League Cup: Dolphins triumph at Choa Chu Kang

Paul Green
info@sleague.com

Sengkang Punggol continued their fine unbeaten run when they overcame home team SAFFC 3-1 at Choa Chu Kang Stadium in the final League Cup quarterfinal match on Monday evening.

The Hougang-based side are arguably the team of the moment, having stayed away from defeat in four matches since their season-opening loss in the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League against Balestier Khalsa.

They were the better side from the opening whistle and were strong in all departments against a weakened – but by no means weak – Warriors side that included Indra Sahdan, Park Tae Won, Ivan Lovric and Federico Martinez.

This game, however, was not about skilled individuals; it was about team work and industry.

“I have to congratulate Sengkang on their win,” said SAFFC coach Richard Bok when it was all over.

“They were better prepared than us and hungrier than us, and they were definitely the better team on the night.”

The Dolphins hit the lead in the sixth minute, though they had by that stage already carved out more than one chance, with tricky Canadian Jordan Webb seemingly involved in everything.

The opening goal came from a corner on the right, after a Webb-led attack had been hastily dealt with by the home side.

Jalal whipped in the corner, and a near-post header from Mamadou Diallo did the rest, SAFFC goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma’at beaten for the first time in a night that was to allow him little respite.

The home side briefly looked as if they might get back in the game when, in the eighth minute, Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin found Indra with a long diagonal pass and the Singapore international crossed nicely for Martinez, whose shot was blocked on the Sengkang line.

Indra was not in the Lions squad that had travelled to Jordan for an Asian Cup qualifier over the weekend due to some personal matters, but whatever they were, they did not stop him from being an active presence for his club.

The striker, who turns 31 later in the week, put a shot of his own over the bar on 13 minutes from a pass by attacking partner Martinez, but the Dolphins always looked the more likely to score.

Mamadou Diallo, joined on the field by his elder brother Abdoulaye, had almost scored his second of the night soon after Indra’s miss, but his close-range shot clipped the post as it went out harmlessly for a goal kick.

But the visitors did score again on 25, when midfield workhorse Murphy Wiredu found himself 30 yards out with the ball at his feet and not a challenger in sight.

The Canadian looked up and unleashed a magnificent shot into the centre of the net to make it 2-0.

SAFFC had perhaps their best chance before the break, when Japanese winger Taisuke Akiyoshi, from an awkward angle wide on the right, sent in a powerful shot that whizzed by the far post, to the relief of a steadying Sengkang defence.

There were appeals for a penalty to the Warriors two minutes before the break, when Indra went down in the box under a strong challenge from Dolphins captain Nor Azli Yusoff, but referee Leow Thiam Hoe was not interested.

Sengkang just failed to extend their lead to 3-0 in the dying stages of the first half when Webb’s effort was headed off the line by SAFFC’s captain for the evening, rightback-turned-centreback Hafiz Osman.

Little changed after the break, though the hosts’ Korean striker Park hobbled off just four minutes in and was followed to the bench later by Ivan Lovric.

By then Lovric had cut Sengkang’s lead with a header in a crowded goalmouth 58 minutes in after another excellent corner from the talented Akiyoshi.

The home side might have believed they could at least force the game into extra time, if not recover and win it, but their hopes were dashed when the Dolphins scored their third as the clock struck 67.

A low cross from the right by-line by Webb was cleared half-heartedly, and the reliable Jalal lashed the ball home from eight yards to make the score 3-1.

Sengkang were well on top again after that, with Mamadou Diallo springing the offside trap nicely, only to see his clever lob clear the crossbar with Hyrulnizam caught well off his line.

Razaleigh Khalik was forced to clear off the SAFFC line again on 73 minutes, after a through ball from Faizal Amir had sent Webb through again, with the slightly built attacker well on target until the Warriors defender saw the danger.

But the efforts of the hosts were in vain as they crashed out of the League Cup.

“It was another great team effort by the boys tonight,” said winning Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar, as he reflected on his side’s continuing fine form.

“My job now will be to help them all recover in time for the semifinal on Thursday against Etoile.

“We’ve played them once already and that should help us quite a bit to work out our tactics.”

The first time the teams met in a Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League game, the Dolphins were leading 2-1 until the French newcomers snatched a dramatic last-gasp equaliser.

Sengkang has never won any silverware, and with SAFFC joining Home United and Tampines Rovers among the also-rans, this looks their best chance to do so.

While they would need to beat Etoile and the winners of the Gombak United-Woodlands Wellington game, which is being played a day earlier, if their approach to their next two games is as thorough as the last two, there seems no reason why Hougang Stadium cannot welcome home a trophy-winning team when next the Dolphins entertain their own crowd in Singapore’s northeast.

This article is taken from S. League News.