The Emeralds win psychological battle!

The score at the final whistle was 3-3 but the Emeralds posted a psychological victory, emerging with their egos, ankles, ligaments and other body parts intact.

The referee showed his disappointment as he arrived to an empty pitch. The kick-off was delayed as players came in dribs and drabs. It was no surprise then, that both teams started the game with 10 men. The referee was seen having a quiet, but firm word with one of the players.

On an overcast evening with clouds threatening to drench proceedings, the Emeralds fielded a 4-4-2 cum 4-5-1 formation, which was still techically possible with 10 men. Sufian 'The Don' Saidon started in goal, with a solid back four helmed by libero grande Azrul and his partner Ashroff, and flanked by Abu Dzar and the phantom left back who was still on his way in. The midfield was an nimble unit consisting of Abu Sufian and Ridzuan in the middle of the park while Ariff and Dedi 'Speedy Gonzalez' Affandi prepared to blaze down the wings. Shaiful 'The General' Herman and 'fox-in-the-box' Firdaus spearheaded the attack.

The first half was a tight affair, with both teams taking turns to pepper each other's goals with attacks and wayward shots. Sufian 'The Don' had a magnificent first half, saving many a shot point blank. Some may question whether he intended those saves but a great goalkeeper never reveals his secrets. The solitary goal in the first half came from a tap-in, after a searching pass from Abu Sufian glanced off a defender's head before landing sweetly in the path of Dedi. A few quick steps forward found the speedy winger free on the left, and he unselfishly squared the ball across goal to an open Firdaus, who for once was staying onside. The subsequent tap-in put the Emeralds in the lead. Somewhere in the first half, Hasan 'The Phantom' made his presence known with a few solid tackles.

The teams went into the break visibly tired.

Early in the second half, the Red Vondas adapted from their first half game and laid seige on the Emerald's goal. The Emerald's goalie was still on form as he kept out several goal bound shots and headers. However his luck ran out when a shot from the Red Vondas deflected off centre back Azrul and nestled into the back of the net. For a short period, the Emerald's seemed to lose focus and belief.

It was not known whether it was just a ploy to let the Red Vondas have their money's worth on a Sunday evening. The Red Vondas then took the lead as their midfielder scored with a stunning volley from just outside the box. The Emerald's did not give up. They self-identified their weakness sometime in the middle of the second period, something their Raffles pedigree allowed them to do, as Azrul screamed at his players to fill the huge gaping hole in front of the defence. He frantically motioned for someone to sit in front of the back four, something which was physically impossible but eventually worked in the end.

The Emerald's played with the spirit of Kamikaze pilots lunging into tackles two footed, albeit the product of a slip on the uneven ground. Their regrouping seemed to be working before the Red Vondas stamped their mark on the game with another goal that extended their lead to 3-1. Shaiful 'The General' rallied his troops and one of his occasional forays into the final third produced a cleverly placed shot which went in off the upright. The little green men pushed on for the equaliser and if humanly possible, a winner. As the second half was drawing to a close, Dedi Affandi broke free from his marker on the left wing after some industrious play from the Emerald's defence and midfield. The nippy winger saw his chance and unleashed a shot which slipped past the goalie and bounced off the upright. Firdaus pushed off from an onside position (again!) and placed his shot awkwardly off the crossbar into goal. He later confessed to one of his team mates that he wasn't sure it was going in as he leaned back as he took the shot.

Shortly after, the final whistle was blown. The Emerald's sealed another amazing comeback through a gritty team performance.

Attendance: 4 (including the Indian filed warden)
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 1
Man-of-the-Match: Abu Sufian. He skillfully dodged a potential right hook from a furious Red Vonda player by retreating to his defence to gain strength in numbers. He also showed his array of skill with an attempted pass using his back-side and even making superb clearances after winning the ball from the opponents.

Match report written by Nur Firdaus.