Sports School go through to Manchester Utd Premier Cup SEA Regional Finals

Story by Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

First Toa Payoh Secondary School, Saturday, April 17, 2010 - Powerhouse Singapore Sports School held their nerve to win the Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) through a penalty shootout that saw them edge past Hong Kah Secondary 5-3.

The MUPC is a worldwide football tournament that gives talented footballers under the age of 15 a chance to showcase their skills and talent and come up against other young footballers around the globe.The tournament is jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United as part of their commitment to grassroots development.

National team players such as Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak and Khairul Amri participated in the tournament back when they were under-15.

In Round 1, Round 2 and the quarter-finals, teams play 20-minute games while in the the semi-finals and final, the games are 40 minutes.

The first of the semi-finals plotted Siglap Secondary against Hong Kah Secondary (Team B), while the second was played out between Singapore Sports School (Team A) and defending champions Seng Kang Secondary.

The turgid affair between Siglap and Hong Kah yielded no goals in the 40 minutes played. Both teams created few scoring opportunities and had to resort to a few hopeful long shots from outside the box. As a result, a penalty shootout decided who would play in the final.

Siglap's Muhd Raihan B Akbar was the first to step up but his effort towards the bottom right corner was palmed away by Hong Kah goalie Muhd Farhan Asri.

Siglap proceeded to convert their next four attempts to keep themselves in the game but Hong Kah were 100% spot-on. Muhd Khidir Mohd Kadir kept himself composed to slot home the winning penalty for Hong Kah into the bottom right corner, wrong-footing Siglap custodian Nurhasbi B Mohd Hussin in the process.

Hong Kah vice-captain Muhd Zulcarlnaen Kifle was visibly delighted after the match.

"Ecstatic!" commented 15-year-old on his team's progess to the final. "Initially we were nervous for the penalty shootout but we managed to calm our nerves and survived it."

"We played according to our coach's instructions - when we get the ball, we pass forward and look for open space," he added.

When quizzed about how his team will approach the final, he said, "We will follow what our coach tells us. Besides that, we will go all out with passion to win the game as we really want to go to the Regional Finals in Thailand."

Next up was the clash between two powerhouses in Sport School and Seng Kang. Sports School proceeded to make a flying start to the match, scoring just two minutes into the game.

A lapse of concentration hit Seng Kang captain Mohd Noor Afiq B Udin as he tried to shepherd a loose ball back to his goalkeeper Sunny Wang after sensing no imminent pressure from the Sport School forwards. However an alert Andin Addie Djayady stole in from just inside the box and duly finished low past the onrushing Sunny Wang.

Andin Addie Djayady nearly doubled Sports School’s lead five minutes later when he found himself in some space to shoot inside the Seng Kang box. However he shot wide of the left-hand post under pressure from both Mohd Noor Afiq and Seng Kang full back Mohd Luqman.

Sports School continued to create goalscoring opportunities. On 11 minutes, right winger Saeki Osamura released Andin Addie Djayady with a through pass from the right flank. However Mohd Luqman produced a superb block to deflect Andin's shot away from goal.

In contrast, Seng Kang struggled to break down the organised Sports School defence who constantly cleared away their crosses in the box. As a result, they had only one real opportunity in the whole match towards the end of the first half.

Muhd Rashe B Abdul Rahman sent in a teasing cross into the box from the right flank which picked out an unmarked Benedict Ang. However Benedict failed to make any decent contact on the ball and ended up landing in the net where the ball did not.

The second half saw Sports School scoring another two goals to end Seng Kang's reign as defending champions.

On 28 minutes, winger Zachary James Delf swivelled past his marker on the left flank before sending a through pass into the box. Captain Adam Bin Swandi found himself unmarked and coolly side-footed the ball into the bottom right corner past Sunny Wang.

Four minutes later, they plunged the final nail in Seng Kang's coffin. A poor clearance by Sunny Wang saw the ball fell straight to Andin Addie Djayady outside the box. Andin wasted no time in dribbling past two Seng Kang defenders and Sunny Wang to slot the ball home into an empty goal.

The 3-0 victory meant Sports School would face Hong Kah in the final while dethroned champions Seng Kang had to pick themselves up to play Siglap in the 3rd/4th placing playoff.

