Scorers; Aizad assisted by Zhaf
Aizad's fine half volley seconds before half time cancelled out a free kick from La Serpiente to earn Al - Caliph a share of the spoils on a hazy sunday morning.
3 matches in, Al - Caliph were on course to retain their crown, however, ahead of match day 4, they struggled to find players for the crucial game against La Serpiente, with school commitments, injury and 'being in love' coming into consideration.
This issue didn't seem to bother the rhythm of the team as Al-Caliph started well, dominating proceedings in the first 15 minutes with Yan shooting over when one on one and Nadeem missing the target when a mistake presented him with the chance on the edge of the penalty box. These escaped chances almost proved costly in the 20th minute when a quick one two got La Serpiente into the penalty box and the resulting shot drew a great diving stop by Jabbar. Seeing as the tide was turning toward their favor, La Serpiente upped their tempo and scored from a free kick 20 yards out after drawing a foul for a body check.
Having conceded, Al - Caliph were rattled, poor touches and miscommunication led to the increased pressure on the back line. Seeing as the game was slipping out of hand, Abang Ali decided to introduce Fu Lin to enhance the composure of the team. The substitution worked a treat as Al - Caliph started dominating once again. As half time approached, Zhafran received the ball on the right wing from a Fu Lin cross field ball, and fired a dipping volley only to see it crash of the post. The rebound was cleared to Aizad, who, with a deft touch, flicked the ball over two defenders, raced to the left edge of the 6 yard box and fired in an unstoppable half volley to bring the scores level.
The 2nd half started in a similar vein as the first, with Al-Caliph taking the game to their opponents, yet the final ball was often lacking. The team spirit and effort was not thou, as Al-Caliph harried and hustled the men in red toward squandering possession, leading to a glorious opportunity for a tap in from a left wing cross, only for Nadeem to unluckily steer it wide. As the game progressed, tiring legs were evident as the game started to open up, half chances arose for La Serpiente, but they were twarted by soliding defending led by Shah Jnr.
As the game petered out, the final chance came when a flicked header found Zamri, and his shot caressed the post once again. The final whistle soon followed, earning both sides a hard fought draw.