Central Park

1

vs

Afifi United

0

Sharks claimed a double over leaders Afifi United in the return leg with a solitary strike from Heng Li in the 28th minute as they claimed a slim 1-0 lead over at Orchid Park Secondary School on Sunday. The goal was a rare one from the Sharks chief striker where he finished with aplomb from 30 yards out giving the backpedalling Afifi United custodian no chance as it nestled into the top right hand corner of the net. The strike was enough for Sharks to claim all 3 points despite having a goal disallowed later in the game where the refeereing standard left much to be desired.

The team knew that nothing less than a victory would be enough as the Sharks kicked off the game welcoming back Vincent marshalling his defense after missing last weekend. There were few changes to the team that took the field last weekend with Zhuoneng taking one of the slot in defense and Isaac spearheading the attack together with Aaron as Na'eem was dropped back to midfield. The early exchanges were tight as both teams tried to give nothing away but the order of the day seemed clear when the opposition picked up an early booking when Aaron was pulled back enroute to goal. As the game wore on, it seemed clear that it was one of those games whereby the team that scored first would naturally hold the impetus in the game. Right on cue, Isaac was presented with an opportunity when a rare error from the opposition defense presented him with a one-on-one opportunity but he dragged his shot wide to the near post. His strike partner Aaron however were subdued on a couple of occasions and he was substituted shortly with Jiayong taking his place while the fast tiring Brendan came off as Naoki took his place in midfield. It didn't change the pattern of play much for the Sharks but right on the 28th minute, a long punt from Michael found Heng Li who brought the ball down instanteneously and with his fellow player looking for the pass, the striker looked up and found the custodian off his line and with a sweet strike off his right foot, his shot had goal written all over it as it found the back of the net to give his team the lead. Afifi however tried to get back into the game with their quick breaks on the wings but the likes of Yi Quan and Zhuoneng were rarely beaten with the latter putting his body across near the end of the first half when the opposition had a clear sight on goal, protecting his goalkeeper Michael from making a save.

Second half saw Afifi trying to get the crucial goal to level the game but time and time again, Sharks defensive quartet stifled a number of those forays and only giving their opposite number opportunities from outside the box. As the game wore on, it seemed that the game will be settled by the solitary strike as chances that fell to Aaron and Na'eem late in the game were terribly wasted but Sharks were given a freekick just outside the area with 5 minutes to go. Yi Quan stepped up to take the kick and it sailed into the back of the net only for it to be disallowed for no apparent reason. Nonetheless, Sharks held on for the crucial win as they take a week's break before completing their season with the game against Madcats in a fortnight and Suave Fusion in the final game of the season.

The manager commented, 'It was a close encounter with the leaders. Such games are a definite high-adrenaline matchup and that's when the referee have to be crucial in making sure that tackles doesn't become over-zealous. The official today are just a disappointing figure in the middle.