With the experience of beating Seng Kang in the quarter-final group stage last week, Siglap strolled to an unexpected 3-0 victory to achieve the third position.

Once again, Seng Kang conceded a goal barely two minutes after the match had started. A free kick taken by Siglap centre back Muhd Daniel B Masral 30 yards from goal looked to be covered by Seng Kang goalie Sunny Wang when he got both hands on the ball. However he somehow managed to drop the ball within his own legs, gifting Siglap an early leap.

Frustration probably got to Seng Kang forward Benedict Ang three minutes later as he produced a hard challenge on Muhd Daniel which prompted a retaliation by the latter. Both players clashed heads with each other before the referee intervened.

Seng Kang full back Mohd Luqman then went close on six minutes as his header at the far post after a Mohd Helmi B Ridzwan cross came off the the left-hand post.

However Siglap managed to extend their lead on the stroke of half-time. Captain Mahathir B Azeman managed to slalom through the whole Seng Kang defence on the left flank before striding into the box and beating Sunny Wang at his near post.

Four minutes after the restart, Benedict Ang had a chance to pull one back for Seng Kang. However he screwed his shot wide of the left-hand post from inside the box.

It was Siglap who put the icing on the cake late in the second half. Mathathir B Azeman who initially had a volley from outside the box that came off the bar, seized the opportunity seconds later when the ball was half cleared by the Seng Kang defence when he fired yet another volley that sailed right into the bottom left corner, giving Sunny Wang no chance at all.

Seng Kang had one last opportunity in the closing stages but forward Mohd Shameer Aziq B Razak's shot from outside the box came off the left-hand post.

The result meant Siglap finished third in this year's MUPC, while former champions Seng Kang could only finish fourth.

Siglap captain Mathathir B Azeman shared his feelings after the match.

"The first match against Hong Kah was tough," the 14-year-old lamented. "Both teams played very well but we just lost out on luck."

"Congratulations to the team as they worked very hard throughout," he said. "Although we did not achieve our aim of going to the Regional Finals, finishing third is also an achievement. It is close to emulating our predecessors' achievement in 2004 where they finished first."

On a final note, he added, "The majority of the team are Secondary Twos, so we have one more year to improve on our skills and teamwork. Next year we will try again to win the MUPC!"

It all came down to the final where Sports School and Hong Kah fought it out for a chance to go to the MUPC Regional Finals.

Despite being the underdogs, Hong Kah took the game to their more illustrious opponents and created a few opportunities.

On nine minutes, captain Mohd Faiq Ismail released forward Muhd Zulcarlnaen Kiflee inside the box with a superb through ball down the middle. However the latter was denied on the one-on-one opportunity as his curling shot towards the bottom left corner was tipped wide by Sports School keeper Justin Jerome Lo.

Mohd Faiq Ismail then fired a shot from outside the box wide of the left-hand post 10 minutes later.

Sports School came close to taking the lead on 15 minutes. Centre back Muhd Sadik B Mohd Said drilled a superb freekick from the right 30 yards from goal that looked destined for the top left corner of the goal. However Hong Kah goalie Muhd Farhan Asri somehow managed to leap and tip the effort over the bar.

On 27 minutes, Hong Kah gave Sports School a big scare when a teasing ball from Suhairi Sabri on the right picked out an unmarked Iqram Rifki Mohd Yazid in front of goal. However Iqram volleyed wide of the left-hand post with just the keeper to beat.

Sports School had an excellent opportunity to win the game in the closing stages when a free kick was awarded on the right byline. Muhd Sadik stepped up once again and sent his effort sailing over everyone in the Hong Kah box and just over the the top left corner of the goal.

It then came down to the dreaded penalty shootout again to decide the game.

Both Sports School and Hong Kah converted their first attempts before Andin Addie Djayady managed to convert the next penalty for Sports School to lead 2-1 in the shootout.

Muhd Nur Affendy Idrus was the next to step up for Hong Kah. However his powerful shot towards the left corner of the goal was well tipped away by Sports School goalie Justin Jerome Lo.

Both teams managed to convert their next two attempts before it came down to the deciding penalty.

