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throughout the season in a quite insanely competitive Division 4. While past
experience meant the game threatened to blow up on several occasions, both sides
had enough wise heads to keep to playing football.
The game was tight as both sides struggled to break each other down and
the first half
ended goal-less. Benedetto went in search of three points in the second
half, leaving
holes at the back for admiralz to exploit and so they did. We weren't
at our best on this
day and didn't impose our play into the game. Zach nips the motm award
with yet
another tireless display in the engine room.
While we lost the last game of our season, every Benedettoast deserve
come credit for
the effort over the season. Seven games into the season and we looked
doomed for
relegation, we were the clear favourites to go down and we knew it. Looking
at the
table now, the fact that we are in with a chance of the playoffs (depending
on other
games' results) is a testimony to the fight every Benedettoast gave. The
family spirit
pulled us through and while espzen isn't exactly the english premier league,
we have
demonstrated again this season, Benedetto's belief - to play amateur football
in the spirit of competition.
We can only hope and wait now, that our season ain't over yet.
------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
several worthy chances. It was against the run of play when Kai placed his shot
perfectly to miss everyone except the goal, from Hao's teasing corner kick. That
somewhat calmed our nerves but eastern vale continued to look the more threatening
side. Unfortunately their goal came as a result of our own doing more than anything
else. Han, today's clean sheet was there for the taking.. :)
"One of the most outstanding second half performance ever witnessed", Captain.
The second half was a total different story. Zachary ran himself to the
ground breaking
up ev's play while Kevin stamped his authority in the middle. The defense
(Han,
Jaemes, Ted, Kai, Reuben) proved itself again to be the best foundation
of a good
Team display. While Nison was a threat all afternoon on the left, Benson
put in a
mature and experienced display on the other. Wei Jun and Wen Hao was again
fighting for every inch in their territory and their holding up of the
ball allowed the rest
of us a breather and build up any form of attack. Special mention to Alex,
his
trademark never-say-die attitude created the goal, an individual reward
long overdue.
Beyond that Reuben's dead ball was again dangerous and inch perfect,
although it
wasn't that easy for Benson to not-miss. :X Wei Jun continued
his fine
form, his goal worthy of goal of the season, that put the icing on the
cake for Bendetto
and left our sporting opponents eastern vale congratulating him on the
memorable goal.
Many thanks to eastern vale for the very sporting encounter, cheers.
------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
although the slight drizzle made the ball skid occassionally it was just about the perfect weather for football.
Our familiar foe prodigy started the game the stronger side, taking a
few long range
shots which fortunately for us failed to threaten deputy goalkeeper Benson's
now
phenomenal clean sheets record. Twenty minutes on, Benedetto finally dragged
ourselves into the game to take control of the play. Created a fair amount
of half
chances but the 45 minutes still ended 0-0. By now it was clear our opponents
was
trying to play through their newly acquired star player.
We came out of second half more composed and knew clearly our main objective
was to
first - play ball the way we knew. Stringing several passes together,
hoping to find
holes in our opponents defense. The breakthrough finally came when Kai
was put
through the centre by Hao, burst past two defenders, only to be hacked
down before
he was about to shoot. He put the 'first' penalty away but was ordered
a retake, he
duly put the 'second' one away as well.
Kok's speculative shot from Wen Hao's (first time we see Hao take throw
in?) throw-in
finished the game off as a contest. With his back to goal Kok flicked
the ball backwards
and it floated over the unlucky custodian and into the far corner. Maybe
Wen Hao should take more throw-ins...
Prodigy also lost their main forward man in an unfortunate incident involving
Jie and
him. Going for the same ball, Jie got kicked on his shoulder instead.
No malice though,
we trust, but the referee felt it was enough to justify a second yellow
and duly sent him off.
There might have been a third but for a perfect rugby tackle on Kok who
was clear
through on goal. To the amusement of both teams, the sent-off defender
seem rather
pleased with himself :X
Man of the match today goes to 2nd vice captain Wei Jun. Really imposed
himself on
our opponent's defense, held the ball up for the rest of us, his striker
partner Wen Hao,
so we could perform more effectively going forward. Not to forget although
he just
returned from a serious injury, he has lost none of the fight, never hesitates
to put his
body on the line. Cheers to a veteran fighter of our squad. Kudos to Han
too for matching
Aaron's clean sheet record after this game.
