By Tom Bus
On January 17 2015, a full round of league matches of the Shanghai International Football League took place. In the Premier League, Shanghai ReUnited victorious over FC Oranje. Shanghai Puxi Lions edge out the Big Bamboo Shanghai Shooters AFC. Shanghai Japan FC (above) hold Azzurri FC to a draw. In the First Division, Shanghai United upset the Shanghai Krauts FC. Voodoo, Kangbei United FC, Shanghai Vikings FC all win their fixtures. Anzacs FC and Shanghai 3United share the spoils. In 8 fixtures 40 goals were scored.
In the Premier League, Shanghai ReUnited (above) crossed swords with FC Oranje. ReUnited could not have wished for a better start as in the 5th minute Steve Ishemezwe’s pass reached Tobi Junior who converted for 1-0. Just a few minutes later Junior doubled the score to 2-0 from an Alex Pozhar assist. ReUnited added another goal when Ishemezwe found the net from a Junior assist for 3-0. A penalty claim for Oranje went unnoticed by the referee, however, the men in orange got a goal back when they were awarded a free kick eight minutes from time in the first half. Roger Jackson (below) lined up the ball and neatly dispatched it in the top right corner for 3-1. A few minutes after that Junior completed his true hattrick when he determined a halftime score of 4-1.
The second half started like the first one as ReUnited got on the score sheet again after just a few minutes when Pozhar (below right) headed home for 5-1. FC Oranje did something back when Jackson worked the ball over the line from close range for 5-2. ReUnited continued to play counter creating many chances but saw several scoring efforts overruled by the referee before Ishemezwe (2nd right) finally scored a goal that counted for 6-2. Oranje hit back after that when Tom Jansen (below left) scored a beauty from the edge of the box that sailed in for 6-3. Oranje then had another penalty claim waived away by the referee. They then hit the woodwork three times before the final whistle blew for a 6-3 ReUnited win. ReUnited’s Tobi Junior (2nd left next to Roger Jackson in the middle) received man of the match honors. Herr Flick: “Ja, its only logical ve won and I have received ze green light from Berlin to retake Paris”.
The Big Bamboo Shanghai Shooters AFC locked horns with the Shanghai Puxi Lions FC. A Benji Guerin solo wonder goal proved to be the difference in a tight encounter at Waigaoqiao. The Lions were missing several key players so they had to change their strategy and decided to play 4-3-1-2 to counter the Shooters’ strong showing in the first 15 minutes and to not concede an early goal. The first half ended scoreless with the Lions having a penalty call fall on deaf ears while the Shooters managed to get the ball in the back of the net after Lions’ keeper Dmitri Lesant pushed a free kick onto the cross bar that bounced back for Guillaume Leclercq to head home. The linesman had other ideas and intervened to rule Leclercq’s effort offside.
In the second half and with the wind in their backs the Lions created several chances but were unable to convert them into goals. Twenty minutes into the half, Guerin (above) stole the ball in midfield, went past two Shooters on the sideline, before heading back towards the goal ghosting past three more defenders with Shooters’ sweeper slipping and then the left back missing him. Guerin found himself in front of goal twelve yards out and finished with much aplomb taking a 0-1 Lions lead (below). The Shooters pushed for an equalizer and a couple of neat saves from Lesant kept the Lions’ lead and the three points as it finished 0-1 with Benji Guerin getting man of the match honors for the Lions. Guerin: “We won coz we are real men and played without gloves…mostly.”
Shanghai Japan FC lined up to play the Azzurri FC. The game heated up from the beginning, Azzurri tried to take the initiative with their strong attackers Adam Kluger (#6) and Kwame Agyei-Owusu (above #11), while Japan threw their signature passing game aside and aimed for counter attack with striker Shuhei Goto (#8) and Dalong Xia (#72). First chance was for Azzurri with a cross from the left side but the volley shot hit the post. Right after, Japan succeeded to take a lead via Xia’s strike from a corner taking a 1-0 lead. Just 5mins later, Azzurri were awarded a penalty from a handball in the box. Adam Kluger stepped up and carefully delivered the ball into the goal to make it 1-1. In the 20th minute, Japan defended out a cross that ended up at Alejandro Felipe who scored with a volley for a 1-2 Azzurri lead. However, Japan easily equalized with a long ball from the centerline where Goto ran behind the Azzurri defense and pushed the ball into the net for 2-2. With 5mins remaining in the first half, Japan got in front again via a Daichi Kondo (#30) strike from another corner kick sending Japan up 3-2. Again Azzurri caught up accordingly with Kwame’s strike to the left corner evening out the score at 3-3, which was also the halftime score.
