Balestier is thrashed by Tanjong Pagar and has Paulic sent off

By TAY CHENG KHOON

YOUR team is 1-4 down. You have just missed a psychologically-important penalty and the game is into the second minute of added-time.

So what do you do?

If you are Balestier Central's Goran Paulic, you would saddle up next to referee N. Santhan and whisper: "You're a f...... ref."

If you are crazy and stupid enough to do what the Croat allegedly did, then you will have to sit out at least the next two games, if not more.

And that can only compound the already uphill task Balestier Central has in trying to make the semi-finals of the Tiger Beer Singapore Cup.

At the half-way stage, Balestier has only one point from three matches, right at the bottom of Group B.

With that victory at Queenstown Stadium last night, Tanjong Pagar has leapfrogged to the top with six points, buoyed by a superior goal difference over Woodlands Wellington which went down 0-2 for Marine Castle's first Cup win.

So where does that leave coach P.N. Sivaji and the Balestier Tigers?

"Back to the drawing board," said the former national coach, still managing a smile. "It will be real tough to get back into the fight, especially without Goran.

"But there are still three more matches and we have to just carry on. When Goran went home for personal reasons during the League, we still managed to win two games and draw the other."

His opposite number Tohari Paijan was surprisingly low-keyed after the victory.

"I'm happy," said the ex-international thrown into the hot seat when first Sivaji and then Robert Alberts left the club. "But I've been putting on this sad face the whole week because I wanted to psyche the boys.

"I told them two things: First, ignore all this talk about revenge against Balestier. Second, lose again and I will quit."

The boys took him seriously. Apart from nerves in the opening 10 minutes -- during which time Paulic gave Balestier the lead -- it was, to quote their fans' battle cry "Jaguars all the way".

Nicodeme Boucher, all 1.97 metres of him, was the tall terror. Not only was he threatening perpetually to score but his head-ons were just as troublesome for the jittery Tigers backline.

He equalised in the 21st minute, laid on for Majid Motlagh to score in the 21st, headed down for substitute Nahar Daud to give them a 3-1 lead in the 85th minute and then capped a fine night with his second in the 87th.

But it need not have been a massacre had Paulic scored the controversial penalty in the 47th minute instead of whacking the crossbar.

The referee ruled that Lim Tong Hai had kicked Rizam Isa when both were going for the ball. Lim and his Jaguars denied any intention and pointed out that Rizam had handled the ball.