League Cup: Diallo brothers inspire Sengkang comeback

Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com

Sengkang Punggol came back from a goal down to post a 2-1 victory over Gombak United and win the League Cup 2010 third-place playoff at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday evening.

Brothers Mamadou and Abdoulaye Diallo were the heroes for their side, as each netted a goal to put the Dolphins on top after Fazrul Nawaz had opened the scoring for Gombak.

It was the second time Sengkang had triumphed in as many meetings between the two sides this year, after they had won by an identical margin in the S.League on 11 February.

But what made this result more outstanding was how they had triumphed despite being pressed back for much of the match, thus reaffirming the old football adage that it’s not how much of the ball you have, but what you manage to do with it.

Sengkang had come into this match missing the services of suspended centreback Shahir Hamzah, and coach Aide Iskandar elected to field R. Sivaneswaran in his place.

Gombak meanwhile accommodated the return of Fazrul from international duty by letting him start up front, Goran Subara retreating into his regular midfield position after being used as an improvised striker against Home United and Woodlands Wellington.

The Bulls had a comfortable start as they pressed hard at their opponents, and the ball rarely left the Sengkang half in the first six minutes or so.

Fazrul was particularly lively in the early minutes, clearly wanting to get some action after he had been left on the bench in Singapore’s 1-3 defeat to Jordan in the Asian Cup qualifiers back on Wednesday.

It was thus no surprise that he was the one who scored the opener for Gombak 16 minutes in, after picking up a good through pass towards the left that set him up for a one-on-one with former teammate Fadhil Salim.

The goal exposed the defensive frailties of Prime League defender Sim Li Ming, who was drafted into Aide’s starting eleven as Lau Meng Meng was rested after his exertions in Sengkang’s earlier matches.

Gombak grew confident after taking the lead, and they managed some good possession play as the first half unfolded, although they also had to cope with the increased pressure from their opponents.

But both sides did seem to hold back a little, perhaps conserving their energy as they came to terms with playing on a sunny and windless late afternoon.

Still, Gombak were the more active side for much of the first half, doing their best to string their passes together in midfield as they looked for a way to break Sengkang down a second time.

They were thus surprised to concede the leveller, scored by Mamadou Diallo nine minutes before the interval.

Murphy Wiredu was the man with the visionary pass on the counterattack, but with nobody else available in support, the striker had to carve a path of his own into the Gombak box from the left flank.

He then unleashed a low shot that clipped the foot of the near post before going in behind Zakariah Nerani, prompting some loud cheering from a small cluster of Dolphins fans in the stands.

Gombak tried to fashion a quick response, but Fazrul did miserably with a long-range effort that was well off target, before Chang Jo Yoon sent a cross wide from the right.

Park Kang Jin meanwhile tried to cover as much ground as he could in midfield, but he was matched in his industry by Sengkang’s duo of Wiredu and Abdoulaye Diallo.

For all of Sengkang’s running, though, they saw much less of the ball than Gombak did, and indeed the Bulls had several chances to regain their lead.

Fazrul for one had a goal chalked off for offside nine minutes into the second half, while Obadin Aikhena sent a free kick just wide on the hour mark after the elder Diallo had fouled Park 25 yards away from goal.

At times Gombak certainly looked like they had the capacity to entertain with a few fanciful flicks, although it was mystifying why they were unable to create more clear-cut chances to seriously threaten Fadhil in the Sengkang goal.

They lost a man capable of that with 20 minutes left to go, as Ruhaizad Ismail was shown his second yellow card of the match for what had been a petty foul on his part.

Sengkang now had one fewer man to come up against, and with the pressure from Gombak reduced somewhat, they began to push ahead more.

And they were rewarded for their work 11 minutes from time, when Duncan David Elias was given the chance to whip in a free kick from deep down the right.

Abdoulaye Diallo got a touch on as the ball was steered past Zakariah, whose flap at the ball was reflective of the nervous outing he had for Gombak on the day.

Gombak then threw everything they had in the dying minutes in hope of a goal that would force penalties, but the Dolphins held on to claim victory.

Aide hopes for more from Mamadou Diallo

Sengkang Punggol coach Aide Iskandar was happy to see his team earn third place in the League Cup, after they had beaten Gombak United in the playoff on Sunday.

Singling out tournament top-scorer Mamadou Diallo for special praise after the Guinean had claimed his fourth goal of the competition, Aide noted that the team had done well to get a result despite Gombak’s overall dominance of the match.

“We know that Gombak is a good side with good players in the team, and we respect them for it,” he said after the match.

“But we knew that we had to move the ball fast against them, and that’s what we did. With players like Jordan (Webb) and (Mamadou) Diallo having the space to work with, we know we are capable of getting something out of the attack.

“Diallo scored a beautiful goal with his creativity, and I told him I am expecting more from him this year after his run from the Prime League team last year. It’s good to see him getting his season off here, because he had some illness in the beginning of this year.

“But he’s coming out very nicely now, and he has promised me he will score ten goals this year. I do hope that he can keep his promise and keep working hard this year.”

Aide acknowledged however that he was not totally happy with his team’s defensive work in the first half, when they let Fazrul Nawaz score the opening goal after 16 minutes.

The half-time introduction of Lau Meng Meng strengthened their backline, and Aide noted that he was particularly pleased with centreback R. Sivaneswaran’s improvement.

“I think it was unnecessary for us to concede the goal, and I told the players at half-time that we needed to be better-organised at the back,” said the 34-year-old.

“So I had to make the change with Meng coming in to provide us more stability, and Siva had a better second half compared to the first half. We then had to keep the ball moving, keep passing the ball well, and they did it.

“The second goal was a well-taken free kick by Duncan (Elias), and well-finished by (midfielder) Abdoul (Diallo). But to be fair, everyone put in their heart and soul, and we played as a team, so it all boils down to hard work and teamwork.

“I’m glad they got something out of this game, because they’ve come so far and done so well in this League Cup and deserved something for it.”

Above article taken from S-League News.