In the second half, it was more obvious that Azzurri controlled the game with offensive plays while Japan maintained their solid and disciplined defense. Azzurri created several chances but the posts and the Japan keeper stood in the way. With 15mins to go, Japan retook the lead when from a corner Naoya Yokoyama (#18) slotted home the rebound for 4-3. Azzurri upped the pace and again equalized when Kluger volleyed home in the penalty box for 4-4. Both teams tried to get in front once again, but this thrilling match ended with a 4-4 draw. Japan’s Dalong Xia received man of the match honors, as did Azzurri’s Adam Kluger.
In the First Division, Hstone HFC did battle with Voodoo in a huge fixture with considerable importance for both sides. Despite this intense sentiment still ringing in the ears of the Voodoo players, it was HFC that made the early running in the game with neat football and a lot of ball retention. Voodoo weathered the early storm though and settled down to playing some very attractive football in the first half with good possession in midfield. It was indeed no surprise when Voodoo took the lead through a real screamer from Fabiaen Lebourcq (below), who thundered in a ‘worldy’ from fully 30 yards taking a 0-1 Voodoo lead leaving the keeper simply flapping at thin air. This goal seemed to set the tempo for the rest of the half with Voodoo controlling midfield. With this solid base, the chances came thick and fast for Voodoo and there was an air of inevitability when Damo Pilat ended a fantastic Voodoo move that he started with a very assured left foot finish giving the keeper no chance for 0-2.
At the start of the second half, the Voodoo players readied themselves for HFC’s onslaught in response to their first half dominance, but Voodoo in this mood take some stopping these days and so it proved with 0-3 coming with Joe Holder applying a top drawer headed finish from a cultured FX Douay cross. Joe Holder then robbed the defense, beat two would be tacklers before dispatching the ball home with aplomb to make it 0-4. HFC briefly rallied and restored a little pride with a consolation goal by Biao Zhu to make it 1-4 after a very rare lapse in concentration from an otherwise faultless, solid and much talked about Voodoo defense, now the meanest in the division and rapidly becoming the cornerstone for what could be a title winning season for the club. Voodoo then got awarded a penalty which was converted by Scottish veteran warhorse Stevie Scott for 1-5. Damo Pilat found space in the box, rose like a salmon, all teeth blazing and buried a header into the bottom corner to make a final score of Hstone HFC 1, Voodoo 6. Voodoo’s Damo Pilat received man of the match honors.
Voodoo Child locked horns with Kangbei United FC. In a 0-1 defeat to Kangbei, VC at least showed a better spirit and performance than last time of asking. Kangbei played a lot of good football and retained possession well. As much as VC huffed and puffed, they just came up a bit short of quality and had their returning keeper (Suicidal Col) to thank for two fine saves to keep them in the game. Match preparations were not helped by stalwarts Camel Toe and Matt Eddy being late for kick off (having thought Jinqiao being in Pudong MUST be close to WGQ as they are both in Pudong!!!). Early signs were good as Gordy (fresh from having his spine replaced) was able to move around more freely and not shy away from tackles. Indeed, if VC forward Liam (Del Boy) had only added 5Kg instead of 10Kg since the previous week then some of Gordy's clever passes may have resulted in being more threatening.
At 0-0 at half time, VC still believed that they could go on and win and certainly posed more of a threat in the second half. Noodles Dawson and Balding Goodsey looked calm at the back while Camel Toe’s delayed entrance to the game saw him struggle in assert his normal composure. A vicious blow to his middle leg seemed to compromise him for much of the game. Kangbei scored a deserved goal by Yi Bin Fu taking a 0-1 lead and then were able to hold on for the remainder of the game despite VC intense pressure at the end. Kangbei’s Qi Zhao received man of the match honors.
