Scorer; Shy
by Syaifudin
Al Caliph started the first game of the season with a 1-1 draw with FC Sharks on 4 January 2009, Sunday. FC Sharks proved to be a formidable opponent for Al Caliph as their players towered over most of our players and their team was very organized from defence to attack. The first half was played at breakneck speed as both teams tried to exert pressure on the other and were desperate not to lose possession. Al Caliph however gave the opponents too much respect at times as their players won most of the high balls and play was dictated by their no 27, a lanky Malay central midfielder. Al Caliph was also bombarded with long aerial balls delivered by FC Shark’s goalkeeper, who also saved two point blank shots by Shy after being set up brilliantly by Shahril and Bob on each occasion. One long punt from their goalkeeper eventually resulted in the first goal of the game as our defenders failed to clear the ball and their striker managed to nip in and score. The game restarted with both teams searching for goals. Al Caliph continued to be bombarded with aerial balls into the box but solid defending by the no-nonsense Doc and Deva kept the scoreline intact. The scoreline remained as the referee blew his whistle for half-time.
The second half saw a rejuvenated Al Caliph desperate for an equalizer. With Dinesh brought on at the right side of midfield and Faizal at the opposite end, there was a plenty of pace in our play from the flanks which were ably supported by our fullbacks, Mahdi and Zul. Our opponent’s defence stood firm as they resorted to attacking us on the counter. Numerous saves from our custodian, Redza, which included a one-on-one situation, kept them at bay. Then, with about ten minutes before the final whistle, Shy was brought on for Zul as Al Caliph pushed for an equalizer and played with three defenders at the back. Within seconds from the substitution, a long, hopeful throw by Mahdi on the right was flicked on by a player and fell nicely for the incoming Shy who ran in to the far post to sweep the ball across the goalkeeper and into the goal. Al Caliph had equalized and it sparked relief and joy for players on the field, as well as those on the bench. We kept the momentum going after the restart as we search for the killer winning goal. FC Sharks was shocked from the goal and they were clearly affected as their passes went astray with continuous harassing from our players. Al Caliph made a couple of chances to finish off the opponents but failed to find the back of the net. The game eventually ended with both team sharing the spoils. Al Caliph was in a positive mood as we had shown in the second half that we were able to keep our heads calm and battled with our opponents even when we were a goal down. This determination and never-say-die attitude resulted in an equalizer and hopefully, this bodes well for team as the season progress.
Al Caliph Line-up: Redza, Razif, Doc, Deva, Bob, Zijan, Aizad, Faizal, Jeff, Shy ©, Shahril
Bench: Wan, Nicholas, Sawifi, Khairil, Zul, Mahdi, Yan, Rauf, Ramadan, Malik, Dinesh
Substitutions: Zul for Razif (first half), Mahdi for Shy (first half), Khairil for Deva (halftime), Dinesh for Jeff (halftime), Rauf for Faizal (second half), Shy for Zul (second half), Jeff for Zijian (second half), Zijian for Jeff (second half)