Club M 1-0 Alumni FC : FT Report

Alister scores the killer goal to extend Club M's winning streak to Six.

Alister struck his second goal for Club M in a dramatic finish against Alumni FC. The opposition team comprised of several ex-Varsity football players from NUS and NTU. Before the game started, our captain gave everyone an idea of how strong the opposition as he knew some players inside the other team.

Club M squad was depleted for this 11th game with the absence of Patrick T, Jean-Philippe, Ravi and Jean-Marc. So, it was a different side from that which mauled Cosmos Santos in the previous week.

The match started well for the ‘dodos’ with the players exerting some early pressure on the opposition’s goal and much of the early stages were spent in Alumni FC’s half. Half chances came and went. Nicolas M, Ashvin and Anwar all attempted some shots at goal but failed to worry the goalkeeper.

Alumni FC came alive after 15 minutes into the game with a cross by their left winger which was intercepted by Thierry but he could not hold on to the ball. Luckily Anwar was well placed to clear the ball into safety. Our guest player, Nicolas, was virtually unnoticed and was replaced by Bernard in the 15th minute. A few minutes later, an attempted shot from an opposition player on the left side was deflected by Fardin, sending the ball high in the air. The ‘dodos’ keeper mis-timed his jump and the ball flew above him, but he managed to catch the ball with a diving save.

In the 30th minute, Anwar had a chance to give Club M the lead when he was sent clear with a through pass from Nicolas Moossa. He sprinted with the ball towards the penalty box and attempted a shot on goal. But the opposition’s keeper closed him down quickly to deflect the ball into a corner. The opposition’s strike pair gave the ‘dodos’ defense some hard times. They combined well in the flanks and they were fast.

The first half saw Club M creating many chances but could not convert them into goals. At the break the mauritians were confident that they would score a goal sooner or later.

The second half was again a very tight game and it was a match in the match for Desire and the opposition’s No.10 striker. Desire did well to contain the attacker and gave him little room for him to shoot on goal. Before the game, our captain had warned us about his super powerful shots!

Alumni FC had many chances to score in the second half. In the 55th minute, the No. 10 from the opposition sent in a powerful ground cross shot from the left side, which the ‘dodos’ keeper was unable to stop. Fortunately for the keeper, the ball flew out for a goal kick.

Club M attempted a few shots on goal, but their shots were either off target or blocked by the opposing defenders. The Mauritians had a heart-pounding moment in the 70th minute when an Alumni FC attacker escaped the offside trap. The ‘dodos’ keeper was confused as he heard a whistle blow and thought it was an offside. He casually rushed out for the ball but the latter was stolen from him by the attacker. Thierry was, however, fast to react and managed to quickly close down on the attacker and took the ball from his feet.

Minutes later, the No. 10 from the opposition beat the ‘dodos’ central defender with his pace and tried to dribble past the keeper. But, it was a bit too much from him as he toppled on the ball and Thierry was fast to seize the ball from him.

The ‘dodos’ keeper produced two crucial saves back-to-back in the last 15 minutes of the game to prevent the opposition from scoring. The first one came in the 75th minute. The left-winger from Alumni FC sprinted past Dereck on the right side of the pitch and unleashed a powerful shot across the goal. Thierry managed to deflect the ball with his fingertips, with a diving save, into a corner (fine manze la terre ek la leve ine peter..). Minutes later, the ‘dodos’ keeper was called into action once again to save a header from an opposition player, aimed at his left-hand post, which resulted from a cross on the right side of the pitch. He dived well on his left side to deflect the ball to safety. Désiré was the first on the loose ball to clear.

Club M had another scary moment when a free-kick, taken by the No.10 on the right side outside the penalty area, was cleared off the line by Desire.

Then came the thrilling finale and Alister’s second goal for Club M. A corner taken by Ashvin from the right, could not be handled by the keeper. The ball was left loose on the ground and after a muddle in the penalty box, the ball fell to Alister's feet, who had no problem kicking the ball across the goal line! It was joy and relief for all the Club M players.

In the last 5 minutes of the game, Club M was happy to sit deep and wait for the through- balls to pick them off. Some Alumni FC players, especially the No. 10, became frustrated and he threw the ball directly at Désiré while taking a throw-in. Already being yellow-carded earlier on, the referee had a choice than to send him off. Désiré kept his ‘cool’ and did not retaliate. That’s the spirit!

Ashvin had a chance in the dying minutes of the game to score a second goal for the ‘dodos’ when he was put through the Alumni FC's defense with a pass from Dickson on the right side. Feeling the brunt of tiredness in his legs, he attempted a long-range shot from 25yards instead of sprinting towards the goal. The keeper was beaten but the ball was inches off target.

The nerves of Club M players were direly put to the test in this match. But the 'dodos' remained calm and cool. It paid off at the end. The referee was also excellent on that day.

 

Written by Thierry

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