Meng Yeow's debut failed to prevent KallangRoar defeat

KallangRoar FC launching an attack in a friendly match against Mingji's XI.

MIDFIELDER Meng Yeow's much-awaited debut for KallangRoar FC was not enough, as he saw his side went down 5-6 to Mingji's XI on National Day morning.

Spotted wearing his new boots, Meng Yeow ran tirelessly down the left flank, only to see the ball played on the other side of the field most of the time.

"How many times does a team get to score five goals but still loses the match?" lamented KRFC team manager Cloud.

KRFC started off well, having the lion's share of possession on field, leaving its guest goalkeeper Sam, who starred for the team as all three KRFC goalkeepers were unavailable for the match, time alone on the other end of the field.

However, a lapse of concentration by the defence lost the ball to Mingji's XI, which seized the opportunity to launch a quick counterattack, and with Sam unable to clear the ball cleanly and defender Brendon and guest midfielder Gary failing to clear the ball on the line, took the lead at the 15th minute.

Nightmare continued for KallangRoar as Mingji's XI exploited the porous defence of KallangRoar and scored two more goals within the next 10 minutes.

KallangRoar's attack was boosted by the addition of midfielders Davin and Andres after conceeding three goals.

Mingji's XI defender's clearance was intercepted by KallangRoar forward Khabir, who passed the ball to Davin, whom then chipped the ball from outside the penalty box into the top of the net in the 31st minute.

KallangRoar's joy did not last long as Mingji's XI punished its opponent's willingness to attack more than defend, as it proceeded to score another two goals, before conceeding another two.

Andres and captain Benny scored for KallangRoar two minutes before halftime to make the score 3-5.
A halftime reshuffle saw KallangRoar reverting from three-men defence back to its more familiar four-men defence.

This proved effective as KallangRoar played more compactly with more urgency, and it was rewarded with a wonderful comeback when Khabir scored his debut goal for KallangRoar at the 57th minute and Andres scored his second goal at the 62nd minute to make the score 5-5.

Alas, it was meant to be a heartbreak for KallangRoar when Mingji's XI scored the winning goal at the 85th minute.

"I couldn't even remember the score," said Benny, when reflecting on the match, clearly showing his disappointment.

"It was tiring to play as a defender," added Myles, who tried his new role at the back.

Midfielder Izad was unhappy with the unfriendliness of one of the opponent player.

"He started with 'come outside I bash you up' and i confronted that guy and said that I don't fight during a game," recalled Izad, who was kicked on the jaw during the match and suffered a cut on his chin.

"That guy's body language tells that he was not happy, yet he still told his teammate 'you see I relax ah I relax'. Izad and I were still good enough to make the effort to shake hands with the opponent after the match," added Khabir.

"Rematch!" reacted KallangRoar chairman Hadi about the incident.

This was further fueled by the condition of the pitch.

"Last year, the stadium was fantastic. The grass is even better than Bishan Stadium. There were not a single bare patch of sand to be seen. What the hell happen to Serangoon Stadium??!!"