League leaders Shanghai Krauts FC did battle with Shanghai United. United continued their great start to 2015 with a spectacular drubbing of ze Germans, who have dominated the First Division so far this season. In a hotly contested first half, United just edged the midfield battle, creating a good few chances and converting two taking a 0-2 United lead at halftime. Smart play from the Krauts in offense when Stoyan Atsarov scored getting a goal back making it 1-2 and keeping them in the game. It was not until hattrick boy Misha 'Grandadylev' Bobylev fired in the second of his magnificent three goals that the league leaders showed any sign of giving up. United’s Alexander Tyapkin, Evgeny Pavlenko and Nickolay Filiatov scored United’s other goals for a 1-6 win. Four of United's six goals were scored from outside the box and this fine day was dutifully finished off with ample vodka in the Red Square restaurant. United’s Alexander Tyapkin was voted man of the match with his excellent performance in the midfield.
The Shanghai Vikings FC negotiated the Shanghai Cosmos in their encounter. In the first phase of the match the Vikings had lots of possession but did not really succeed in converting it into open chances. However, after roughly 15 minutes of play the Vikings got a corner. Peter Tabor crossed it in for Peter Rasmussen to head it home from close range taking a 1-0 Vikings lead. After the goal, the game lost a little bit of pace and goalies in both ends were not put to any real challenges. But, ten minutes before the break Cosmos hit the Vikings with a counter attack and passed a long flat ball to Jordan Campbell. Keeper Borys Priadko ran out of his goal to block the pass but lost the running battle and striker Tom Morley could tap it in from outside the box for 1-1 and the game was even at halftime.
The second half was quite messy and saw a lot of fighting for possession in the midfield. After 20mins, the Vikings got a good chance on the right side when the balled ended up at Peter Tabor who, after rounding a defender, launched a shot at goal. The ball struck the inside of the cross bar and bounced just behind the goal line for 2-1. The Vikings then had a man sent of for bad mouthing the referee, who hesitated to call this goal. They were decimated to ten players for the rest of the game and they struggled to keep the lead. Cosmos had a few close attempts to equalize the game, especially Campbell’s one on one with the keeper but the Vikings were able to withstand the pressure and managed to secure second spot in the league with their fifth consecutive win. Vikings’ Peter Tabor (left below, next to Tom Morley and Peter Rasmussen) received man of the match honors.
The Anzacs FC were scheduled to play Shanghai 3United. After a minor altercation involving Steve Watson’s head the Anzacs started the brighter team, and had much of the early possession. They had a few shots from distance, a couple of corners, and one clear chance coming to Ian Mote whose shot was blocked at the near post. They felt confident enough to keep 3United out, but Edouard Simonnet’s shot from outside the box bobbled enough off the lumpy goalmouth turf to bamboozle the keeper and rolled in for the opener 0-1 to 3United. When Simonnet spun on the edge of the area to bang in a second doubling 3United’s lead to 0-2 things were not going well for the Anzacs. Towards the end of the half, the Anzacs got a goal back from a high cross that was hoisted to the back post. Adam Cookson got his header on target, and although the keeper saved it initially, he was there to poke in the rebound at the near post for a 1-2 score at halftime. In the second half the Anzacs eventually found possession and got rewarded midway through by Jonny Warburton heading home the equalizer from a corner for 2-2. They then pressed for a winner but it finished 2-2. It was a first result for a while for the Anzacs and they were happy to get at least one point on the board. Cookson received man of the match honors for the Anzacs while Simonnet received these honors for 3United.
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On January 24, 2015, Round 15 of the Shanghai International Football League will take place with league matches. Games to be played at the Shanghai Community & Sports Center in Waigaoqiao and the Songjiang Sports Center in Songjiang.
Visit the official SIFL website to find out more. http://www.eteamz.com/SIFL/
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