Cheers to prodigy for the game.------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
had a near full fit squad to pick from; and it told early on when Wei Jun held up the ball
well for Reuben to curl a fine shot which left the goalkeeper with no chance. Benedetto
dominated the early exchanges and chances came thick and fast. James continued his
fine form infront of goal with a shot from an almost impossible angle and beat the
keeper to everyone's delight. Towards the end of the half Wei Jun got chopped down
just outside of the penalty box. While many expected Reuben to send in one of his
trademark teasing crosses, he surprised everyone by laying it up for Kok who was a
few steps away. A well taken shot, fortunately missed everyone and went straight into goal.
Although andernese snatched one back with a cross cum shot which floated
over Han,
the three goal advantage was quickly restored when Hao played a perfectly
weighted ball for Syakir to go through. Beating the keeper with his first
touch, he
only had to tap it into the goal. 'Sir' Nison scored in similar fashion
but this time it was
Syakir who turned provider. The duo completed the rout later, Nison laying
the
ball for Syakir who skipped past two defenders and curled his shot into
the far corner.
I think it's fair to say for the first time this season we have found
our scoring boots and
it's credit to everyone for the once again improving attendance during
the last 3-4
weeks. Though many of us played merely one half, during the half we gave
our all -
knowing that our teammate was going to come in and try to do a even better
job. It
was all for the better of our Team, and the result illustrated it.
I would take it as a compliment to all of us that 24 hours on, Jo is
still clueless who
should be the motm. But in all honesty, I don't think it matters at all
on a day like this......
Cheers to andernese who never gave up and played the game in good spirits.
WARNING! Do not for a split second be deceived by this match's result,
the possibility of relegation is still HUGE.
------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
capable of. In the last ten minutes we created a flurry of chances but failed to capitalise.
A forgettable game. Thanks vnntu for the game. The referee, well.. a
lot of things..
are best left unsaid.
It is fair to say none of us played well enough to deserve any credit.
But
Zach claims the motm for his brave attempt to get a header on goal, but
got booted in
his face instead, four stud scars on his forehead and a giddy spell throughout
the
long journey home. The resulting indirect freekick also led to our equalizer.
------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
missing (church-goers due to the timing, nsf, injuries) but everyone present showed
they were up for it against gaelic lions who eliminated us last year. Benedetto wrestled
control of the game and managed to string several passes together to conjure waves of
attacks. Almost against the run of play, gaelic's striker got sandwiched between Kai
and Wei Jie in the box and a penalty was awarded. One nil down but Benedetto
continued creating a handful of chances, only to lack the finishing touch again (like
we have been this season). The first half finished 1-0.
We begun the second half the same way we ended it, asking most of the
questions.
Reuben played provider once again, skipping past three defenders and swinging
in a low teasing cross for James to sweep home. The duo switch roles later
on, James
taking a shot from outside the box which an unlucky defender handled.
Reuben took the
resulting penalty to put Benedetto infront. We spent the last ten minutes
in our own
half as gaelic threw almost everyone forward. Credit to all Benedettoasts,
we held
on for the win.
Unfortunately the heat and pressure got to some players and James suffered
a bump
on his head and a mouthful of blood. But the referee took action and that's
that..
Many sincere thanks to Zachary, Johari, Zhi Ying, Qing Feng and Han Teng
for making
the trip down to bolster our otherwise very thin playing squad.
Man of the match goes to our Manager, James for not reacting negatively
to the
incident; for the sweet finish and who could ever forget his once-in-a-million-years
warcry, "that's what I call a f* tackle!"
Cheers to gaelic lions for the very passionate game. We wish you best
of luck
for your saturday league.
------- -----------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
encounter. We took the initiative and controlled the first half and created several
chances. The pressure paid off when Kai was brought down in the area and Jeremy
duly put the penalty away. Benedetto looked comfortable until a stray clearance
unfortuately bounced over Benson.
We tried to come out of half time the same way we played the first but
prodigy's
numerical superiority soon told on a insanely hot afternoon, coupled with
the
uncomfortable fog coming out for the woods leaving several players from
both side
choking for fresh air. As prodigy's report suggests, their new player
"Ahmad" proved
the difference between both sides in the end.. in an otherwise very tight
game.
Credit to many of our players for playing on despite feeling unwell due
to the fog; cheers to prodigy for the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Keep
at it... Onwards
Benedetto~!
keep the ball on the deck. One round of beer and milo peng from Kai for the 90th
minute 'hit-the-post' shot. Another round from Noel for cramping up when going in for
Kai's rebound right infront of goal. While it is unfortunate we failed to convert domination
into goals, one positive is the amount of shots on goal. Nothing impressive, but credit
to everyone's individual effort to improve this aspect of the game.
Cheers to andernese for a stubborn defensive display and kept to their
game
despite being under pressure for large periods. Very sporting opponents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Keep
at it... Onwards
Benedetto~!
