Sunday, October 25, 2009

Revenge Attained; Now for the Title!

TeamCuzz came off a couple of weeks of football unscathed, keeping their winning run going with a 4-2 and 6-3 victories over Real Ale Madrid & Primero respectively. The wins were sweet as TeamCuzz had fallen victim to both teams in the first 2 matches of the season. Although the scoreline seemed comfortable on both occasions, TeamCuzz had to battle strong opponents in the form of Real Ale's deadly striker, Olai, while battling their own complacency and will to play against young Primero.

The match against Real took place at First Toa Payoh Sec, a location more commonly known as the WWE ring for many of TeamCuzz (especially ex) players. The battle started right before kickoff, where TeamCuzz's Number #1 custodian, Aril, churned out a Cinderella-moment by trying to find a right fitting pair of boots. Khairul's latecoming meant that Syukri had to fill the stopper's role, with the seemingly impossible task of keeping Olai from scoring. Despite being tested with the England/Bolton route-one football, TeamCuzz's defence stood firm. That provided a chance for TeamCuzz to launch quick counter-attacks and notch a goal thanks to Hafizzudin's oportunistic nature. Real crept back into the game with an Olai goal, though the striker was clearly in an offside position. The game was 1 apiece at the half.

The 2nd half saw TeamCuzz dominating from start to end, with fresh legs to provide Real with absolutely no chance of getting anything from the game. TeamCuzz's second came thanks to the brilliant partnership between TeamCuzz's front 2, leading to Joseph's stunning shot beyond the outstretched arms of Brad Friedel. Real remained stubborn though, and their determination paid off with yet another opportunistic strike by Olai. With a mind set out to avenge the embarassing defeat, TeamCuzz continued to press forward. They duly took the lead after a series of missed opportunities to do so. Their 3rd came courtesy of TeamCuzz's front 2 again, when Hafizzudin reacted fastest to MoTM Joseph's parried shot. The fourth, scored by TeamCuzz's Frank Lampard, was the icing on the cake, and it is best described through this video:




The following week was yet another match that TeamCuzz had revenge on their minds. Although they lost due to shortage in personnel the first time round, there was no such problems for this encounter. TeamCuzz was again in devastating form, only allowing Primero to move upfront via a hopeless long balls, or through pacey legs.

TeamCuzz did not have to be at their best for this game, but they still raced to a 3 nil lead by the halftime whistle. Faisal scored and deserved the first, after making several marauding attempts earlier in the game. Haikal then scored a brace in the space of 10 minutes. He was fastest to react after Primero failed to clear their lines from Shukur's corner kick. His second was a beauty, lobbing from the left from the tightest of angles.

TeamCuzz once again had the luxury to make wholesale changes. That did not change their dominance, with Arul notching his second of his short TeamCuzz career, tapping in after Naufal's determined run. His "eagle" celebration might have deceived people to the way he had just scored. Captain Shahrudin then scored an outstanding goal, lifting the ball over a defender twice before lobbing the goalkeeper. He then scored another, after good work from Shukur & Faizul. Being the generous team that they are, TeamCuzz 'allowed' Primero a 'way' back into the game with 3 goals that could have been easily prevented if not for their lack in focus.

Summing up both games, a keen TeamCuzz observer had this to say:- "Avenging the earlier defeats was certainly TeamCuzz's main agenda for these games, so getting them as well as the priceless 3 points could not have been sweeter. However, they must quickly learn from their mistakes, which is not anymore evident than the lacklustre show they put up after attaining a comfortable lead in the Primero match. They cannot afford to be generous against their fellow title challengers, for the old cliche of 6 points being up for grabs in each of the games. Focus should and must be at the highest level for all players at all times."

If the past 2 matches were for revenge, the next 2 are for the title. Notching victories in the next 2 will pave the way for TeamCuzz's quest for supremacy.


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