The futsal Saturday group entered a tournament organized by KHR. Another stab at the tournament we entered last year. A different lineup from last year, as it was fully represented by the futsal Saturday group. Our team name was I Love Papaya. The line this year in adidas mode was :
Shareza - every team needs the goalkeeper
Farrish (captain) - every team needs the player in the most important position
Badrul - every team needs the libero
Meor - every team needs the stabilizer
Reza - every team needs the goalscorer
Farris - every team needs the link
Shanaz - every team needs the player to write the future
Faisal - every team needs the Spurs fan
We were pitted in group B with Aftaas, MBSB (B) and AFC. A manageable group for us to deal with. Before kick-off we were briefed by the referees on the rules. One thing that sticks out was 'don't argue with the ref, its a yellow card offence'.
First game was against Aftaas, which we lost 0-2. Starters were Shareza, Badrul, Farris, Shanaz and Reza. We were out of sorts in this game. Our positioning and ball movement was out of sync. There was hope when myself and Meor entered the fray with the score 0-1. Meor crossed the ball to me in open space, 5 yards from an open goal. You would have put money on me to bang that one in for the equalizer, yet I missed as it went over the bar. Not a good start, but still there was a chance to get it right.
Next up was MBSB (B) which we won 2-1 and getting our tournament back on track. A brace by Reza put us up early in a game which we controlled. We had numerous chances to add to the tally, but failed to do so. I had a brief appearance in this game as I barely lasted 10 seconds. Trying to make a defensive block with the scores at 1-2, I fell on my back and my head hit the floor. I was still good, but opted to step and not risk any further injury.
Our last group game was against AFC (not sure if its Asian Food Channel). We went down early, but displayed fight to get back into the game. Shanaz equalized for us, Badrul scored from a tight angle and Meor scored the goal of the tournament (in our book anyway). He volleyed it home from a kick-in by Badrul. All smiles after that as we managed to qualify for the quarter finals, which was better than last year where we didn't get out of the group stage.
Next was our quarter-final match up with the defending champions KKJK Hasil. A team from the IRB. We were down 1 in the first 10 seconds or so. And we just couldn't get a hold of the game. They held the ball well and we were left chasing the ball. Kinda like playing against Barcelona. I had one chance to score in another cameo, but instead of passing it to Farrish, I decided to go for it myself. In the end, we lost 0-3.
We would have loved to go further, but it was not to be. Still we had fun. One thing I noticed from this tournament is that all the teams belong to a corporation or a group of regular tournament players. Our team was a group of social players who just play for fun and exercise.
Also, this tournament was my last game, before I take a break from contact sports. Need to prepare for another big event in July.
Shareza - every team needs the goalkeeper
Farrish (captain) - every team needs the player in the most important position
Badrul - every team needs the libero
Meor - every team needs the stabilizer
Reza - every team needs the goalscorer
Farris - every team needs the link
Shanaz - every team needs the player to write the future
Faisal - every team needs the Spurs fan
We were pitted in group B with Aftaas, MBSB (B) and AFC. A manageable group for us to deal with. Before kick-off we were briefed by the referees on the rules. One thing that sticks out was 'don't argue with the ref, its a yellow card offence'.
First game was against Aftaas, which we lost 0-2. Starters were Shareza, Badrul, Farris, Shanaz and Reza. We were out of sorts in this game. Our positioning and ball movement was out of sync. There was hope when myself and Meor entered the fray with the score 0-1. Meor crossed the ball to me in open space, 5 yards from an open goal. You would have put money on me to bang that one in for the equalizer, yet I missed as it went over the bar. Not a good start, but still there was a chance to get it right.
Next up was MBSB (B) which we won 2-1 and getting our tournament back on track. A brace by Reza put us up early in a game which we controlled. We had numerous chances to add to the tally, but failed to do so. I had a brief appearance in this game as I barely lasted 10 seconds. Trying to make a defensive block with the scores at 1-2, I fell on my back and my head hit the floor. I was still good, but opted to step and not risk any further injury.
Our last group game was against AFC (not sure if its Asian Food Channel). We went down early, but displayed fight to get back into the game. Shanaz equalized for us, Badrul scored from a tight angle and Meor scored the goal of the tournament (in our book anyway). He volleyed it home from a kick-in by Badrul. All smiles after that as we managed to qualify for the quarter finals, which was better than last year where we didn't get out of the group stage.
Next was our quarter-final match up with the defending champions KKJK Hasil. A team from the IRB. We were down 1 in the first 10 seconds or so. And we just couldn't get a hold of the game. They held the ball well and we were left chasing the ball. Kinda like playing against Barcelona. I had one chance to score in another cameo, but instead of passing it to Farrish, I decided to go for it myself. In the end, we lost 0-3.
We would have loved to go further, but it was not to be. Still we had fun. One thing I noticed from this tournament is that all the teams belong to a corporation or a group of regular tournament players. Our team was a group of social players who just play for fun and exercise.
Also, this tournament was my last game, before I take a break from contact sports. Need to prepare for another big event in July.
