Gombak Utd crash 5-0 to visiting English side Burnley

Story by Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Chua Yueda/Red Sports

Tampines Stadium, Tueday, July 20, 2010 — English Championship side Burnley FC started their tour of Singapore on a perfect note as they thrashed S.League side Gombak United 5-0 in their first closed-door friendly match in South East Asia.

Gombak managed to hold the Clarets to a goalless draw for the first 41 minutes before conceding a goal late in the first half. That goal broke all resistance from Gombak as they crumbled in the second half, conceding four more goals in a heavy defeat.

The Bulls started the match brightly as they had the first goalscoring opportunity of the match on 6 minutes. Australian midfielder Goran Subara got free just inside the box after a through ball from the left but he fired his shot over the bar.

However Burnley stamped their authority on the match thereafter as they held most of the possession and created many goalscoring opportunities.

Lone striker Chris Iwelumo posed the biggest threat to Gombak’s defence with his physical presence and hold-up play. He headed his first attempt on goal over the bar on 10 minutes after a Ross Wallace right-wing cross and had another header from full back Brian Easton’s left-wing cross smothered by Gombak keeper Zakariah Nerani on 22 minutes.

Midfielder Dean Marney also had a 20m effort that fizzed just past the left-hand post on 32 minutes.

Iwelumo did put the ball in the net eight minutes later but the whistle was already blown after he was played onto an offside position from Marney’s through ball.

Subara attempted to break the deadlock again for the Bulls on 41 minutes but his shot outside the box was easily saved by Burnley goalie Brian Jensen.

Instead it was Burnley who finally carved open the Gombak defence a minute later. Substitute Wade Elliott’s through ball released Marney free on the left inside the six-yard box who in turn unselfishly squared the ball for Ross Wallace to tap the ball home just in front of goal.

The lead was extended to 2-0 just three minutes after the break. Star winger Chris Eagles bamboozled two Gombak defenders on the left before firing his effort just inside the near post.

Burnley was in no mood to rest on their laurels as they continued to search for more goals. A flowing move in midfield between Marney and Elliott on 53 minutes resulted in Eagles firing his volley wide of the left-hand post.

It was no surprise they scored their third goal on 61 minutes. A teasing right-wing cross into the box from Eagles saw Iwelumo nip just ahead of Zakariah Nerani to head powerfully into the top left corner of the net. It was a well-deserved goal for the Scottish forward who toiled hard all afternoon.

A flurry of substitutions continued for both teams with Burnley bringing off first teamers Andre Bikey, Graham Alexander, Tyrone Mears and Iwelumo but it did not stop the goals from coming.

Substitute Steven Thompson extended the lead to four goals on 69 minutes as he produced a superb diving header from a Wade Elliott right-wing cross that went into the bottom left corner of the net.

They completed their rout eight minutes later through substitute Jay Rodriguez’s penalty. It was awarded after Gombak centre back Bah Mamadou was harshly adjudged to have brought down Burnley substitute David Edgar inside the box. Rodriguez duly wrongfooted Nerani with his effort as he put it into the bottom left corner of the net.

Gombak substitute Ruhaizad Ismail had a chance to pull one back three minutes towards the end but he fired his shot from outside the box disappointingly over the bar.

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