By REDintern Kenneth Tan

Jalan Besar Stadium, Thursday, March 4, 2010 - French newcomers Etoile FC overcame the challenge of a rejuvenated Sengkang Punggol side by one goal to nil to march on to the League Cup final where they will face Woodlands Wellington.

Before the match, both sides had their own aspirations to fulfill. Etoile FC wanted to win their first major trophy in their short stint in Singapore football while Sengkang desired a first major trophy in their history. Both sides have already played each other this season in the S. League in a 2-2 draw just two weeks ago at the same ground.

Etoile FC set out their attacking intent right from the start, as they pumped a few dangerous crosses into the box to exploit forward Anthony Moulin's height. However Sengkang goalkeeper Fadhil Salim anticipated the crosses well and collected the majority of them.

A hardworking approach and a determined defence saw Sengkang hold their own in the first 20 minutes. Canadian midfielder Murphy Wiredu had a free kick palmed away, while Guinean midfielder Abdoulaye Diallo shot wide of the right-hand post from outside the box.

The first clear-cut chance of the match fell to Etoile captain Matthias Verschave on the 24th-minute mark. Winger Karim Boudjema's mishit shot saw the ball reach an unmarked Verschave just in front of goal. However with just the keeper to beat, he curled his effort wide of the top left corner of the goal. That however marked a period of great pressure from the French.

On the 32nd minute, Verschave released Moulin just outside the box with a great cross-field pass from the right flank. With the opportunity to shoot, he opted to cut it back for playmaker Flavien Michelini who produced a cheeky chip that sailed just over the bar.

Barely a minute later, Verschave got onto a through pass from the left flank by Boudjema and strode into the box with just Fadhil to beat. However his attempt was blocked well by Fadhil's legs.

Sengkang also had opportunities of their own thereafter. Murphy Wiredu's header sailed wide of the left-hand post after a great cross from fullback Duncan Elias, while an attempt by Guinea forward Mamadou Diallo inside the box was denied by a fantastic block from Etoile defender Mansour Lakehal.

The first half ended goalless but the deadlock was soon broken after play resumed in the second half. On 51 minutes, an inswinging corner whipped in from the right by Boudjema reached an unmarked Moulin who proceeded to head into the bottom left corner of the net.

Sengkang tried to hit back 10 minutes later, but were denied by a contentious handball decision. Midfielder Faizal Amir twisted and turned before sending a left-footed cross into the box. Murphy Wiredu's connection with a header saw the ball flick off the hand of Lakehal. However ref K. Kalimuthu gave a corner to Sengkang instead, despite protests coming from Wiredu.

Canadian winger Jordan Webb also had a effort saved on the 70th minute as he cut inside Lakehal and fired a fierce left-footed drive which was parried well by Etoile keeper Yohann Lacroix.

Tempers flared up between both teams following an incident two minutes later. Sengkang defender Shahir Hamzah slid in on Michelini near the left touchline which left the latter lying sprawled on the ground.

Boudjema was clearly unhappy at the challenge on his teammate and was seen to approach Shahir and appeared to swing an arm at him. That sparked a mass brawl between the sides which only died down after certain players of each side helped to calm each other down. This incident also caused a huge uproar among the fans up in the stands.

The handling of the game by ref K. Kalimuthu did not help either. Shahir deservedly received his second yellow card thereafter, which meant he would play no further part in the game. However Boudjema was not even cautioned for his part in starting the scuffle.

Etoile found more space to pass the ball around after Sengkang were reduced to ten men. Michelini nearly took advantage five minutes later by dribbling past three Sengkang players inside the box before his effort was denied by a combination of a last-ditch block by Diallo and a save by Fadhil.

However Sengkang were not out of the game yet and nearly equalised in the 81st minute. Substitute Farizal Basri's cross into the box was only cleared as far a left winger Jalal who was lurking on the far post. The latter produced a powerful effort that looked destined for the bottom right corner of the net as it went past Lacroix. However Etoile rightback Daniel Nna came out from nowhere to make a last-ditch clearance off the line to deny Jalal.

That was the last significant shot on goal by Sengkang as Etoile dominated the rest of the proceedings with some smooth passing movement in the midfield, making it hard for Sengkang to intercept the ball. At the final whistle, the French fans, who were vocal throughout the game, rose to applaud their heroes as they marched into the League Cup final.

"They had one more day to recover than we did, and I think we were showing the effects of so many games so close together," said Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar according to the official S. League website (www.sleague.com). "It's going to be a long season, and we have enjoyed the experience of going this far in the League Cup. We need to keep giving all of our players exposure and this competition has done that."

Meanwhile Etoile coach Patrick Vallee shared how previous experience helped his team in this game on sleague.com.

"We had played Sengkang before, so we knew what to expect. We made sure we gave them few chances this time, as they are a very good side and can do a lot of damage."

With this win, Etoile FC progress into the final and will face Woodlands this Sunday, 7th March to determine the winner of the 2010 League Cup.

Meanwhile Sengkang Punggol will take on another losing semi-finalists Gombak United to determine who will finish third in the competition.

Local football fans, please turn up at the Jalan Besar Stadium this Sunday to catch the exciting finale to this year's League Cup!

Etoile Lineup
#1 – Yohann Lacroix, #2 – Andrea Damiani, #5 – Loic Leclercq, #6 – Mansour Lakehal, #11 – Karim Boudjema, #14 – Daniel Nna, #7 – Cyril Bagnost, #17 – Flavien Michelini, #21 – Jean-Charles Blanpin, #9 – Matthias Verschave (captain), #19 – Anthony Moulin

Sengkang Lineup
#15 – Fadhil Salim (GK), #18 – Lau Meng Meng, # 6 – Shahir Hamzah, #3 – Nor Azli Yusoff (captain), #14 - Duncan Elias, #2 – Jordan Webb, #12 – Faizal Amir, #13 – Abdoulaye Diallo, #16 – Jalal, #7 – Murphy Wiredu, #22 – Mamadou Diallo

Match Details
3rd/4th place playoff
Sun, 7th March 2010, 5pm
Gombak United vs Sengkang Punggol
Jalan Besar Stadium

Final
Sun, 7th March 2010, 7.25pm
Woodlands Wellington vs Etoile FC
Jalan Besar Stadium