SIFL 2014-15 Roundup - Game Week 25

By THAT'S, May 7, 2015

By Tom Bus

Thomas Schwab’s four goals seals Shanghai Krauts FC’s First Division Championship (above) in round 25 of the Shanghai International Football League on April 25 2015. In the Premier League, Big Bamboo Shanghai Shooters AFC and Shanghai Puxi Lions FC share the spoils. Shanghai ReUnited victorious over FC Oranje. Azzurri FC edge out Shanghai Japan FC. In the First Division, Voodoo Child beat Shanghai 3United, Voodoo (below) book win versus Shanghai Vikings FC. Hstone HFC victorious over Kangbei United FC. Shanghai Cosmos and Shanghai United draw. In Eight fixtures 27 goals were scored.

The Shanghai Krauts FC had a fantastic day as they clinched the First Division Championship in a match versus the Anzacs FC. After 1,260 minutes of competitive league football for season 2014-2015, the Krauts stood at the edge of the championship – with only 90 minutes separating them from a deserved league title. Standing in the way was a hungry (and unusually young) Anzacs team who in an ironic twist of fate, were facing a combined German/Turkish team on Anzac day – in fact the centennial celebration of the Gallipoli landings – although to be factual, there were probably more Australians and New Zealanders playing for the Krauts than for the Anzacs. Another reflection on the global nature of the SIFL currently being presided over by chairman Zippy Kiwiporn Blatter.

Given the circumstances of the game, it was always bound to be a cautious game and the first half proved so as both teams probed forward but no breakthrough at either end with only half chances falling to the krauts. An unfortunate incident just before the half saw Kraut keeper, Ronny ‘the tank’ Heinsinger limp off with a suspected case of gout but was replaced by keeper Lars Ertzinger. At the half nothing separated the teams, but the Krauts with a full squad of 18 to select from were confident they would prevail against a competitive Anzacs team who were only afforded the luxury of two subs.

Thomas Schwab got some special blessings from the latest prophet in the form of an Elvis shoeshine for supernatural powers. (above) It proved wonders immediately. When the Anzacs keeper gave the all clear to the referee to start proceedings for the second half, his very next action was to pick the ball out of the net straight from the kick off as Schwab managed to shoot the ball over the keeper taking a 1-0 Krauts lead. Better was to follow for the Krauts and for Schwab as in an amazing seven minutes he rattled in two further goals and had the Krauts leading 3-0 with the championship seemingly in the bag. The Anzacs hit back quickly with a goal by Jonny Warburton for 3-1 only to see that man Schwab again putting the ball in the back of the net for 4-1. Then, Anzacs’ Snorri Arneson weighed in with the second Anzacs goal for 4-2 with still 20mins to play.

The Krauts took the opportunity of sending some of their old warriors onto the field to bask in the glory of what would be a momentous occasion for the team. Hollywood was quick to respond and followed up with a motion picture. The Anzacs seeing this as a snub pushed men forward and were soon pounding the Krauts defense with wave after wave of attack. However, the Krauts stood tall and especially captain Chris Hermann who, as he had all season, led by example in ably managing his defense. With time ticking away and despite gallant efforts of the Anzacs it became clear there would be only one winner. When the referee blew the whistle for the full 90 minutes, the entire Krauts squad including large entourage erupted with joy and a sense of relieve as the First Division title was finally theirs. With his four goals Thomas Schwab received man of the match honors and promptly joined the ‘Presleytarian Church of Elvis the Devine’. The SIFL congratulates the Shanghai Krauts FC with winning the FD Championship-well done guys, good luck in the Premier League!

In the Premier League, FC Oranje were up against Shanghai ReUnited. Both teams came with a full squad. For ReUnited it was important to get a result to keep pressure on the Lions at top spot. As soon as the match started ReUnited pushed the Dutch to defense as most of the play took place on the orange half. That didn’t yield any clear cut chances as the Dutch organized themselves well. Keeper Harm van Kemenade neutralized the few shots in the box that were on target and both teams settled for a 0-0 score at halftime.

In the second half, ReUnited started strong and from an attack over the left the ball ended up at Steve Ishemezwe who converted from close range taking a 0-1 ReUnited lead after just a few minutes. The men in orange regrouped themselves somewhat and got better into the game. The biggest chance for them came at the one hour mark when Woody Mu (above) crossed the ball over the ReUnited defense that landed on the unmarked Geoffrey Imberton’s head but his effort went wide from close range. At that stage of the match the Dutch were pushing forward deep into ReUnited territory but without getting very dangerous.

