By Khairulnizam/Red Sports
A bad clearance by Fariz (#1) the MI goal keeper resulted in an AC player picking up the loose ball and slotting it calmly into the back of the net. (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)
Millennia Institute, Thursday, April 11, 2013 — Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) kept up their impressive run by beating Millennia Institute (MI) 2–0 in the first round of the National A Division Football Championship. ACJC managed to beat St. Joseph’s Institution International 4–0 and Tampines Junior College 2–0 in their previous games.
The first half started well for ACJC. Within minutes, #16 of ACJC managed to draw first blood by netting a goal for his team. A cross from the left flank found two unmarked ACJC players, and their #16 neatly tapped in the ball.
Minutes later, a free kick deep in ACJC territory left the home supporters on the edge of their seats. The ACJC keeper fumbled with the ball but the MI strikers just could not send the ball into the net. Not long after, ACJC conceded another free kick just outside their box. Nabil (#6) of MI stepped up to take the kick but his shot only managed to graze the crossbar.
ACJC kept the pressure on which resulted in MI being unable to get many shots on target. The MI keeper, Fariz (#1) stood out especially in the first half, dealing with crosses or closing down the ACJC strikers numerous times, as well as making many crucial saves to keep the score line unchanged. The first half ended 1–0 in favour of ACJC.
MI turned up the heat as soon as the second half began. Bhasinder (#9) of MI managed to send in a low cross just out of the keeper’s reach but there was no one on the receiving end to finish what could have been an easy goal.
Moments later, Irufan (#21) of ACJC picked up a through ball from one of his midfielders and tried to shoot the ball into the far corner of the net but was unsuccessful as the ball rolled harmlessly out of play. Barely a minute later, a pass to Shafiq (#13) of ACJC who was directly in front of the keeper saw him take a shot but the MI keeper once again managed to deny ACJC the goal.
However, ACJC’s perseverance paid off when Irufan (#21) netted the second goal for his team. He was assisted by his teammate Darren Devaraj (#3) who passed the ball to him on the edge of the box, which he then lined up and shot into the top corner, bringing the score to 2–0.
A final attack in the dying minutes of the game by Bhasinder (#9) of MI saw him breaking through the defensive line of ACJC. However, the defenders managed to make a sliding tackle to deny his shot on goal.
“We did great today despite two poor performances in the past few games. Our team had the greater desire to win today,” said ACJC captain Muhammad Aqil (#2).
“The highlight was definitely the second goal. It was an impressive shot from outside the box,” he added.
“It was a really big step for us. As it is, I’m predicting that our school will top the group, while MI will finish second. So a win over them today was necessary for us,” said Aqil.
MI skipper Roy Ng (#10) felt his team could have done better.
“We were just not mentally there today. There was a lack of hunger compared to the ACJC side. We will be treating this as a lesson as we have two more games to go. So we will work harder for that,” said Roy.
“We will also be working to play more simple football. Hopefully we can improve by doing so,” he added.
Score
ACJC vs MI
1st half: 1–0
2nd half: 1–0 (2–0)
Scorers
ACJC
Nge Ge Liang (#16) – 1 goal
Irufan (#21) – 1
ACJC Roster
Bryan Lim (#1), Muhammad Aqil bin Mat Noor (#2), Darren Ezekiel Deveraj (#3), Okky Aryanto Tok (#4), Reuben Yeo (#7), Matthew Wong (#10), Jerry Ng (#11), Nicholas Ng (#12), Muhammad Shafiq bin Jalauddin (#13), Timothy See (#14), Marc Lee (#15), Ngen Ge Liang (#16), Samuel Lie Ming Khong Kartadjaja (#17), Muhammad Farhan bin Supian (#18), Kong Zhen Yong (#19), Lin Bo (#20), Gulam Irufan (#21), Boris Ratu Wee (#22) Darwish Ruzain bin Ridwan (#23), Melvin Siow (#25)
MI Roster
Fariz (#1, GK), Syarif (#2), Kumar (#3), Hazim (#4), Shaan (#5), Nabil (#6), Afariss (#7), Hafiz (#8), Bhasinder (#9), Roy Ng (#10), Agus (#11), Kenneth (#12), Haikal (#13), Afiq (#14), Faizal (#15), Shiv (#16), Nithu (#17), Kumaran (#18), Adib (#19), Hakim (#20)
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