Scorers;
Aizad assisted by Khai
Feroz assisted by Gab
Feroz assisted by Shahril
Gab assisted by Aizad
Aizad assisted by Hisham through Razif
Khai assisted by Shahril
Khai assisted by Aizad
Dinesh assisted by Khai
The recent video that was uploaded (but cannot be found/downloaded/streamed still) was still lingering in everyone’s mind. We had 13 reasons to be buoyant and upbeat about today’s match. The big-sized guy almost went viral thanks to his acrobatics. He was on the bench that morning. Ready to pounce but this time with prey in hand. AlCaliph was geared up for another feast. Weather was hot, humid. Good time to see if they really are immortals after all.
First goal AlCaliph started off brightly and were eager to get on the scoresheet quickly. However, lady luck was on their side and they somehow managed to quell the dangers and AlCaliph became frustrated and impatient. The breakthrough came eventually through a goal by Aizad. Khai showed off his dribbling prowess with some neat body feigns and quick feet on the left flank to beat 2 defenders and squared the ball for Aizad to sidefoot with much aplomb. 1-0. And that was how the half ended to the dismay of AlCaliph and to the joy of immortals. They were left unscathed with only a 1 unpredictable goal margin. The inevitable half-time team talk ensued and we were galvanized to convert our freaking chances. Ps: the big-sized guy was still waiting on the bench. Everready.
Second goal With such a slender insecure lead, we needed a goal fast to settle some nerves. Especially the coach’s. Alas, it came in the form of man-monster Feroz who managed to volley a Gabriel cross sweetly. NOPE! Not Gabriel Quak. Even better. No surprise there as Feroz managed to outmuscle the defence and broke free to score easily ala yaya toure. 2-0. “Lagi lagi” shouted coach. (More more)
Third Goal Feroz was in the mood. Probably something happened the night before, hmmm. Our handsome Shahril was always a menace with his quick running. He managed to outpace a defender and squared the ball for Feroz to score. 3-0! 10 more goals to emulate the previous demolition. Coach was ecstatic. This is what AlCaliph is capable of. ANYONE is able to score. That’s the beauty of this team.
Fourth Goal True enough. Our fourth goal did not come from the forward pack. It was our Chinese starlet who got on the scoresheet. Aizad Ronaldo is well known for his pinpoint passes (as well as extravagant shots at times) and he turned provider again for the hardworking Chinese boy who managed to shoot from close range to bring the scoreline to 4-0. With the sun beating relentlessly, the immortals once again broke into small discussion groups as to whether they should change their team name immediately before they restart from the kick-off. They could not come to a conclusion yet as the big-sized guy was still outside. Hence, they decided to carry on with the name.
Fifth Goal Aizad Ronaldo is one of those silent performers who goes about his daily routine without making a big deal out of it. Kind of like Xabi Alonso. Decisive and robust. With a goal or two up his sleeve. “Settle the kettle” his famous words from a few seasons ago still resonates well with us. And boy did he settle the kettle with a goal courtesy of a through ball by Khai who was found by Razif. Aizad dispatched the ball easily past the GK who was in the midst of thinking of new names for his underperforming team. Distracted. Not focused. Aizad made it 5-0. Well done to Xabi Aizad.
Sixth Goal Shahril, the handsome married man, was brought down rather blatantly and violently at the edge of the box. He cried in pain only to get up a few seconds later. He brushed his side parted hair to the side, made sure it was still coiffed and moved into the box elegantly. Khai stepped up. Noticed the gap at the far post. Passed the ball in easily. Profane words in Tamil were echoing in the air as they blamed the GK for the error. Was it the wall? Maybe the big-sized guy should have stood at the far post? No one knows. We were 6-0 up and the gorgeous free kick was recorded and put on FB. It is being considered by the Puskas committee for 2015.
Seventh Goal The defenders were at it again and this time, Aizad was upended and the referee gave a freekick from about the same spot as earlier. The defender tried to argue his case but it fell on deaf ears. Khai picked the ball up and placed it before asking for the whistle. As he looked up, he saw the same gap again. “Is the goalkeeper doing this on purpose? So that he can pull off a marvellous save and his friends will love him again?” these thoughts reverberated through Khai’s mind. However, that question was soon answered as Khai sidefooted the ball home into the same spot with the keeper rooted right behind the wall. Again curse words were exchanged and unhappiness began to brew. AlCaliph sauntered back towards the halfway line. Job almost done.
Eighth Goal Khai smelled another hattrick. And also the pungent smell coming from Feroz. With some quick stepovers to gain half a yard from the centreback, he unleashed a powerful left-legged shot which he was superbly confident would nestle in the back of the net considering how the GK has performed thus far. But this time, the GK was focused. He already made up his mind on the new team name. Team cleansheet probably. Hence, he parried the ball away wonderfully. He thought it was safe. As it spilled to an Indian fella. To his startling surprise, it was not any normal Indian. It was DINESH! He volleyed the ball first time and it hit the ground. And the ball looped beautifully over the stranded GK. Superb reaction by Dinesh to say the least.
The referee then blew the final whistle to save further blushes and to keep the scoreline relatively decent. 8-0. A good win for Al-Caliph. A boisterous confidence-boosting win in fact. At least we knew that we managed to keep our winning streak alive and increase the goal difference. It will take a mammoth of an effort for the other teams to match our goals scored. Well done boys. Especially since Kallang could only muster a 3-3 draw against them where coach revealed later that they only had 9 men. Advantage AlCaliph. Bring on Kallang CS.