Young Lions vs Gombak United [0-4]

Four-midable Gombak rout Young Lions Fabius Chen info@sleague.com Gombak United drew level on points with defending champions SAFFC at the top of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League with a resounding 4-0 victory over the Young Lions at Jalan Besar Stadium. Two first-half penalties by league top-scorer Ojimi Gabriel Obatola came either side of an Agu Casmir strike to send the Bulls into the break with a comfortable 3-0 lead that the home side never looked like recovering from, despite a spirited second-half showing. The Young Lions, who have now lost four of their last five league matches, started out on the back foot but were dealing with the visitors’ attacks comfortably enough until the 24th minute. As a Gombak throw came in from the left, home side skipper Obadin Aikhena was penalised for a seemingly-innocuous push on Casmir as the two jostled for position in the Young Lions penalty box. Referee Zaid Hussein immediately pointed to the spot, in what Young Lions head coach Terry Pathmanathan felt was the defining moment of the match. “It didn’t deserve such a severe punishment,” he said after the final whistle. “That first penalty changed the game – the team just went down from there.” Obatola stepped up and coolly slotted the ball home, sending Young Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud the wrong way. Things would go from bad to worse for the home side just two minutes later, as Obatola turned provider with an outrageous backheel that found Casmir in space in the box. The Singapore international found the back of the net with a confident finish past a diving Izwan to put his side firmly in the driver’s seat. There was no respite for the home side as a further three minutes on, Kingsley Njoku capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Afiq Yunos and Shahir Hamzah to win possession in the box and force the latter to bring him down. Once again, the referee awarded the penalty without hesitation, despite both defenders protesting that Njoku had dived. Obatola’s second spot-kick of the night was an exact carbon copy of his first, with the Nigerian forward placing the ball to the goalkeeper’s right and Izwan diving to his left. It was desperate times for the Young Lions and coach Pathmanathan was forced to bring midfielder Hariss Harun on for Fairoz Hasan with just half an hour of the match played. Gombak were on a roll, however, and very nearly added a fourth just before the break. Njoku was sent clear through but his shot from an angle sailed over Izwan’s goal. Whatever Pathmanathan said to his players at half-time seemed to work, as they came out for the second-half a transformed team. Just eight minutes after the restart, K. Sivaseshan made an enterprising run into the Gombak box, but his placed shot past Bulls goalkeeper Fadhil Salim rolled agonisingly past the post. Four minutes later, Sivaseshan rounded Fadhil and tapped the ball into an empty net, only to turn around and see the offside flag raised. The Young Lions went into the match as the league’s lowest scorers and it showed, as they failed to make the most of their chances in the second-half. A weak scuffed shot by Gabriel Quak Jun Yi left assistant coach V. Sundramoorthy an exasperated man up in the stands as the home side continued to dominate proceedings but find goals hard to come by. Even luck seemed to have deserted them. Sivaseshan’s shot on the turn left Fadhil stranded but came back off the foot of the post with 12 minutes to play. It was left to Njoku to show the home side how it’s done, embarking on a solo run and finishing emphatically past Izwan to put the icing on the cake for the visitors in the final minute. Bulls head coach Darren Stewart was understandably delighted with the result and waxed rhapsodic about his side’s showing. He commented: “It was a good all-round performance and I’m pleased with the boys. “We’ve been working on our work ethic since the start of the season but it’s something that gets overlooked in favour of attacking flair, which is always mentioned.” Stewart was reflecting on a particular incident that happened in the 80th minute, when defender Jeremy Chiang chased a clearance by his captain Sevki Sha’ban to prevent it going out for a throw-in. “The boys were desperate not to let the opposition pull a goal back,” he pointed out. He did, however, praise the Young Lions’ fighting spirit as they tried to recover in the second-half. “They really came into the game in the second-half and looked very dangerous. “We were lucky not to concede a goal,” he admitted. The Gombak coach also reserved special mention for Young Lions midfielder Hariss, who is back after a year on the sidelines with an injury. “He is an influential, quality player,” he stressed. Opposite number Pathmanathan agreed with Stewart’s assessment of his returning starlet. The ex-international said: “Hariss did well after coming on. I had planned to use him for only 30-40 minutes but our midfield was struggling.” Pathmanathan was also pleased with the way his team responded in the second period, despite their inability to pull a goal back. “We played much better in the second-half: we minimised our errors in defence and put pressure on our opponents,” he stated. “We have problems upfront, especially with Yang Mu out for the next five to six weeks but it is important for the players to go on working and preparing for the SEA Games.” Meanwhile, 18-year-old Hariss had no doubts about the work that has to be done before his side can improve. “It was a better performance in the second half but we can be better in the attacking third,” he said. “There’s definitely room for improvement.” The national team midfielder is still working his way back to full fitness after his lengthy lay-off and will look at this game as another step on his road to recovery. He pointed out: “I still have a psychological barrier to overcome and match fitness to rediscover.” His side will need him to achieve both goals sooner rather than later, if the words of their coach are anything to go by. When asked if Monday had been a tough day, Pathmanathan responded solemnly: “Every game is a tough day.”