Norshahrul Idlan Talaha - Google Blog Search
Norshahrul Idlan Talaha - Google Blog Search |
| Kelantan didn't have it easy | BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia <b>...</b> Posted: 07 Sep 2011 08:27 PM PDT by Abdul Hakim Bujang,b reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on September 8, 2011, Thursday  HIGH POINT: A Kelantan defender goes airborne in foiling an attack by a Sarawak striker during their Malaysia Cup opener at the State Stadium on Tuesday night. — Photo by Chimon Upon Crocs came unstuck by loose passing and fatigue in the end IF you read the Malay national dailies, you'd find most of them saying Kelantan registered an easy victory over Sarawak at the State Stadium on Tuesday night. However, in truth, the East Coast giants did not have it as easy as it was made out to be. In the first half – and before they got on the scoresheet after the break – they were often caught on the backfoot by the Crocs, an unknown quantity at best compared to the highly-paid defending champions. When the match kicked off at 8.15pm, Sarawak went on the offensive with neat passing and a high degree of tactical discipline. At one stage, the homesters' exchange of passes was so confident that striker Bobby Gonzales could simply hold the ball, then re-direct it before making a dash to open space. Like clockwork, Jaganathan would come from behind to collect the pass and pressure the Kelantan defence. But sadly, all the beautiful moves failed to produce the desired result due to poor finishing. As a typical lower league team, Sarawak would probably need 20 chances to create a goal. As the match progressed, the terraces began filling up – some 20,000 fans eventually turned up. However, a majority had missed most of the early action due to an error on the ticket stating the match would start at 8.45pm. Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) secretary Abdullah Julaihi had apologised to the fans and promised it would not happen again. Attacking football Both teams continued to play interesting attacking football with Sarawak surprisingly having the lion's share of possession, heightening the hopes of many expectant fans that if they kept up the momentum, the Crocs could well steal a march on the Super League and Malaysia Cup champions. Sarawak's reserved players who were not in the team on the night and were sitting together with reporters, could not hide the joy of seeing their teammates taking the fight to their the highly-rated opponents. When the referee blew the whistle after 45 minutes, most of the local supporters, upbeat over the Crocs' gutsy first-half showing, were anticipating the homesters would get at least a point. Tactical change But after the breather, Kelantan showed a different kind of urgency. Instead of matching Sarawak's double-touch football of neat passing and positioning, they started making individualistic runs. National winger S Chanturu constantly swerved from right to left and vice versa, wreaking havoc on Sarawak's defence formation, designed to contain conventional passing and cut off through balls. In a display of versatility, the Kelantan players showed the home side how to change direction when things were not going according to script. Sarawak manager and head coach Robert Alberts was proven right in his assessment that the stronger and more experienced Kelantan players knew they were paid handsomely to produce results – and they did just that by raising the tempo of the game while Sarawak players were slowly showing signs of fatigue as the match wore on. The visitors' menacing runs and penetrating passes unsettled a tiring Sarawak who began committing more mistakes. In the final 15 minutes, the Crocs' exhaustion-induced erratic passing – like those seen during their buildup friendlies – became their own undoing and a turning point for Kelantan. A simple error from central defender Hairol Moktar killed any chance Sarawak had of creating an upset. Hairol's sloppy backpass to the last man Chung Ken Hong was intercepted by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, and the prolific striker showed Sarawak how to finish off a chance. He dribbled into the penalty box and slickly slotted the ball into the corner of the net beyond the reach of Sarawak's goalie Aidil Mohd to break the deadlock in Kelantan's favour in the 63rd minute. Norshahrul once again showed why he is one of the most feared strikers in the region when he ran into a Sarawak defender but was still able to create enough space to make a brilliant pass for S Chanturu to slam home Kelantan's second goal in the 79th minute. Alberts, in his short-message reply to this paper, insisted his boys could match Kelantan's fitness level but were punished for their mistakes. The Crocs' most glaring weaknesses were seen in the poor passing among the defenders that often left them at the mercy of the marauding Kelantan strikers. To make it to the second round, Sarawak need a lot of work not only on tightening up their passing but also capitalising on half chances. But apparently, this will take a gigantic effort to pull off with the kind of players we have, and the money invested in the team – for instance, one Kelantan player earns the combined salaries of three Sarawak players. The FAS should consider channelling part of proceeds from ticket sales to reward the players for winning promotion to the Super League next season. This will also boost their morale in their upcoming away Malaysia Cup match against Felda United. The long overdue incentives have quietly been discussed by the Sarawak players on the social network in which they expressed their dismay over the zero bonus payment despite acquitting themselves well in the Premier League. |
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