|
The match tilted slightly towards the away team having a better head-to-head statistics since they first met in 2007. With 2 wins in 4 meetings, Sharks were looking for a long afternoon when they could only muster a barebone team for the fixture. With only 1 substitute for the mid-afternoon kickoff, the team knew that they had to double their efforts if they wanted to come away with anything for the game. They did just that and came away with a masterful 5-1 victory with a brace from Murugesan and Naoki while Aaron grabbed another. DHL managed a consolation when Micheal yet again came off with a howler.
Several changes were made to the team with several missing out for the game and the most notable absentees were of vice-captain Vincent who celebrated the birth of his first daughter on Tuesday. Stand-in captain Jeremy Lee thus were handed the reins in the heart of defence, being partnered by Jaleel, Zhuoneng and Charlson. In the middle, the likes of Graeme and Brendan form the backbone in midfield with Jason and Naoki providing support from the wings. Upfront, the absence of key striker Heng Li meant that the goals were rested on the pair of Aaron and Murugesan. Sharks started making their intentions known while DHL were still trying to get a foot in the game. The first few exchanges tilt towards the pairing of Graeme and Brendan in the middle and they were creating opportunities upfront. The pace of Aaron and Murugesan were putting DHL's defense under pressure on several occasion and the best opportunity were created when Murugesan sent the ball across the box but Aaron was just too slow to react to the opportunities. They had to wait till the 22nd minute when a flick off Aaron's found the lurking Murugesan on the left. The pacy Chennai forward raced thru the box to capitalise on the opportunity.
Shortly afterwards, he could have doubled his tally when his sheer determination created an opportunity for himself but his finishing however were left much to be desired, lobbing the ball over the on-rushing custodian, but misses the target inches wide. Sharks however continued their dominance upfront and but the defense however were tested on several occasions when DHL had a Rory Delap's weapon on their side, those long throws from the sidelines. There were a couple of close shaves and the closest the came to level the score came off a corner but the unchallenged forward could only head the ball wide, as Sharks goes into half-time with a slender 1-0 lead.
DHL started the second half strongly and an indifferent were just left bemused that somehow, they are losing the grip on the game while DHL chased for the leveler. It was against the run of play however when Aaron somehow eased his team's pressure to make it 2-0 when Mohan found the forward making a nice anticipated run into the box. The striker finished cooly to settle his team's nerves. Then on, it was all Sharks and Naoki had a glorious opportunity to put the game beyond doubt but with the ball on his favourite left foot, he somehow shoot tamely across the custodian. The winger had 2 more opportunities to put his name on the scoresheet but somehow, it looked like it was just one of those days. Murugesan however got his 2nd and his team's third of the game when he put the defense under pressure, stole the ball and finished with aplomb from close range. A minute later, Naoki finally managed to break his duck when he dragged his shot across the sea of legs to give his team a commanding 4-0 lead.
At the other end, DHL continued to look dangerous on their long throws and they got their just reward when one of those throws, slipped thru the hands of Michael and into the net, right from the throw-in. Sharks however nailed the 5th goal after some nice build-up play from defense and the finish from Naoki, just outside the box and into the bottom right corner summed up his mood for the game as the team took home all 3 points with a fantastic 5-1 victory.
The manager commented, 'It was important to get the 2nd goal and DHL could have gotten back into the game in the first few minutes of the second-half thus the goal from Aaron was at the crucial stage of the game. Nonetheless, it was a job well done where every player gave their all in the scorching sun.'
|
