Soccer Fellowship 14th August

REDS 9 BLUES AND WHITES 1

Adrian Ryusdi

Yi Jun*2

Andrew (PK)

Joel

Daniel

Keegan*2

Justin

Days like these were made for football. The weather was absolutely sublime and I don't think anyone else could have asked for a better day to engage in the beautiful game. The date marked the beginning of the Barclays Premier League and there was a real buzz in the air as everyone was eager to emulate their footballing heros at Pasir Ris Secondary School.

The generosity of the soccer community, which alleviated Jacob's hefty medical bills, shone as brilliantly as the sun did. As a former Liverpool Manager once said, " Some people think football is a matter of life and death, I assure you, it's much more than that." The kind donations from the soccer community went a long way to aiding Jacob and indeed, football has shown to be more than just a game; it is a commitment to each other on and off the pitch.

The whites and blues took on the reds. Both teams appeared equally matched on paper but alas, the game is not played on paper. The blues and whites were in for a long game as the reds seized the game by its throat from the get go. Employing a 4-2-4 formation, the blues and whites were overwhelmed by the incessant waves of red attacks.

Perhaps it was a case of familiarity breeding prosperity, with a majority of the reds playing together regularly during the Agape season. Unfortunately for the blues, the team lacked chemistry and cohesion. Several players were forced to play out of position as well and that contributed to a forgettable day in the office for the blues. Jordan, the blues keeper, had an excellent game in spite letting in 9 goals. He pulled off a couple of good saves and put off the reds strikers on 3 one on one occasions.

Over at the other end, the Blues faltered. Chances did fall their way but they were unable to take advantage of them. The reds cruelly hit them on the counter and more often than not, it resulted in a goal.

Keegan opened the floodgates in the 15th minute of the game, taking advantage of a mistake by the Blues defence, cooly blasting the ball past the onrushing Jordan into the back of the net. Following a dangerous corner kick, Daniel thumped the ball in with an emphatic ala Carlos Puyol header. Adrian prodded the ball in following a reds counter attack. Yi Jun stroked the ball in from 6 yards out following a fine passing move by the reds that dissected the Blues. The Blues hit back with a fine finish by Ryusdi after being put clean through by the effervescent Ramon.

The second half was not much kinder to the Blues. Keegan hit the Blues on the break again as the Reds rampaged into the Blues penalty box with every counter attack. Andrew earned a penalty and proceeded to confidently convert it. Joel lifted the ball over the keeper following an impressive through pass by Tim. Yi Jun grabbed a second and Justin wrapped up a fine scoring day for the Reds. Credit to the Blues as they never stopped playing. It was just one of those days.

We closed off in prayer as everyone left the pitch safe and satisfied with the day's proceedings. Well, at least most of us.

Till next time.

Dominic