Stags let Gombak off the hook
Fabius Chen
info@sleague.com
Tampines Rovers’ inability to turn draws into wins came to the fore once again, as they failed to take advantage of a sub-par Gombak United and left Jurong West Stadium with a goalless draw.
The Stags wasted a number of gilt-edged chances, including three efforts that hit the Gombak woodwork, as the home side struggled to recreate the early-season form that saw them rise to the upper echelons of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League.
Vorawan Chitavanich’s side seized control from the word go and took just eight minutes to create the game’s first clear-cut opportunity.
Excellent build-up play down the right flank saw Aliff Shafaein lay the ball on for strike partner Noh Alam Shah but the national team forward’s first-time effort was well kept out by Bulls stopper Fadhil Salim.
Gombak’s vaunted front-line of Emmanuel Emuejeraye, Kingsley Njoku, Agu Casmir and Ojimi Gabriel Obatola was finding space hard to come by, as a Tampines defence expertly marshalled by Frenchman Benoit Croissant held firm.
There was a worrying moment for the visitors halfway through the first period, as goalkeeper Hassan Sunny landed heavily under the challenge of Njoku and his own defender Croissant.
For over three minutes, it looked as though the Stags’ first-choice goalkeeper might have to come off, as Vorawan looked on anxiously from the edge of his technical area.
To his coach’s relief, however, Hassan was able to pick himself up and resume the game.
The home side was struggling to create chances, with Obatola driving this point home with a wild effort from 40 metres out that just about had the forward momentum to roll across the by-line for a goal kick.
Tampines, on the other hand, were creating chances but simply could not put them away.
Once again, Aliff played provider for Alam Shah with a hanging cross that the latter headed onto the crossbar. The Tampines forward was subsequently unable to react quickly enough to the rebound and miscued his second attempt.
Just two minutes later, a long throw from the right was misjudged by the Bulls’ defence. Sliding in at the far post, Croissant must have thought he was about to celebrate his first S.League goal, only to see the ball come back off the post.
Either side of these two chances, Alam Shah showed the hot-headed streak that has earned him criticism in the past.
First, he appeared to clip Shafuan Sutohmoh’s head when walking away from a challenge, which earned him a yellow card.
Just 15 minutes later, he got into an incident with Obatola following another less-than-friendly challenge, although referee Abdul Malik decided not to take any action this time around.
If those two incidents showcased the ugly side of Alam Shah’s game, his next contribution was a reminder of why he is rated so highly.
He turned provider for Aliff this time around, finding his colleague all alone in the Gombak penalty box with a glorious square ball.
Aliff, however, failed to keep his composure and his first-time effort flew horribly off-target.
Just before the break, the home side gave their visitors a little scare, as Njoku darted into the penalty area, only to see his shot deflected over the bar by Croissant.
Tampines’ domination continued in the second half and was so nearly rewarded just four minutes after the restart.
Aliff and Alam Shah combined once again, with Alam Shah sent clear through on goal. He rounded Fadhil in goal but failed to beat the post and the Bulls could breathe easy once again.
A couple of minutes later, Stags midfielder Sutee Suksomkit flashed a volley into the side netting of Fadhil’s goal.
Darren Stewart’s Gombak side was on the ropes, with their crosses from the right causing little problem for Hassan in the Tampines goal.
So poor was their overall performance that the highlight of their second half probably came when Njoku nutmegged Tampines’ Shariff Samat to give the home fans something to get excited about.
Stags midfielder Akihiro Nakamura even had the time to do his best Javier Mascherano impression, arguing with the referee three times before eventually talking his way into the book.
With a half hour to play, Vorawan brought Qiu Li on in place of Aliff, a move that seemed to add another dimension to his side’s offence.
Indeed, Qiu’s willingness to drop deep to win possession and ability to pick out the perfect pass almost won his side the game.
With just three minutes to play, his decadent lobbed pass found Alam Shah in the box but the latter was unable to bring the ball under control.
There would be one last opportunity for the visitors to snatch all three points and a first away win of their 2009 campaign.
A cross from the Tampines left finally fell to substitute Firdaus Kasman, whose dipping shot looked destined for the back of the net until Fadhil got a hand to it and pushed it over for a corner.
It was enough to earn his side a point that coach Stewart later agreed was ill-deserved.
“It was a point gained, a very lucky point,” he admitted.
“We just didn’t play well at all today. I think it was the worst we’ve been for the past eight months. I can’t question the boys’ effort and character but it was a bad performance for all of us.”
He did, however, express confidence that his side will be able to pick themselves up from tonight’s dismal performance.
“We’ll definitely stay positive. If, in a 33-game season you don’t have any off-days, you should probably be playing in another league,” he said.
His Tampines counterpart Vorawan meanwhile could not hide his disappointment at leaving with only a point.
“Football is not about playing beautifully, you can only win by scoring goals and we didn’t manage to do that today,” he commented ruefully.
“We came here to play for a win, not to play beautiful football.”
His strategy to stifle Gombak’s forward line did, however, work like a charm and Vorawan made sure to point that out.
“They just couldn’t do anything and to me, Gombak are not very strong when their foreigners are taken out of the game.
“We just didn’t have the luck, or maybe they locked the door,” he added with a wistful smile.
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