Central Park

5

vs

Gabrielite Remix

3

Sharks continued their march towards the summit with a thumping 5-3 victory over Gabrielite Remix on Sunday with Isaac grabbing a brace while Harold, Graeme and Brendan finding the back of the net to complete the scoreline. Gabrielite however were close to pull off yet another upset, just like the meeting between both teams when they ran out 1-3 winners after taking the lead against the run of play in the first half. Isaac however level things up before Harold gave his team a 2-1 lead for half-time. Brendan increased his team's lead just after the restart before Gabrielite yet again narrowed the deficit. Further goals from Isaac and Graeme however ensured the victory for the team before the Sharks conceded a consolation just before full-time.

The team came out firing on all cyclinders as they pegged Gabrielite in their own half for the first few minutes of the game. The opposition however were managing the waves and waves of the Sharks attack which could have bore fruit for the team but Isaac's header early in the game just graze the crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Harold had a glorious opportunity to grab the opener when he found himself on a one-on-one situation but the opposition custodian pull off a fantastic save off his knees. Just when Sharks had their tails up for the game, Gabrielite hit them on the counter and from the tinest of angle, they grabbed the opener much to the surprise of the team. The manager however were none too concern of the shocking score as his team kicked off in similar style, camping in the opposition half for the equaliser. Sharks had no less than 7 corners inside 20 minutes of the first half and they made it count when Isaac rose highest to find the back of the net. Just before that, Graeme could have level things up but his free header just lacked any power when he rose unchallenged from yet another corner.

At the other end, the opposition were taking advantage of a high Sharks defense by making forays in the middle of the park, leaving Jaleel having to notch his game a little higher as he found his marker a little notch quicker. Sharks on the other hand could have taken the lead when a long drive by Sho were only denied by the crossbar. Just before half-time, Sharks went 2-1 up. A goal they richly deserved when a quick pass in the middle by Heng Li found Harold making his run into the box with a simple tap-in.

Sharks made several changes to bolster their defense and they increased their lead right after kickoff. Jiayong winning possession in the middle and the midfielder released Harold on the right as the latter find Brendan who made no mistake from six yards to find the back of the net with his first touch of the game. 3-1 up and complacency begin to creep into Sharks play as the opposition pulled a goal back, right after Sharks failed to score off the penalty spot when Yi Quan was brought down in the box. Harold however missed his penalty after his shot his the bar, his second miss from the spot in as many opportunities. Nonetheless, Sharks made sure of the win when Isaac continued to celebrate his renewed confidence upfront to score his second and his team's fourth of the game. Graeme grabbed the fifth of the game before he was shortly substituted by Kit. Sharks continued to pile the pressure upfront and could have added a couple more but the closest they came was via Heng Li but his header was cleared off the line.

The manager commented, 'It's worrying to see the way we have been conceding goals and we need to tighten up. Despite Gabrielite taking a shock lead in the first half, we were always in control of the game and with the numerous opportunities we created today, the team kept playing their own game and was duly rewarded.'