Ten-man Rams stun Gombak
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
Gombak United failed to close the gap at the top of the league standings when they succumbed to 10-man Woodlands Wellington 1-2 at Jurong West on Saturday evening.
Agu Casmir gave the home side the lead in the 62nd minute, but late goals from Egyptian forward Zakaria Yousif and substitute Jamil Ali ensured the Rams leave the ground with three points.
The loss left the second-placed Bulls five points adrift of leaders Singapore Armed Forces ahead of the two teams’ meeting on Tuesday at Choa Chu Kang.
It also gave fellow title contenders DPMM FC and Tampines Rovers the real possibility of overtaking them in subsequent games after the Warriors game.
The home side were without centreback Bah Mamadou, who was serving a one-match ban, but welcomed captain Sevki Sha’ban back into the team after his suspension in the previous match.
Recent signing Fazrul Nawaz was named on the bench as coach Darren Stewart went with the attacking quartet of Agu, Ruhaizad Ismail and Nigerians Kingsley Njoku and Ojimi Gabriel Obatola.
Woodlands goalkeeper Rezal Hassan was given the skipper’s armband on his return after recovering from flu, while regulars Azlan Alipah and Jamil were omitted from the starting eleven.
Gombak endured a frustrating night in attack from start to finish as they seemed to have left their shooting boots elsewhere and struggled to find a way to break past the Woodlands defence.
They barely threatened Rezal in the first half as hopeful attempts by midfielder Shafuan Sutohmoh and Njoku failed to find the target.
The frustrations on their inability to score began to boil over later as they resorted to physical challenges at the blue shirts.
One such challenge by Njoku on Woodlands midfielder Hasrin Jailani outside the box towards the end of the period resulted in the latter picking up an injury and an early substitution by Azlan.
The Rams replacement was immediately called into action as he cleared Goran Subara’s header off a Jaslee Hatta free kick close to the goalline to keep the score goalless at half-time.
Woodlands were clearly more determined and fired-up to get a result after the break as they took the game to Gombak early in the second half.
Bulls goalkeeper Fadhil Salim had to be alert minutes after the restart to keep out a dangerous cross and an accurate long-range shot in quick succession.
Rams rightback Anaz Hadee came close to giving the visitors the lead in the 55th minute when he latched on a Jalal cross on the left to shoot. His attempt not only beat Fadhil, but also the goalframe as well.
With just half an hour remaining, Woodlands coach Nenad Bacina sent on Jamil in place of Ismadi Mukhtar as he sought greater penetration in attack.
But it was Gombak who took the lead when Shafuan fed a through pass to Casmir, who powered past the Rams centreback pairing of Precious Emuejeraye and Daniel Hammond before shooting past an onrushing Rezal into the net.
The visitors remained unfazed by the setback and continued to press forward in search of the equalizer against their opponents, who were apparently content to sit back with the advantage.
With less than 15 minutes to go, Yousif launched a snap shot outside the box that had Fadhil scrambling to keep the ball on the line.
The Egyptian striker did not have to wait long for another chance, as he found himself onside and was afforded time and space in the box to finish off a Jalal cross on the left and level the score.
Fadhil had to be alert to prevent his side from trailing as he snuffed out another long-range screamer from Anaz moments after the equalizer.
After spending more than half a year recovering from a serious injury suffered last season, Fazrul finally made his first appearance for Gombak when he replaced Ruhaizad on 81 minutes.
The home side were later given a numerical advantage, when Chilean midfielder Luis Eduardo Hicks was given his second yellow card of the game after fouling Shafuan outside the box.
From the resulting free kick, they thought they won the game when Obatola bundled the ball over the line after a rebound flick-on from Casmir in the box.
But the leading club scorer fouled Rezal on the line en route to placing the ball into goal, leading to the enraged goalkeeper chasing him for nearly half the length of the pitch for his troubles.
The no-goal was to prove costly for Gombak as Woodlands snatched the winner with two minutes to spare.
Hammond received a long punt from Azlan and beat the offside trap to cross on the left for an onrushing Jamil to score past Fadhil at close range.
The Rams withstood an increased onslaught from the home side and held on to three points that pushed them up to mid-table.
Bacina was pleased his faith in the team to perform paid off with the win.
“Although we were facing a good opponent in second-placed Gombak, I was optimistic and confident tonight,” said the Croat coach.
“It was a close game for both teams and we were a bit lucky tonight. Previously they equalized in the last minute; this time, it was our turn to do so.”
He was also happy at the determination his men came from behind to snatch victory from defeat at the death.
“The game is never over until the final whistle,” he continued.
“We never gave up, showed character and proved we could handle the top teams in the league.
“In defence, it is not just about the defenders alone. Once we lose the ball, we are all defenders. Despite the mistake that cost us the goal, we did well in defence and attack.
“We closed their forwards down and created some chances ourselves, which we got two. In the end, we deserved the three points.”
Match-winner Jamil was singled out for praise in his contribution towards victory.
“I have to rotate my players with many games coming up and putting Jamil on the bench is a tactical decision,” said Bacina.
“Jamil can bring something new with his creativity. In the League Cup, he also came on and changed things for us twice, and so far bringing him on has worked.”
His Gombak counterpart Stewart was unhappy at the final outcome of a game in which he believed his men could have done better.
“Well done to Woodlands, the result was very disappointing although I was satisfied with the performance,” said the Australian.
“We have another game coming up and we cannot afford to have our heads down after the defeat, but look forward to the next one.
“The only thing I am pleased for is Fazrul coming back into action and having had some football tonight after having a long lay-off.”
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