Soccer Finals vs Hall 3
Lost 2-2 (0-3 Penalties)
Lost 2-2 (0-3 Penalties)
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Hope is a very powerful tool. In the wrong hands, it can be used to threaten and blackmail. In the right minds, however, it is the source of miracles, the inspiration for the comeback of a lifetime. And tonight, our Hall 2 Soccer team so nearly did it.
Conceding right at the stroke of half-time was a bitter pill to swallow, an end-result of an offside trap went wrong. The Hall 2 backline stood statue-esque as the ball was played into the area, hands raised in appeal. However, the most crucial thing, the linesman’s flag, did not. Hall 3’s forward was left with an easy finish inside Vinoth's near-post.
Disappointed, yes, but still they believed. Down but not out.
No one would have blamed them for throwing in the towel after the 2nd goal was conceded in equally disappointing circumstances. The ball was sent back into the mixer after Yong Geng Tan headed it out, with the defence again failing to step-up in time. Amidst a sea of confusion, Hall 3 had scored again. Game, set and match?
Not quite. Farhan Azmi had been feeding on scraps all game, a result of
wingers Dalston Leong and Nicholas Tai having to place stopping the Hall 3 wingers as their main priority. When an innocuous-looking punt from Vinoth arrived in his and his 2 markers’ vicinity, he had no right to expect anything. But Farhan still believed. This belief led him to gamble on his markers fluffing their lines, which they did. Now with the ball but with 2 markers on him, and 25m out, Farhan could do nothing but to gamble again. A sidefoot shot that lobbed over the keeper, Hall 2 had pulled one back. Farhan had helped Hall 2 believe again. Game on.
wingers Dalston Leong and Nicholas Tai having to place stopping the Hall 3 wingers as their main priority. When an innocuous-looking punt from Vinoth arrived in his and his 2 markers’ vicinity, he had no right to expect anything. But Farhan still believed. This belief led him to gamble on his markers fluffing their lines, which they did. Now with the ball but with 2 markers on him, and 25m out, Farhan could do nothing but to gamble again. A sidefoot shot that lobbed over the keeper, Hall 2 had pulled one back. Farhan had helped Hall 2 believe again. Game on.
With the wind in their sails, both metaphorically and literally, there was a sudden spring in Hall 2’s steps. After a tactical reshuffle that saw Brendan Liang join Farhan up top, with Satyajeet Akhilesh dropping into defence and Wong Zi Hao Billy moved to the right, Hall 2 suddenly seemed so much dangerous.
And this was to prove the pivotal change. A cross by Billy towards the near-post seemed to have fallen just short being threatening, but Farhan was on to it in a flash. Taking one touch to control the ball while under pressure from a defender and the onrushing goalkeeper, he took another to flick the ball in the general direction of the goal. Time seemed to crawl to a standstill as the ball took an eternity to approach the goal. Surely but slowly, the ball then nestled in the net. Hall 2 are level. Cue wild celebrations of joy and exhilaration.
And this was to prove the pivotal change. A cross by Billy towards the near-post seemed to have fallen just short being threatening, but Farhan was on to it in a flash. Taking one touch to control the ball while under pressure from a defender and the onrushing goalkeeper, he took another to flick the ball in the general direction of the goal. Time seemed to crawl to a standstill as the ball took an eternity to approach the goal. Surely but slowly, the ball then nestled in the net. Hall 2 are level. Cue wild celebrations of joy and exhilaration.
From 2-0 up and dry to 2-2, with the lottery of a penalty shootout coming right up, the mind of a Hall 3 player was definitely not the best place to be in at the end of regulation time. But they had their keeper to thank, as he pulled off 3 jaw dropping saves to get the shutout he could not achieve in regulation time, and secured the championship for Hall 3.
A Hall 2 win would have made the comeback story complete, but history is littered with teams that are fondly remembered despite having never won: Hungary 1954, the Magical Magyars that taught England a breathtaking lesson. Holland 1974, where Johann Cruyff and his band of free spirits taught the world the wonders of pressing, ball retention and positional rotation. Brazil 1982, simply for the unbridled joy that their football contained.
This is not quite on that level, but what this team will be remembered for is their belief in the power of hope. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, thank you for making us believe again.
Photo Credits: Benedict Ong
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