Kamikaze entered into their 12th match of the D&D season with much to hope for. The problem of having too few players has become history, and the much-talked about "Friendster-Fiasco" had also came to an amicable end. Thus Kamikaze entered the Admiralty Sec pitch with high hopes of achieving a good result and thus extending the unbeaten streak to the magical number of 10. But did Santa give the KKZ faithful an early Christmas present, or were they left to rue an unforseen result?
Player-manager Haresh opted for a flying wing-back 3-5-2 formation, which eventually proved to be the difference between the two teams. Kamikaze had all the early possession and it was not too long before they made their dominance in midfield count. USPO Suresh sprayed a diagonal ball to the right searching for fellow Aussieboy Hari who didn't need a second invitation in taking a first time cross. The ball was hit with such ferocity that Atlético Manjan's keeper was only able to parry it away. However, VS Dinesh, playing in his preferred forward role was there to tap it in home and open Kamikaze's account for the day. Kamikaze's newly acquired habit of scoring early goals, had obviously continued.
From then on, it was largely one-way traffic as Kamikaze looked to double their lead. Stand-in keeper Nayee was virtually a bystander as Kamikaze was doing all the attacking. Shots from USPO, Hari and Haresh all came close, but the scoreline stood as it was. But it wasn't too long before Kamikaze struck again. This time, Prem shot a cracker from just outside the box. The keeper managed to save it, but couldn't stop it from rolling into the path of Dinesh who gleefully tapped in for his brace.
However, the scoreline had induced a monotony in the play, and the game became scrappier towards the end of the half. Atlético Manjan had a few half-chances to take, but Kamikaze still headed for the dressing room with a two-goal cushion.
The halftime talk revolved around two things: The need to improve the style of play that had deteriorated, and the comments by one of the Atlético players who had passingly said that Kamikaze was not as good as some of their previous opponents.
As the games for the D&D season go by, it can be seen that KKZ are playing with a never-before-seen maturity and sense of unity. Each game and each tackle was being won with pride and loyalty for the KKZ badge. And that spirit was epitomised in the second half as Sivabalan, Neshta, Vinod, and USPO Suresh all put in crunching tackles to win every single ball in a bid to maintain the clean sheet. So much so, that co-keepers Habib and Nayee had virtually nothing to do besides taking goalkicks.
And across the run-of-play, comeback kid Barathi struck. Barathi, who was dazzling in his dribbling throughout the game shook off two defenders before shooting cleverly to beat the keeper in the near post. 3-0 to KKZ.
As the fire in the opponents was fizzling off, KKZ looked to kill the game and they did so, when Yasin shimmied past two defender and shot from just inside the box to leave the keeper rooted to the ground. The game was all but over now...
But like I always say... The soccer gods had other ideas. It was after all the Christmas season, and the season of giving. There was a player in the ranks of KKZ who was on a hat-trick trail. And he was just about to get it. Barathi made another dazzling run through the flank and earned a well-deserved penalty when he was fouled inside the box. There was no doubt on who was to take the kick. VS Dinesh stepped up and coolly placed the ball dead centre to earn a much-cherished hat-trick. The KKZ faithful congratulates him and hopes for more from him. 5-0 it was, and that was how it ended.
Overall, it was a very satisfying game for Kamikaze as they performed in all areas of the pitch. They might not be the best team that Atlético had faced, but they will most surely be oone of the dreaded.
Also, Santa had delivered the much awaited gift of "Double-digit number of unbeaten matches". As a bonus he had also thrown in a hat-trick to VS Dinesh. Vinod from Eastboys also received an early Christmas gift, when he was adjudged to have been the man-of-the-match by the Editor. While, the entire team had put in sterling performances, Vinod won the award for this week for playing a brave and tireless game. He put in several tackles and was willing to run up and down, and as such the Editor has used his discretion to present him as the man-of-the-match. Special commendation is also given to Barathi for a sparkling display. The KKZ faithful expects far more from the twinkle-toed wonder and expects him to turn up for matches with more regularity.
A streak of 10 matches unbeaten achieved. This is not the end. It is just the beginning. This is where style meets passion on the pitch, to achieve glory.
Kamikaze!!!
Match Stats:
Final Score: KKZ 5 Atlético Manjan 0 (2-0)
Goals: VS Dinesh (3), Yasin (1), Barathi (1)
Assists: Hari (1), Prem (1)
MOM: Vinod EastBoys
Overall Standings:
Goals:
(5): Habib
(4): Haresh, Nayee, Hevy, Ghazali
(3): VS Dinesh, Barathi
(2): Vinnie, Vicky, Dinesh Manjan
(1): Gerard, Satheesh, Jayraj, Ismail, Faizal(East), Anand Spaceship, Hari, Haravin, Yasin
Assists
(4): Anand Spaceship
(3): Barathi, Habib
(2): Gerard, Haresh, Seelan, Hari Aussieboy, Prem
(1): Vicky, Vinnie, Ghazali, Nayee, Hevy
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