With 15mins to play Oranje put another striker in for a defender to try and take the game to the keeper. The gamble backfired spectacularly as ReUnited immediately overran the Dutch defense. Ishemezwe scored two more goals in quick succession completing his hattrick and effectively putting the game out of reach. It finished 0-3 to ReUnited with Ishemezwe (above with Pozhar) earning man of the match honors. The men in orange took a very happy team photo and went back to Zapata’s to celebrate a few new records in an ocean of Oranjeboom.

League leaders Shanghai Puxi Lions FC did battle with the Big Bamboo Shanghai Shooters AFC. With the hot weather the Lions knew it was not going to be easy especially because they had some players coming back from injuries. The Lions got the first good opportunity within five minutes on a fast counter where Azzeddine Takouloufa (#10 above) put Allan Mendel in scoring position but his shot was saved by keeper Chris Banners (below), who had an outstanding game. In the first half both teams were skipping the midfield to try and score from fast breaks. It was a Lions corner that found Jack Boller’s head who brought to ball to Daniel Isaacs feet who didn’t hesitate and blasted the ball in the net for a 1-0 Lions lead at halftime.

The Lions started well in the second half as they dominated the game and in a spell of twenty minutes their dominance paid off. A great through ball from Takouloufa found Isaacs who had no problem to score his second doubling the Lions lead to 2-0. A few minutes later some sloppy Shooters defending gave Isaacs another opportunity that he didn’t miss completing his hattrick for 3-0. The Lions thought their lead would be enough for victory but it turned out different this time and never count out the Shooters. First, the Shooters got a penalty on a foul in the box. Keeper Dimitri Le Sant read the spot kick well and saved Kevin Wiessler’s effort (below). The missed spot kick gave the Shooters hope though and they upped the pressure on the French defense. A great left footed strike from Alejandro Kamke (below 2^nd left) put the Shooters back in the game as they got a goal back for 3-1.

The Shooters kept pushing forward putting the Lions more and more on defense. Kevin Wiessler (below right) made up for his miss earlier when his low strike in the corner crossed the goal line for 3-2. At this point of the match the momentum switched sides and reinvigorated the Shooters whereas the Lions were just hanging on. It was a great match for the spectators with fast pace play and fine combinations on the midfield. The Shooters piled up pressure and with the Lions defense firmly under siege a goal was in the air. Colin McGuigan’s cross in the box was defended out but Chris Nie (left below) read the defensive effort very well and was waiting at the edge of the box on the left. He volleyed the ball with his left foot in the top corner evening out the score at 3-3 in the 85th minute (above). The Shooters then created another bankable chance to win the match but keeper Le Sant stood in the way. The last chance of the match was for Lion Takouloufa but his free kick hit the wall and the contest ended in a 3-3 stalemate.

The Shooters left the pitch moral victors as they salvaged a point from a fantastic come back. Silver Fox Michael McGirr received man of the match honors wearing two different boots at the same time and in doing so established a new SIFL record (above). Hattrick boy Daniel Isaacs (below in black) received man of the match honors for the French. Freek Boelen: “The art of life is to make something positive out of a bad situation and that’s exactly what the Lions need to do with the four remaining games-win them all!”

Azzurri FC locked horns with Shanghai Japan FC in a match that turned out to be a thriller. It was a sunny day and temperatures were high and a very physically demanding game was what followed, which was not good for Azzurri considering they had no subs. The game started with a quick goal for Azzurri in the first minute of play. Adam Kluger crossed the ball from the left side to right winger Alejandro Felipe, who overran the Japan defense and lobbed the ball over the keeper talking a 1-0 lead. Azzurri then settled back to try and save some energy and Japan took advantage of that. Japan kept pushing strong and ten minutes before the break it yielded. They played several short combination passes over the right then a through ball to the right corner connected with Japan’s captain Mighty who crossed the ball perfectly to far side where their prolific striker Dalong Xia (#72) was waiting. He jumped higher than the entire Azzurri defense to head the ball in the net for a 1-1 score at halftime.

In the second half, Azzurri went for an ‘all or nothing’ approach pressing the ball high and closing down the Japanese on their half. Several attempts failed, including Kluger hitting the post twice and missing a one on one with the keeper. Azzurri’s Frederic ‘Eto’ Ramseau learned from Kluger and missed five such chances. In the end, from a run over the right it was Alejandro Felipe who scored his second from outside the box into the left side of the goal for 2-1. It was one of the best Azzurri goals of the season. Japan tried a final offense but the Azzurri held on to their narrow lead. Azzurri’s Adam Kluger (middle above peaking in from the back) received man of the match honors.

