So the S-League continues to get coverage from the Soccer Rag while being ignored in the Singapore national media despite local soccer having great progress and with Singapore having qualified for the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. Anyway, the match of the week was held yesterday at the Tampines Stadium and what a fine stadium it was, between home team Tampines Rovers and away team Home United which really is a fancy name for the team from the Home Ministry, the police and national security secret agents, really. Billed as the headliner of the week due to both teams having title ambitions, the game lived up to its hype and even managed to get a review in the papers today, which is a big deal although still really just giving face value as the rest of the week’s matches were given nothing more than a paragraph or two in Sports Shorts, which is a total disgrace.

This S-League match between Tampines Rovers and Home United had a totally different feel and setup to the previous one I had attended between Dalian Shide Siwu and the Korean Super Reds, which means this was much more professional and small wonder given the standing of both clubs in the Singapore soccer scene and the better budget they had, not to mention they are serious competitors. Tampines Rovers also has one of the best set of supporters, colourful and very vocal, which made the game all the more fun and interesting to follow. The best bit was when former player Peres, who now plies his trade with Home United, delivered the killer blow by scoring the winner in the dying seconds of the match, was delivering a throw in and heard fans cursing him and he turned and flashed a wide grin. Now this might have led to a riot in other countries but Singaporeans are well mannered on the most parts in public and just wanted to have some fun. There were cackles and laughter all round and added to a near carnival mood for the game despite the amount at stake.

Home United supporters though are pretty much what they could muster from the uniformed groups and their cheerleaders are possibly one of the lamest. I could hardly spot any Home United fans in the stands and unlike in other countries where fans are pretty much segregated by law authorities due to fears of unrest, in Singapore, you have fans from both sides sitting and having fun together but this game was simply full of home fans and not one Home United fan in sight except in one small section of the stadium. Extremely disappointing. What’s the point of having a club do so well on the pitch when you have zero fans?

Moving on to the game itself, the match lived up to its hype and moved at breakneck speed throughout. I was pleasantly surprised with this as it meant that both teams would be able to match up to the Koreans Super Reds, who are speedy and can be quite deadly at that pace. Tampines Rovers had speedy wingers and a frontman who supported the striker but failed to use them adequately enough till the second half when they started putting Home United under pressure. There were also some dodgy decisions that went the away team’s way and Tampines’ frontline were also guilty of wasteful finishing. In fact, I would say that Home United had less clear cut chances in the game despite a better balanced attack yet they walked away the winners.

Honestly, Home United aren’t that impressive but incredibly efficient. Peres ran the show in midfield and if he could be convinced of becoming a Singaporean citizen, maybe Singapore can go one step further on the world stage. Calm on the ball, great touch, and a superb footballing brain, this guy gelled well with Chinese comrade Shi Jiayi, who incidentally is already playing for Singapore. If not for the two midfielders, Home United would be one-dimensional and a pale copy of Chelsea.

Continuing with Home United, their striker must be one of the worst buys ever in the club’s history. Kengne Ludovick might be ‘free scoring’ to some, but the guy has poor control, and must be praying for Peres to deliver some nice passes for the rest of the season to keep up his record. One thing about him though, Ludovick is fast and that probably is the best part of his game.

The reason why Home United got rid of Qiu Li and gave him to Tampines Rovers must be due to the same reason why Tampines Rovers fans started to get on the back of the Chinese player during the game. No doubt Qiu Li is tough to shake off and holds the ball up well, however, the guy seriously looks out of shape and was taken off midway through the second half, probably to help speed the game up to Tampines’ advantage. Perhaps the good life in Singapore has gotten to him and Tampines needs to whip him into shape in order to get the most out of him before their season quickly deteriorates.

At the end of the day, Home United walked away with all three points after a last gasp winner from Peres. A fine header that went unchallenged and placed in the top corner of the net where Rezal had no chance of getting to. It also wrapped up the match for a dominating player who ran the show for the away team and would be their key player in the run up to the S-League Championship. This match also proves that once again, this year’s challenger to SAFFC’s crown would be Home United again.

Tampines Rovers, on the other hand, just seems to lack that something extra, but surely they will be a key factor in the title race. Sutee their Thai striker needs to get off the mark fast soon for them to sustain a challenge, and the other players who have so far failed the mandatory fitness test for the S-League also have to shape up soon to do their part for the team.

All in all, this match between Tampines Rovers and Home United was actually a fine advertisement for the S-League. Both local teams and featured decent football and chances galore at both ends, despite fine defending. The season is way too early yet, but I can already see the top three being SAFFC, Home United and a toss up between Tampines Rovers and the Korean Super Reds, who must pray that they stay clear of injuries and disciplinary problems to have a realistic chance.

Tags: Match Analysis, Match Highlights, S-League // Add Comment »