely as hall 4 poured forward. the game seemed to have ended when the referee awarded hall 4 a freekick at the final minute of the game. the ball was floated in, but was cleared by Kennard in the last play of the game.

we won the game today despite not playing well. credits to hall 4 for showing more determination to win, which was what I felt was lacking in us today. an anonymous supporter also commented that we waited for the ball to come to us instead of going for the ball, which hopefully can be rectified in tomorrow's semi final.

tomorrow, which is monday, we will take on hall 5 in the semi-final encounter. hall 5 won hall 3 in the group stages this season, thus they must not be taken lightly. we will also definitely need all the support we can have tomorrow to ensure we emerge triumphant tomorrow. and since tomorrow is a school day, there's no reason for you not to be there. so see you there at SRC main field at 6.30pm!

Player List