In the First Division, Voodoo Child crossed swords with Shanghai 3United. All the pre-game talk was about the names that could not make it. Matt P not recovered from egoitis, good Joe was replaced by his opposite Joe, Jules was out hoarding food for Emma, Jorge was in love somewhere, Liam in a UK health farm, Antoine was out looking for his form and Tim was exhausted from his cameo the previous week. VC hardly got a touch in the first ten minutes and a header by Vernon Tebong Mbah saw first the VC keeper distracted by the lack of pace followed by Kam L Toe doing his little mermaid impression on the line allowing the ball to go in and see 3United sail into a deserved 0-1 lead. But VC were having none of this. In between a side bet of whom could pass the ball to the opposition the most, Tyler Draper dribbled past several players to lash in a cross for pikey Ritchie Tailor (above) to get the deftest of touches for a VC equalizer for a 1-1 score at halftime.

VC stepped up in the second half and the game was more even, nonetheless the VC keeper was rarely tested. A breakaway saw Welsh farm boy Ian Slate coolly slot home after good interplay between Matt and Dicko in the middle taking a 2-1 VC lead and that’s how it ended. All in all, a good VC performance with a small squad and lots of heat. Several players carried injuries but had to play on and put in 90 minutes. All is building up nicely to the grand finale versus Voodoo’s first team. VC legend Ian Dixon (above) received man of the match honors with a stellar performance.

The Shanghai Vikings FC locked horns with Voodoo. On a perfect football day Voodoo came through a tough physical encounter versus Vikings thanks to two well-taken goals. Despite the early loss of full back George to an ankle injury Voodoo took the lead after 15mins of play. After a good period of possession a great ball over the top from Stevie Scott put Kyle Hayes through on goal and with the ball bouncing, and the keeper rushing out of his area, he lifted it over the keeper with ease to open the scoring 0-1, which was also the halftime score. The second half was a lot more even with a few good chances for either side although Voodoo were perhaps still the better team creating several bankable chances.

With 15mins remaining Voodoo put the game to bed with some great work in the midfield and a great effort from Stevie Scott which was turned in at the back post by Fabien LeBourcq doubling Voodoo’s lead to 0-2. After the second goal, the game became a little more end-to-end with Vikings pushing to get themselves back into it although Voodoo saw out the rest of the game with relative ease. Voodoo rode their luck and if the Vikings had made some better decisions in and round the box then the result could have been very different.

Then, an audacious volley from 35 yards by FX Douay looped over the keeper only to hit the inside the post, roll along the line and drift agonizingly wide. Brian Doyle who rolled back the years with a ‘double Gazza’ executed another piece of outrageous skill. This is in reference to a Scotland v England game at Wembley in Euro 96 and the irony wasn’t lost on Doyle, a proud Scotsman. It was a good and well fought win for Voodoo to get them back to winning ways. Notable contributions go to Kevin Dunn at centre back and Kyle Hayes (below) who received man of the match honors. Brian Doyle: “The boys did great, the referee was great and Voodoo would like to congratulate the Krauts on a well deserved championship win.”

Kangbei United FC were slotted versus Hstone HFC. HFC played well with a lot of gusto and with an enormous will to win. Their domination yielded in the first 45mins as they found the net once for a 0-1 HFC lead at halftime. In the second half, they continued where the left off in the first. Halfway through the match that lead to another score as HFC doubled their lead to 0-2. Kangbei tried to do something back but Hstone HFC won the contest 0-2. Something peculiar in this fixture as HFC’s two goals were scored by three players: Feng Guo, Weihua She and Xiaogang Xu. Their colleague Guobin Xu received man of the match honors.

Shanghai Cosmos negotiated Shanghai United. A feisty mid-table encounter between the two clubs produced host of chances for both sides. United got off to the brighter start, with Andrey Kravchenko steaming through the middle of the Cosmos defense with only a few seconds gone. His scuffed effort set the tone for United's performance and a number of excellent opportunities were created but the killer instinct was conspicuous in its absence. Cosmos were similarly toothless in front of goal but nonetheless found a hole in the tight United defense when Tom Morley worked the ball over the line taking a 1-0 Cosmos lead in the first half. In the second half, it became obvious that the winning team would in fact be the referees, who put in a fine performance, stealing the limelight in quite spectacular fashion. A fine Misha ‘Grandaddylev’ Bobilev 25-yard free kick salvaged a point for United as it sailed in evening out the score and 1-1 it finished. United captain Nick Muzyczka (above) received man of the match honors as did Cosmos’ Tom Morley.