Story by REDintern Ryan Lim. Photos by Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports.
Ferdinand Lim (NYJC #10, left) celebrates after scoring the second goal. (Photo 1 © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)
Nanyang Junior College, Monday, March 28, 2016 — Undefeated Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) got their third victory in a row when they secured a comfortable 2-0 win over rivals Catholic Junior College (CJC).
After scoring seven goals and keeping two clean sheets in their last two fixtures in Round 1 of the National A Division Football Championship, NYJC were firm favourites coming into this contest. Their opponents, CJC, also boasted a solid defensive front after keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against Tampines Junior College in their previous game.
The NYJC squad is an experienced and well-drilled one, with half the team part of the squad that lost the final a year ago to Meridian Junior College. This translated to great understanding between the players, and higher quality game play.
Both teams started the game with great intensity, eager to make an early statement. NYJC had the first chance of the game from a corner kick that Ferdinand Lim (NYJC #10) whipped towards goal with great pace. The ball just grazed over the top of the bar, much to the relief of the CJC goalkeeper.
NYJC slowly found their rhythm, making clever off-the-ball movements into space for a smooth passing game. The backline also kept to their defensive shape with discipline. More often than not, CJC were left chasing shadows as the NYJC players passed the ball around with consummate ease.
An excellent corner kick saw Julian Tan (NYJC #12) score from a header to put NYJC ahead at 1-0. It was a case of superb aerial prowess, rather than defensive frailty, that led to the game’s opening goal.
NYJC continued to dominate the game, enjoying the lion’s share of possession. Calm and assured passing from the back provided the team with a stable base to build attacks. In contrast, CJC struggled to string together passes as NYJC were aggressive in regaining possession whenever they lost the ball.
The referee awarded NYJC a free kick close to the halfway line after a CJC foul. What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. An audacious attempt at goal from Ferdinand Lim (NYJC #10) took a heavy bounce over the stranded CJC goalkeeper and into the net. This doubled NYJC’s lead to 2-0.
The half ended with CJC taking a long range shot that was parried away by the NYJC shot-stopper.
The second half paled in comparison to the first, as gameplay slowed. CJC solidified their defence and looked to attack on the counter. NYJC could afford to play a high defensive line as they took the game to the CJC half. NYJC failed to unlock the CJC defence and the game remained at 2-0.
Ashwin Ravi (CJC #12) showed dedication to the cause, chasing down his opponents and ensuring that his team did not fall further behind in goals.
Towards the end of the game, the CJC players were visibly fatigued as man-marking became looser. With a comfortable two-goal lead, NYJC passed the ball around and looked to maintain their lead rather than add to it.
The game ended at 2-0, with NYJC maintaining their perfect defensive record.
NYJC captain Mohammad Ilyasa (#13) commented, “We fought hard from the start and made our chances count. We did well as a team. We hope to reach the finals again this year and go one step further. I’d like to thank our schoolmates who came down to support us and staying till the end.”
NYJC take on Millennia Institute in their next game, and CJC will face Anderson Junior College.
Score by Half
NYJC vs CJC
1st Half: 2-0
2nd Half: 0-0
Full-time: 2-0
Scorers
NYJC
Tan Jian Tang Julian (#12) – 1 goal
Lim Jun Long Ferdinand (#10) – 1 goal
NYJC Roster
Gareth Keigan Lee Zong De (#1), Aw De Quan Andre (#2), Christian Hugh Rodrigues (#3), Seth Lee Xuan Kai (#4), Muhammad Danish B Sallehuddin (#5), Ong Tao Jie (#6), Darryl Ong Wei Xiang (#7), Lee Jun Jie (#8), Amoz Choy Zheng Rong (#9), Lim Jun Long Ferdinand (#10), Kiefer Tay Si Yi (#11), Tan Jian Tang Julian (#12), Mohammad Ilyasa B Ismail (#13), Kaloyan Petrov Caluodov (#14), Chew Zhi Hong, Jonathan (#15), Loon Qing Xiang (#16), Haziq Shah B Husin Shah (#17), Muhammad Asnawi B Wahid (#18), Loh Wei Zhi (#19), Kendrick Ong Qi Shen (#20)
CJC Roster
Benjamin Liow Jun Mun (#1), Fang Bryan Ee Shane (#2), Wong Yu Le (#3), Wong Zhi-Yan Ian (#4), Teo Jun Hui Jernon (#5), Chung Yong Shih, Jonathan (#6), Haziq Bin Hasbullah (#7), Mak Ethan (#8), Shanu Ng Wei Jie (#9), Lee Ren Xin, Glen Paul (#10), Koh Yuan Hao, Timothy (#11), Ashwin Ravi (#12), Brandon Ho En-Wen (#13), Collins Liam, Alami (#14), Samuel Chong Jin Xuan (#15), Dillon Lee Qi Shen (#16), Ervin Ang Jing Xuan (#17), Cheng Xun Kai Gareth (#18), Han Ping Quan (#19), Leong Kei Sheng (#24)
National A Division Football Championship – fixtures and results
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