The rain which had cancelled the previous 2 games didn't really threaten the match on 6th September when Kamikaze travelled to Woodlands Secondary, the same turf we got our first 3 points. Upon reaching the field we realized that the biggest threat wasn't going to be the weather, but our team's organization. Yes, We had a total of 9 substitutions to utilize but we had physically only one substitiute to do so. We were missing key regulars in this game. Jeyraj, Haresh, Habib, Harvey, Spaceship, Sudesh, Faizal and Suresh Boyye were all missing due to various reasons. It was dangerous for them to be missing and even so to be not replacing them. Were we in trouble? Not really though, we had players who were arriving late in this game, so the 11 warriors of kamikaze, so often true to the kamikaze legend, took onto the field to face whatever the opponents threw at them.
Nesh captained the squad, partnering Dinesh(VS), at the centre of defence. The much improved and impressive Vinod, together with the ill Gopi, took on the positions of fullbacks. Nayee was playing in goal, after a 2 hour tournament at NUS with Dinesh(VS). Gerard, after recovering from injury, partnered Seelan and Bala, who was also recovering from injury, at the centre of the park. Vijay took the flank with Mohawk leading the line. We also welcomed back Barathi who was out due to academic commitments, so KKZ's firepower was strong after all, as we saw the potent attack of Barathi and Vijay, 2 of the top goalscorers in the KKZ fold.
The game was started sluggishly, and as the minutes wore on, the team realized that the opoosition wasn't as strong as they seemed. However, we could see the laziness rub its way into our game as we defended rather poorly, and weren't the first to the ball. Ball watching seemed to be the trend amongst our players in the opening minutes. After a cagey start, we took the lead through a very unlikely mean. A throw in. After a throw was flung in by Gerard, Vijay found himself free at the edge of the box, and he took his time and space presented to him by nestling the ball into the bottom corner of the net. However poor defending led to a rather soft goal when the forward of the opposing team lashed in a shot just outside the penalty box. It was going to be a game of 'ping pong' as FC MBOG and Kamikaze rallied in a game of furious fast paced attacking game where we saw end to end action. At score 1-1, Barathi robbed the over-confident keeper of the opponents and tapped in from an extremely tight angle to show everyone why he is still regarded as one of the best finishers in Team Kamikaze. Score at 2-2, Gerard, once again got in a key assist by floating in a beautiful corner, which the keeper fumbled, but Barathi didn't in where Kamikaze had taken the lead once more at 3-2 but the opponents equalized soon after after they realized Nayee wasn't a keeper which was largely evident in his gloveless hands. Their experimental but accurate shooting which led to their 3 goals seemed to prove that theory.The opponents were adapting to the game that Kamikaze was throwing, as attacks down our right flank simmered down as they couldn't find a way past the excellent Vinod. Their attention turned towards stopping Vijay who was a constant menace in their box.
Second half saw the replacement of Seelan, with Magen, but the problem was left unsolved. Seelan and Dinesh(VS) both had to leave the game halfway due to commitments, which again left us with no substitutes. Prem had found his way into the opponents' box a number of times after he had already been introduced into the game after some rolling substitutions.
Kamikaze took another deserved lead after the switch of Mohawk Vicky to the right flank paid dividends. A cross whipped in was mishandled again by their keeper, in where Vijay made no mistake of bringing his impressive league goal tally to 7. KKZ 's fatigue was starting to show but the team held on in where Gerard and Prem were proving to be a brick wall against the incessant attacks of the opponents. After several futile attempts at counter-attacking, Mohawk Vicky and Vijay had 2 clear chances to extend the lead which would have sealed the 3 points, but then again as always, the Footballing Gods had other ideas.
Kamikaze was well fatigued and were trying to hold on for the victory with 15 minutes to go. The referee who so often had distracted the KKZ warriors by donning black in the first half, made a very bad call when he judged the opponents' forward to be not offside in where he clearly was. Kamikaze found themselves tied at 4 all. This led to a furious attack by the kamikaze midfield who were holding out their lungs, to finish the game on a winning note. A strayed pass leading to a counter attack, put their forward to simply lob Nayee to give them the lead at a very crucial time. Kamikaze refused to be put down but then again a beautiful long range stunner and a long shot later, the opponents downed KKZ 7-4 at f.t.
Was it our confidence in gaining the previous games' 6 points? Was it our lack of commitment in the team's depth? Or was it the team's organization being a one man show? As we analyze these facts, let us get more focused and committed in our next game. We are still in it. We have won 6 points from 3 games, its still not over let alone a disaster. Maybe our second game was a warning preceding this, let us heed the signals and come back stronger in our pursuit for the league's champoinship. The difference between losers and champions is how well they recover from setbacks and defeats. Remember, Man Utd had a extremely poor start to the season, whereas Arsenal never recovered from their absymal draw with Birmingham. As they say, The rest was history. Heads up, guys we shall show the championship mettle beating right in our hearts. Kamikaze!!!
Match Stats:
Final Score: FC MBOG 7 KKZ 4 (3-3)Goals: Vijay (2), Barathi (2)
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