"Good effort" to every Benedettoast present, many of whom played out of their
regular positions due to our quite spectacular list of injuries now. Featuring no
old timers, notably the regular defense missing and an average age of 20, young
Benedettoast more than held their own and created chance after chance but still as goal shy as ever.
Thanks to Tian Hang & Emmanuel who helped us out due to our expectedly small squad, but gave their all nonetheless.
Special mention reserved for Elvin & Wei Jun, both still on the road of recovery but
cancelled their programs at the last minute and risked injury to make the playing squad.
Congrats to Ted & Clement for reaching the 100th game mark.
To Kevin, take care! Bmt is only a shooooorrrrrrt time (not!).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards Benedetto~!
against the run of play. The scoring-debut-phenomenon, a contestable Benedetto
tradition, continued - Tian Hang lobbed a beauty over the onrushing goalkeeper, onto
the underside of the bar and Benedetto was back in it.
Benedetto pushed hard and pegged our opponents in their half, with only
their
rocket quick forwards threatening on rare counter attacks. 10 shots and
counting but
the goal never came.
Reubs collects his first yellow card of his playing career, and the man
of the match
award. Proving a class above the rest on the left, sending in teasing
cross after cross and
at the same time protecting his leftback.
Thanks to singapore chinese for a very sporting encounter. Wang, a lifelong
Benedettoast.. see you around soon!
everyone's credit vnntu was pegged back in their own half for the rest of the game.
Constant pressure paid off when Jaemes glanced in a beautiful header and Benedetto
was infront. Too eager to get the killer goal, vnntu exposed us in a counter and earned a
dubious penalty. The other two goals came in the form of two counter attacks as well.
Thank you to the referee for helping us to politely remind vnntu to retrieve
our 6 balls
which were cleared over the fence, trees, expressway what have you, in
true jonny
wilkinson style. Unfortunately it all fell on deaf ears. Cheers to our
opponents who
brought a beach ball, a street soccer ball and walked away happily leaving
us to
recover the poor balls.. Nevertheless, "Cám õn".
A hard fought victory for Benedetto United. Cheers to our opponents and
referee for a
generally argument free game. First-game-of-the-season jitters meant both
sides took
time to settle down and spent majority of the time cancelling out each
other. Goal less
in the first half. Early in the second half, an inviting corner from Wen
Hao and hungry
Benedettoasts were always likelier to get to the ball, Kai got his head
to the ball first and
that was it. In an ultra-quick breakaway towards the end of the game,
Reuben
skipped past three defenders on the left and put in a teasing cross, stretching
as far as
he could Wen Hao put it agonizingly just above the bar.
Three points and a clean sheet, credit to every Team member for that;
though we
really need to play better than this.. Keep fighting!
assaulted in an off the ball incident. Madcats (the foreign contingent) exacted revenge in
the best possible way after failing to defeat us in the past few occasions. Despite mutual
respect and friendship built up between both teams having played a few times together
already, one black sheep almost spoiled it all by engaging in acts of gangsterism,
proud to show off to the world his novice muay thai background. More remains to be
seen if ESPZEN will take any further action...... or not?
That aside, the display was horrendous and our african mates were definitely
the better side than us.
Many of us would have to hold our hands up and admit we haven't done well
enough for our Team today.
Thanks go out to all our opponents this season, and Madcats. Cheers, and
to next season Benedetto looks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
meant 22 players spent the first 45 minutes cancelling each other out. Goaless at halftime
and it became pretty clear it would either take a defensive mistake or a well
struck shot from range to settle the game. Unfortunately it was not us on this day.
While we missed a handful of chances, two defensive errors were well punished by
pirates and got them the points.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards Benedetto~!
game but in actual fact we had to fight for every inch. It was a smaller than usual
squad and we had to deal with last minute omissions. Man of the match goes to Benson
for an assured performance as a backup goalkeeper, while many players did their job well today,
Benson sacrificed himself for the cause of the Team. Such is the true spirit of a Benedettoast.
Benedetto started the game playing a high tempo, seemingly determined
to erase
the 'first leg' heartbreak when ishkawa scored with the last kick of the
game. Abel
controlled the middle his way while Ted did all the dirty work. The early
pressure paid
off when Wen Hao dropped off his marker, released Nison down the left
and he put in a
teasing cross. Kai obliged and smashed it into the top corner. Wen Hao
was a problem
for our opponent's defense all afternoon with his positioning and vision,
and he was
involved in the build up of all three goals. Although it was a real pity
he didn't score
with his brilliant solo effort...
