By S. MURALI

IT HAD all the ingredients of a classic drama, and for once, the actors and the play lived up to the billing. At the Queenstown Stadium yesterday evening, there were four goals, two teams fighting for the championship, former, current and future Singapore internationals, goalkeepers who dribbled out of the penalty area, frantic coaches, cursed referees, sensational free-kicks, angry Croats and a Rastafarian-dreadlocked Senegalese striker.

Whew! What a mouthful, you say? Then again, what a match it was.

Those who stayed away, probably because of the World Cup, missed a great tussle between two of the best sides in the Republic -- Singapore Armed Forces FC and Tanjong Pagar United.

Sure, there were no Gabriel Batistutas and Dennis Bergkamps on the pitch. Sure, the stakes were not million-dollar contracts and a place in world footballing history. And sure, it finished in a 2-2 stalemate.

But the excitement provided in the second half, when three goals were scored, was simply fever pitch.

A spectator, back home on vacation after studying abroad for a year, was mesmerised. He said: "Is this the standard of soccer you guys get to see every week? I had no idea. If it's like this all the time, it is really worth the admission price."

Yes it was. The first half was a tactical contest between the Tiger Beer S-League's top attack -- SAFFC -- and its best defence -- Tanjong Pagar.

The only surprise was that it took Fandi Ahmad's Warriors, who have scored 29 goals this season, 45 minutes and the last kick of the first half to make it 30.

It came off a wonderful half-volley by young winger Imran Mohamed, who left The Straits Times/Tiger Beer Footballer of the Month, Dragan Talagic, grasping for air.

Whatever Tanjong Pagar coach Robert Alberts told his charges at half-time made them play as if they were possessed in the second period -- and it took new Lion Basri Halis, fed by Senegalese Nicodeme Boucher, just four minutes to leave his national team-mate Rezal Hassan stranded with his grounder.

In the 64th minute, the Jaguars clawed once more, this time their top-scoring Iranian Abdol Marfavi somehow wriggling his way past a few players and prodding the ball under Rezal for his eighth goal of the season.

The point-clincher for SAFFC came from an unexpected direction. In the 77th minute, the ever wily Fandi tumbled just outside the Jaguars penalty area.

While all eyes were glued to "Bald-bomber" Veselko Paponja, who has struck four times from a similar position this season, his defensive team-mate Davor Mioc curled home a superb free-kick -- one that even Romanian specialist Georghe Hagi would be proud of.

The goal set up a frenetic end to the game, including a highly-contentious incident where Steven Tan was fouled outside the box. But neither a red card nor a goal resulted.

Said SAFFC manager Kok Wai Leong: "Last season, we lost to them twice but went on to win the championship. This time, we again failed to beat them, so hopefully we go on to win the title."