CFL 2 - Round 10

21 Mar @ First Toa Payoh Secondary School

Kamikaze headed down to the central side of Singapore for a Sunday date with League newcomers El Calcio. Whilst the results have not been favourable for this young El Calcio side, their fiesty potential had been underscored in several closely fought results. Hence, Kamikaze looked to leave no stone unturned in their preparation for this game. Even the absence of Havey and Yasin didn't look too serious, as the team looked to gear up for their first match in 3 weeks.

As the match went underway, it was El Calcio which looked more threatening of the two. Kamikaze's lack of match practice showed as they looked very nervy in the opening exchanges. If not for the solid centreback pairing of Suresh and Jraj, things could have gotten complicated for the league leaders. However, they managed to get their bearings right and in one swift counter-attacking move Victor received a short pass from Hariboy and threaded a throughball right to the feet of Diego Haresh who made no mistake in giving Kamikaze the lead. It was the perfect moment of redemption for both Victor who was made Captain for the first ever time and Diego who broke his goal drought.

Things were better for Kamikaze after that, but a lack of composure meant that the chances created were not finished. Coupled with a determined El Calcio side, the match remained nervy as the teams headed into the halftime with only a goal separating them.

The second half was no better, as numerous chances were missed and lack of concentration saw El Calcio coming close to getting the equaliser. However, one moment of pure genius by Safar Torres that saw him win the ball, and curl pass the keeper into the backpost changed the entire game. With a 2-0 lead, Kamikaze knew that the game was all but over.

That was the problem though, as the complacency, Kamikaze's biggest and most dangerous opponent, helped El Calcio pull a goal back with their never say die spirit. But that goal was more than enough to wake up the warriors of KKZ and they managed to see the match off till the final whistle.

In all honestly, this was not a good match for Kamikaze as their title ambitions could have been badly dented by the newcomers. However, Champions dont always need to win playing at their best. The true mark of a champion team is one that has the ability to grind out a result even when they are playing badly.

PS: Finally the phrase 'single-handedly saved the match' applies to a man of the match. World class saves from a world class keeper kept the 3 points for Kamikaze. And Akbar is Man of the Match for the first ever time for Kamikaze.

Squad: Akbar Kuszczak, Jayraj Carragher, Suresh USPO, Thina Da Silva, Navin Da Silva, Anand Spaceship, El Fazail, VS Dinesh, Victor King, Lavanesh Valencia, Seelan Kong, Hariboy Aerocratz, Diego Haresh, Safar Torres, Mohawk Vicky

Final score: Kamikaze FC 2 - El Calcio FC 1
Goals: Diego Haresh, Safar Torres
MOM: Akbar Kuszczak