match report (13 June 2010)

score: yc portsmouth 0 el lobos 12
scorers: bobby 5, yewtze 2, leonard 2, wee theng 1, jiaxuan 1, yc's friend og 1
attendance: 32.000

report: after a long lay-off, the lobos found themselves in the midst of their first almost-competitive match in a long time (there were other semi-competitive matches in the meantime, but the reporter was mia). anyhow, congjing arranged this match with his army friends yee chwan and gang, a team that the lobos have faced more than once. however, with the sun burning hot and rusty ankles kicking a rather hard yellow ball, it was going to be tough.

the team started (and ended) with leo in the keeper's position, wee theng at the centre with congjing to his left, jx occupying his right berth, yewtze in his usual free-roaming central position and bobby as the main target-man up front. due to a lack of personnel, the lobos had to play with a man short for the entire match, and the effects showed with everyone saying 'wah damn shagged' repeatedly during the ball game.

the scoreline flattered the lobos, with clinical finishing and tactical acumen more of a reason than pure overwhelming brilliance for the scoreline. cj and jx ran their socks off on the wings, wee theng was his usual rocky self with a rare (nicely finished) goal, yewtze ruled the midfield and bob was simply imbal, shooting at will and causing no end of problems. leo made a series of solid saves to ensure the cleansheet, and even managed to score two when wee theng took a breather in goal.

the first goal came when the opposition defender tried to clear the ball, only to blast it into his own net with a fabulous volley. soon after wee theng, in his many forages up front, clipped the ball neatly past the keeper in what was his first goal for over a few years. bob soon added a couple of goals; a well-placed shot from a yt pass and a header from a jx cross. jx then volleyed a screamer outside the box, before laying on for bob's next goal, a sweeping shot from six yards out. leo then added his brace; a well placed shot from the edge of the area, the second from a fast break, in which three lobos sprinted alongside bob as he advanced, before squaring the ball off to leo, who could not miss for fear that he would be killed by jx and wt. pesky yewtze, who had added his usual goal somewhere in the midst of the scoring, then finished off nicely from a bobby lay-off. ever-reliable congjing, while not scoring, was the start-point of many of these moves, and solid play and understanding with wee theng was vital to the win.

manofthematch: bobby
lobos may still be missing ronnie tay, but bob may remove those memories soon enough. powerful finishing coupled with strength and finesse, bob made sure that the defense was kept on its toes the entire match, not that it was enough. cue for you to return, tay.

moanofthematch: super hot weather
we almost died. as usual.

quoteofthematch: 'where you all buy him from?!' opposition teams make a move for bob. manager hoberto mancini says no, of course.

conclusion: delighted with the way our team can still play. tactically disciplined, good understanding and link-up play, together with a trust built over many matches, it was a joy to play and watch. looks like project lobos, started five years ago, wasn't a wasted one.