B Bullets book place in semi-finals with inspiring comeback

27 Mar 2013

 

2 match postponements, 6 players unavailable for selection, dubious referee decisions and 2 goals down after just 10 minutes....yet, nothing could stop the Bowen Bullets from claiming a cherished semi-final spot in the NZ Inter-Schools B Div Boys Football Competition.  The boys from Bowen Sec bravely fought back from 0-2 down to beat Fuchun Sec 3-2 this afternoon at Seng Kang Sec field.

With the threat of another match postponement lurking as droplets of rain fell just before the start of the match, the Bullets kicked off timidly and allowed Fuchun to score an early goal in the 4^th min. The Fuchun scorer was unmarked as he galloped past Bowen left-back Muhd Hanafi and centre-back Muhd Azfar to lob the ball over Bullets keeper, Danial Haikel. Further heartbreak arrived in the form of a controversial refereeing decision. As a long ball was played over the Bowen backline, right-back Muhd Arsyad raised his hand to alert the referee of a seemingly correct offside play but unintentionally touched the ball instead. The referee wilfully awarded Fuchun a direct free kick from which their midfielder whipped the ball into the top right-hand corner for a 2-goal advantage.   

As the sun began to emerge and the clouds dissipated, so did the Bullets’ slumber. A free-kick in the 13^th min from the left side of the penalty box caused mayhem in the Fuchun defence as the ball bobbled from head to head and finally landed nicely for Bullets striker Karthik to force it into an empty goal. The goal sparked off a series of intelligent one-touch play from the Bullets and they emerged with the equaliser from one of the best moves of the match. The Bullets pulled off a string of about 7 uninterrupted passes on the left hand side and when the final pass was made to in-form striker Javier Ho, he finished off the move with a swivel and shot which found its way into the Fuchun goal.

The Fuchun side could not believe that they had thrown away a 2-goal lead and struggled to regain their belief for the 2^nd half. Although a draw would have been enough for Bowen to go through, the Bullets were not resting on their laurels. The defence effectively nullified Fuchun’s 3 strikers upfront, and launched quick counter-attacks that frustrated Fuchun time and again. In the 64^th min, Bullets skipper Muhd Azfar launched another one of his trademark freekicks from outside the box and found the back of Fuchun’s net for 3-2.

Having got the lead, the Bullets executed their plan of maintaining possession excellently and managed to look sturdy until the final whistle.

The Bullets will now meet tournament favourites Singapore Sports School in the first semi-final on Monday at Temasek Poly but with the Bullets’ rising confidence and form, it does not look as if the much-heralded favourites will run away with the game.

Bowen	3-2	Fuchun
Karthik 13’ Javier 18’ Azfar 64’
	Substitution
	Hilman for Akhsan 58’
	Yellow Card
	Azfar