It was reported that Kamikaze faced a crisis before the match on 20th Oct. That crisis would have been considered a minor blip when compared to what Kamikaze FC faced before kickoff on 27 Oct. Besides player-manager Haresh being still unavailable due to long-term ankle injury, Kamikaze faced the absence of atleast 5 other first team players including Co-captain Achu (study-leave), influential winger Barathi,(hamstring pull), midfield anchorman Jayaseelan, keeper Manoj, and midfield maestro Faizal (both work). Kamikaze also missed rising star Vicky, and tricky midfielder Ghaz. The unforseen absence coupled with Prem's delayed arrival meant that Kamikaze only had 9 players to start with. As if that was not enough, the opponents were none other than the much-feared Vietnam FC. Fast, aggressive and cunning, they were sure to make their numerical superiority count and punish Kamikaze ruthlessly.
The first 10 mins played according to the script, as Vietnam FC attacked incessantly and found their reward when a speculative shot beat stand-in keeper Jayaraj too easily. Score was 1-0 to Kamikaze's disadvantage and led to one of the Vietnam FC players to comment that they could win the game by 10-0. Was Nayee's pre-match warning to preserve the winning streak gonna backfire? Were Kamikaze gonna be humiliated. Well, for once Nayee wasn't doing any favours, as he found himself continuously outmarked and failed to get to the end of a few good half-chances.. But like i always say... The Soccer Gods Had Other Ideas.
Prem made his arrival, and together with Vicky of Kawabunga fame they made sure that the numerical weakness was corrected. It was once again 11 on 11. And Kamikaze were out to play the game they had on their hands. Wave after wave of Kamikaze attacks soared, and before long a defensive clearance found its way to Nayee, who made his only meaningful contribution by playing a diagonal ball to Aussieboy Hari. Hari who had what could arguably be his best game in Kamikaze colours, wowed the crowd by beating 2 opponents, before chipping a delightfully weighted through-ball.. Vinnie raced to the ball, beating the offside trap, latched onto it and chipped the oncoming keeper to score Kamikaze's equaliser and his second of the D&D list. Game level, and floodgates opened.
Kamikaze played with the panache and swashbuckling style that they have often been associated with. Nayee swapped with Jayaraj as keeper and Jayaraj's pace upfront was soon to play a part. With the Vietnamese focusing on Jayaraj's pace threat, Anand Spaceship found himself some space on the left wing. And he was to make full use of it, by brilliantly cutting 3 defenders and slotting the ball calmly past the keeper. Even a late intervention by the Vietnamese defender, could not stop Anand from gleefully running to celebrate with Haresh, on what was his FIRST EVER GOAL FOR KKZ IN 2 YEARS!! Vietnam Fc had a few chances of their own, but some smart keeping from Nayee prevented them from scoring. Even when he made a silly error by passing straight to an opponent player, the danger was averted by slick defending from Nash, and KKZ headed into the dressing room with the lead.
The half-time talk revolved around the 10-0 proclamation and KKZ vowed to leave a lasting impression on their not-so-modest opponents.
But, once again fate was working against them. First Vinnie suffered cramps, but managed to come back into play, as there were no substitutes. Then, the most controversial event of the afternoon transpired. Nayee, who was already having a lacklustre afternoon just had a more miserable day, as the referee whistled for play to stop and ran towards him, signalling an off-the ball incident. The opponents, who had been taunting KKZ the whole day with their weird dog-like noises and shoves, had one more trick up their sleeve. Their defender had been tugging Nayee's jersey and in an attempt to get free, Nayee retaliated with an elbow to the face of the defender. The referee who spotted it, had no hesitation in showing a straight red-card to Nayee. A distraught Nayee left the field, as Vinnie fell to the ground simultaneously, unable to continue due to his cramps. Kamikaze were leading 2-1, but were once again having a 2-man disadvantage.
Vietnam, seized the opportunity, launched attack after attack and were gaining control of the game. But Kamikaze's attitude could not be faulted. The defence stood firm and everyone played their part in preserving the lead. The never-say-die attitude paid off, as Kamikaze got a free kick at the edge of the box on the left side of the field. Hari who was sterling in midfield stepped up to curl in a magical freekick past the hapless Vietnam keeper who could only watch the ball sail past him and into the net. 9-man Kamikaze were leading 3-1.
The Vietnamese managed a late consolation goal. However the Kamikaze spirit never wavered. In a attempt to preserve the lead, the valiant Jayaseelan summoned King Kong-like bravery and kitted out into the field. Though he was limping all the way, he managed to put in a few tackles and would have also managed a goal, if his chip hadn't strayed a few centimetres wide.
All in all, this was a game that was not for the faint-hearted. Any lesser team might have crumbled in the face of such adversity. The pressure mounting from the start of the game to preserve their 5-match winning streak might have been too tough for any other team. But not for Kamikaze, who stretched their lead to 6 matches, and gave a performance to remember for a very long time. Hari was rightly chosen as the man-of-the-match for a display that earned him plaudits from several quarters, including the match referee. Kamikaze, unbeaten in 6 and still moving on. With the blessings, of the Soccer Gods.
Match Stats:
Final Score: KKZ 3 Vietnam FC 2 (2-1)
Goals: Vinnie(1) Anand Spaceship (1) Hari (1)
Assists: Hari (1)
MOM: Hari
Overall Standings:
Goals:
(4): Haresh
(3): Nayee
(2): Barathi, Vinnie, Vicky, Dinesh Manjan, Ghaz
(1): Gerard, Satheesh, Jayraj, Ismail, Faizal(East), Anand Spaceship, Hari
Assists
(3): Anand Spaceship, Barathi
(2): Gerard
(1): Haresh, Seelan, Vicky, Vinnie, Ghaz, Habib, Hari
MOM
(3): Nash
(1): Gerard, Manjo, Anand Spaceship, Francis Pow, Hari
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