The second half begun with our opponents making some changes in their
engine room,
probably to counter Ted's battling abilities and Abel's industry. It worked
well for them
and to their credit they played some nice football and put us under pressure
for 10-15
minutes or so. It must be said we rode our luck at times. Determined to
erase last week's
defensive nightmare the Team held up together to protect our lead and
the cherished
clean sheet. In good catennaccio fashion, Nison was again released down
the left
in a quick breakaway and crossed in, this time for Alex to finish off.
For the third
goal, Alex put Kai through behind his marker and he had the option of
Nison, Hao, Jo
in the centre ready to pounce; but worried about Dan taking over his top
scorer spot...
he went for it himself and calmly slotted home. Just imagine Jaemes's
reaction had Kai missed...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
Defensively Benedetto was shambolic, it's been more than 50 games since the last
time any opponent put more than 4 goals past us. A few players, specifically Jaemes,
Wei Liang and Zhi Han were spotted with cuts and bruises on their faces after the
game. It's rumoured Josiah (with the help of rare guest pro vandal Kah Yeu) detached
three sinks and threw it at them in anger. Defensively, we could have done a hell lot
better than today, no excuses. And we need to in the following weeks to avoid relegation.
That aside, the Team played some nice football going forward. That meant
man of
the match award was a real headache for Jo. Joshua ran the show from the
middle
and was the ignitor to waves and waves of attacks. Dan & Hao was a
constant threat to
opponent's defense and deservedly got their rewards, Dan with 4 well taken
goals and
Hao with his nice shot from just outside the box, after a neat nutmeg
on his marker. Kai
persuaded everyone to believe his goal was a perfectly placed shot and
proved once
again he only scores spectacular goals. Reuben, Jem, Nison, Clement were
menacing on the wings while Abel, Ted, James worked away quietly for the
Team's cause.
Nice three points, Team. 3 cheers to Wei Jun coming back from injury,
Ted staying card
free again and Kah Yeu's expert juggling on the sidelines in his bermudas
and slippers.
And to Wei Jie away on honeymoon in Scandinavia with Elis, no we didn't
let in 5
goals because you weren't playing! Haha.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
An uncharacteristically shaky display at
the back from Benedetto gifted homeless the
goal and cost us the clean sheet. Wasteful in the final third meant a
more nervy end than
it should have been. Tactical discipline and individual commitment to
a Team effort
overcame all that and got us the win.
Teacher: Prove 3 + 1 = 3
Student: Cher, cheem leh, like that how to prove?
Teacher: I said it's true, and so it is!
All in good humour, lads. For the love of the game..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
Thank you guys for the game.
"Luck is sometimes an important element in football, but make no mistake, luck only come to those who work hard for it."
The Team turned in another commendable display, despite lacking in numbers
and fit players. Yue Kai was suspended for this
game; Clement, Bryan, Abel, Wei Jun and Jeremy were kept out with injuries
or flu. But in Benedetto we always worked with
what we have and gave it as good as we had. Special mentioned is reserved
for Reuben and Wei Liang who were not feeling
well but gave it everything for the Team on an insanely hot afternoon.
Derservedly, Reuben swung in the freekick which Wei
Liang toe poked in with his virgin left foot. You only had to see the
fatigue on everyone's face after the game to realise
how much everyone gave for this performance.
Positives aside, we rode our luck in the first half and gave our opponents
time and space to threaten our goal. Lacking in tactical
discipline, to put it simply. The second half was slightly better, we
got our act together, strung a few passes together and
threatened down the flanks and in counter attacks. This made us a lot
more effective and less tired. The message is clear, Team
effort is fantastic (make no mistake about that), but now is the time
to step up to another level. Right from next week on, we
will be looking to improve on the tactical and discipline aspects, each
step at a time. There is only one simple objective,
to never stop improving. Like we always say in Benedetto......
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards
Benedetto~!
or two who chose to talk more than they were playing, indeed we Benedettoasts would like to thank our opponents for the afternoon.
The man of the match must have been Jo's biggest headache all weekend in what was a Team effort where hunger got us the game
and determination to carry our Team through secured the points. Zhi Han, Wei Jie, Yue Kai, Liam (The Moon), Reuben put
their bodies in the way of everything to clinch the clean sheet. Kevin, Jeremy and Abel ran the show with calmness beyond
their age and dictated how they wanted the game to be played. Nison showed not only can he 'gelek-gelek', he is starting to learn
(slowly, but surely) his whole role in the defensive side of his Team. Yash, Syakir, Wen Hao and Alex ran their socks off chasing every (some lost) cause.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Onwards Benedetto~!
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