Home United continue winning streak with victory over SAFFC in S.League football

Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Jalan Besar Stadium, Friday, August 21, 2009 - Captain Rosman Sulaiman and Kengne Ludovick scored either side of half-time as Home United stunned high-flying Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC) 2-0 in the final uniform derby of the season.

The defeat gives the chasing pack a glimmer of hope as a win for the defending champions SAFFC would have put them 14 points clear at the top of the table which would be an insurmountable lead with only eight games remaining.

For Home United, this is their third victory in a row after wins over Brunei DPMM and Tampines Rovers. They now lie in fifth but are only four points adrift of second-placed Tampines.

Both teams endured a slow start with chances coming rarely. Ludovick had a crack at goal from distance in the early goings while Park skied his shot despite having space in the 15th minute. Despite boasting plenty of possession, SAFFC were having trouble finding the final penetrating pass as they constantly surrendered possession in the final third.

But things sparked into life at the 30-minute mark when Ahmad Latiff's powerful shot from outside the area looked to heading into the bottom corner, but Ridzuan Fatah Hasan came to Home United's rescue with a full-stretched save.

At the other end, Shi Jiayi had a similar opportunity, forcing a save from Shahril Jantan with a curling shot.

The breakthrough finally came four minutes before half-time when Ludovick slipped a perfect through pass to Rosman who beat the offside trap before turning Daniel Bennett and curling the ball past the stranded Jantan into the back of the net.

SAFFC almost replied at the stroke of half-time when Aleksandar Duric found the ball at his feet with his back towards goal, but he failed to escape the close attention of Valery Hiek who stole the ball and cleared it to safety.

This allowed Home United a slim 1-0 lead at the break.

Things only got worse for the Warriors after the restart as Home United started the second half with a bang. Ludovick picked up a loose ball at the edge of the SAFFC area before sending an unstoppable shot beyond the reach of Jantan, giving his side a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Home United almost put the game beyond doubt 10 minutes later, but Jantan made a stunning double-save from Ludovick and Shahril Ishak to keep his side in the match.

At the other end, however, SAFFC were having trouble finding a way through their opponent's stubborn defense. The best chance of the night fell to Latiff, but with the goalkeeper out of position, he sent his volley over the bar.

The defending champions failed to create any more chance of note for the rest of the evening as Home United took all three points.

Home United will hope to continue their winning streak against Gombak United on Monday while SAFFC face Woodlands Wellington on Thursday.