Muhd Shahrin stepped up knowing that Sports School would win if he converted his penalty, and he duly did so by sending the ball into the bottom right corner, wrong-footing Hong Kah custodian Muhd Farhan Asri in the process.

The whole Sports School team celebrated wildly, knowing that they had earned a trip to the SEA Regional Finals in Thailand.

Sports School goalie Justin Jerome Lo was visibly ecstatic after the win.

"I am very happy to make such a crucial save," the 13-year-old said. "I am feeling very excited right now and I wish we could go all the way to the Global Finals in Manchester!"

Meanwhile Sports School captain Adam Bin Swandi reflected on his team's achievements.

"It has been a tough journey since the first round," the 14-year-old said. "And we managed to get through all of them."

"It was nerve-wracking for us, however we remained calm," he commented after about going into penalties to decide the final. "We did not put pressure on the penalty takers. Thankfully we survived and managed to win!"

Singapore Sports School will now progress to the SEA Regional Finals in Thailand where they will face other strong winning teams from Asia. The winner of the Regional Finals will get a chance to participate in the Global Finals held in Manchester.

Sports School (Team A) Lineup
Justin Jerome Lo (#21, GK), Raja Ahmad Zaki (#23, GK), Saeki Osamura (#37), Adam Bin Swandi (#27, captain), Zachary James Delf (#22), Muhd Farhan Bin Supian (#29), Muhd Sadik B Mohd Said (#24), Ahmad Danish Ismail (#4), Chaichote Panasampon (#10), Shaun Teo Hong Kai (#11), Andin Addie Djayady (#14), Lucas Lee Siong Wei (#16), Mohd Fatemy (#46), Muhd Shahrin (#55), Nurul Hasif (#48)

Hong Kah (Team B) Lineup
Muhd Farhan Asri (#20, GK), Muhd Zaki Mohd Muhtar (#1), Suhaimi Sabri (#2), Muhd Khidir Mohd Kadir (#4), Suhairi Sabri (#5), Mohd Aqil Shaaban (#6), Iqram Rifki Mohd Yazid (#7), Mohd Faiq Ismail (#8, captain), Muhd Zulcarlnaen Kiflee (#9), Muhd Izzat Mazelan (#10), Al-Khazi Shah (#11), Muhd Dzulfiqhar Noraziz (#12), Mohd Idil Mohd Isop (#14), Muhd Hanafi Mohd Yatim (#15), Juana Ramli (#16), Muhd Nur Affendy Idrus (#17)

Siglap Lineup
Nurhasbi B Mohd Hussin (#1, GK), Muhd Aidil B Rashid (#3), Mahathir B Azeman (#4), Muhd Danial (#5), Muhd Raihan B Akbar (#7), Ruzaini Zulkarnain (#8), Muhd Aiman B Idris (#9), Nurulhaq B Anuar (#10),Muhamed Halmie B Hamidi (#11), Muhd Fadlullah (#13), Aiman B Zainul Alam (#15), Amirul Hakim B Ghazali (#18), Ahmad Rusyaidee B Razali (#19), Muhd Daniel B Masral (#20), Rusyaidi B Sukarman (#21), Muhammed Amirul (#22)

Seng Kang Lineup
Sunny Wang (#1, GK), Ahmad Izzudin Amat Zaki (#2), Mohd Luqman B Mohd Kamarozaman (#3), Zakaria B Abdul Razak (#4), Rayyan B Mohd (#5), Mohd Noor Afiq B Udin (#6, captain), Mohd Helmi B Ridzwan (#7), Hafiz B Ridzwan (#8), Mohd Shameer Aziq B Razak (#9), Muhd Ariyan B Shamsuddin Malik (#10), Benedict Sim (#11), Muhd Rashe B Abdul Rahman (#12), Muhd Haiqal Ashidiq Khairul Anuar (#13), Erwannurrakim B Aminurlahim (#14), Benedict Ang (#15), Muhd Ridhuan B Shamsuddin Malik (#16)

Results
Semi-Finals
Siglap 0 Hong Kah (Team B) 0 (pen shootout 4-5)
Seng Kang 0 Sports School (Team A) 3
3rd/4th place playoff
Siglap 3 Seng Kang 0
Final
Hong Kah (Team B) 0 Sports School (Team B) 0 (pen shootout 3-5)

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