Gombak overwhelm ten-man Eagles
Ong Jiing Yih
info@sleague.com
Gombak United regained leadership of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League after an emphatic 3-1 win over visitors Geylang United at Jurong West Stadium on Thursday evening.
An eventful encounter unfolded in the most amazing fashion possible when Baihakki Khaizan got his marching orders after just twelve minutes, having stuck his elbow on Kingsley Njoku’s chest.
Gombak made the most of the one-man advantage, Agu Casmir scoring in the first half before setting Njoku up for a stunning half-volley midway into the second period.
Eagles striker Rickey Harris converted a penalty with injury time looming, but Fazli Jaffar outwitted a tired Geylang backline and laid the ball off for Casmir to snatch the killer third goal.
Gombak had come into this match on the back of their RHB Singapore Cup exit at the hands of Albirex Niigata (Singapore), and needed a quick response to get their league campaign back on track.
Darren Stewart decided that raw power up front was the way to go, as he handed Njoku a return to the playing squad two weeks after the Nigerian had been dropped.
Njoku and his teammates faced a Geylang side in outstanding form, having eliminated Cup holders SAFFC in the first round with a 2-1 victory at Bedok.
But any hopes of a similar result against the Bulls evaporated after just twelve minutes, when Baihakki was caught by an assistant referee for swinging an elbow at Njoku as both chased for a ball.
Referee Sukhbir Singh took no niceties as he pulled out the red card, much to the bemusement of the Singapore international himself, Eagles skipper Noor Ali and head coach Mike Wong.
Gombak lost a man themselves ten minutes later as Emmanuel Emuejeraye had to leave with a head injury, but his replacement did not take long to be involved in the team’s first shot on goal.
Ruhaizad Ismail, taking over on the right wing, played a freekick on 25 minutes that Goran Subara made decent contact with but headed over the crossbar.
On either side of the Australian’s attempt came the best efforts of Yasir Hanapi trying to disrupt Gombak’s rhythm, first with a speculative shot, and then a direct run halted only by the offside flag.
Otherwise, there was little in the way of goalmouth action to perk up the fans jumping up and down in the terraces.
So there was some relief for the hosts when the first goal arrived on 29 minutes, Ruhaizad again having a part to play in the lead-up.
A Syed Thaha foul on the 27-year-old allowed Jaslee Hatta the opportunity to whip the ball in with a freekick, and the fullback delivered excellently for Casmir to rise above Haruki Seto and head home.
With Gombak one to the good, it gave the Singapore international the incentive to drive forward and put the visitors under siege.
Casmir nearly got his reward in the 33rd minute, shooting straight at Yazid Yasin after he was played in neatly by Ojimi Gabriel Obatola.
The visitors were clearly shaken throughout the first half, and the 15-minute interval could not have been more welcome as they headed for the dressing room to get some respite and new orders from Wong.
They emerged for the second half showing renewed resolve, typified by Farhan Farook’s hopeful 30-yard strike that nearly caught Fadhil Salim out.
But it was easier said than done for the Eagles, who had to endure the uncomfortable sight of a free header by Casmir saved at point-blank range by Yazid in the 52nd minute.
Seto, normally a composed anchor at the back, almost made a hash of a close-range poke from Njoku just after the hour mark, sending the ball rolling into Obatola’s path, only for Yazid to deny the striker.
The introduction of Harris for the fast-fading Farhan did little to change the balance of the match, even as the Canadian ran about frantically in search of openings.
If anything, the home side looked the likelier to score, and they promptly did so in the 65th minute, Casmir doing well to float a ball across goal for Njoku to nip in and tuck home in acrobatic fashion.
Geylang steadfastly refused to give in, and while they did not have many chances they did work hard in search of the one that could put them back into the game.
However, their one best chance came and went on 72 minutes, G. Lenan’s diagonal ball setting up Noor Ali for the square pass which Harris somehow blasted straight into the goalkeeper at pointblank range.
The 24-year-old did get his first-ever goal for Geylang in the final minute of normal time, the goal coming from the penalty spot after Jeremy Chiang had upended Thaha just inside the box.
But there was still time for Gombak to exploit their opponents’ overworked legs, and that was a chance Fazli, who had replaced Njoku, grabbed with both hands.
The fleet-footed winger managed a good solo run that saw him beat two defenders, including a bewildered Walid Lounis, before playing the ball back to Casmir for the finish.
And the finish was simple but effective as it clinched the Bulls top spot for at least 48 hours, before SAFFC face Tampines Rovers at Choa Chu Kang on Saturday.
Key to their performance on the night was Casmir, who earned high praise from Stewart for both his goals and his all-round play.
“Good strikers score goals and he’s no different - he has high work rate and never complains. We were concerned if he’d struggled without scoring but we’re pleased for him.
“Though Geylang made it very difficult for us it ended up being a good win.”
Geylang head coach Mike Wong had questions over the decision to send Baihakki off, although he appeared less upset with his five-match unbeaten record since taking sole charge not being extended to six.
“If the opponent falls a red card is given but why not a yellow when it isn’t? We were surprised, the player’s surprised and even the opposition was surprised.
“But we have to respect the decisions of the officials, who call the shots after all.
“It was difficult playing Gombak with eleven men let alone ten, so credit to the players who tried to secure even a draw.
“Every good thing must come to an end – there shall be no sadness and no shame in losing.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment