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Super Reds go top after second win
Paul Green
info@sleague.com
Last season’s wooden-spooners, the Super Reds, celebrated their second win in as many games when they accounted for NTUC Income-YEO'S S.League newcomers Dalian Shide Siwu at Queenstown Stadium on Monday night.
Their 2-1 success was built on a basis of strong cohesion, great self-confidence and superior fitness and they were able to withstand a spirited fight-back from Dalian Shide Siwu in the second half.
Dalian began tentatively, in stark contrast to their opponents, who had begun their season with a morale-boosting 2-1 home win over Woodlands Wellington, a week earlier.
Here they were the visitors, but they brought with them plenty of supporters who got behind the Super Reds team well.
Dalian also managed to attract a noisy bunch of fans to cheer them on and to lift them after they conceded the first goal.
The game was only nine minutes old when the Super Reds hit the lead.
Catching the Dalian defence square at the back and with the keeper well off his line, Super Reds scored off a delicate lob from outside the penalty area by Choi Young Min, who benefitted from a clever back heel by his captain Yun Bo Young.
Yun almost contributed to a second goal three minutes later when he dashed past the Dalian defence on the left and sent over a firm cross that was hacked away to safety.
Dalian had a goal ruled out for an infringement in the 20th minute after Li Zhichao got his head to a free kick as he arrived to meet the ball among a crowd of players in the goalmouth.
But that chance was one of the few in a first half that the Super Reds clearly dominated.
A couple of other chances the hosts had to score were cut out by an agile Super Reds’ defence or sent high or wide.
Super Reds extended their lead in first half stoppage time in unusual circumstances.
Dalian’s keeper saw the assistant’s flag raised, for offside and picked the ball up to take a free kick, sending it well up-field.
But referee Abas Daud had not blown his whistle and the play was brought back with the keeper penalised for handling the ball.
From the free-kick, barely outside the area, Super Reds’ Jeon Byung Euk was able to lift the ball over the defensive wall and into the centre of the net for a 2-0 lead.
The hosts worked their way back into the match, though the Super Reds still held sway overall for the remainder of the match.
To emphasise their ability to respond to adversity Dalian pulled a goal back only seven minutes into the second half.
They won a free kick just outside the box, in a similar position to where the Super Reds had been awarded their own, moments before the break.
Up stepped industrious midfielder, Chi Jinyu, to plant the ball behind the Super Reds custodian.
With a goal to their credit Dalian began to grow in stature, but they did need to call on their own goalkeeper, Wang Guoming, to make some important saves.
After the home defence had turned over possession to the Super Reds, in sight of goal, in the 54th minute, shots from
Dalian suffered a blow when they lost midfielder, Chi, after a two-footed tackle in the 66th minute, as both teams tried to control possession on a slippery pitch.
The ten men remaining soaked up the Super Reds pressure, well with the keeper, especially, in fine touch.
Twice more, near the end, the Dalian shot-stopper was called into action, a weak header from Jeon Byung Euk arriving in his arms unaided, before he denied Yun Bo Young at point-blank range.
Dalian coach, Pei, seemed satisfied with his team’s performance, once it was all over, despite his young players falling to their second 2-1 defeat in their opening two games.
“We showed a lot of fight in the second half, but the Super Reds are a good side and they deserved to win,” he said. “They were the better team on the day.”
Super Reds assistant coach, Jeon Kyeong Joon, was modest in his assessment of his own team’s dominant performance.
“Everyone played well and kept their position and did the job we asked of them,” he said.
“Dalian is a very young side and they did well so we had to be at our best to defeat them.”
On this showing Super Reds now have a solid platform on which to build for the rest of the season and may well trouble a lot of sides.
Whether they have the credentials to worry the top local teams remains to be seen.
Dalian has other problems, now.
“We have a few players injured and suspended already,” said their coach.
“A few new players we are bringing in from China won’t be ready in time for the next match, as there is still some paperwork to clear and I may only have one substitute available for the next match,” he lamented.
It seems with two players sent off in as many games already, Dalian might have some discipline problems, but the dismissal in this game was unfortunate rather than a matter of reckless play.
Supporters of both sides competing in this match would have taken away something worthwhile.
Dalian showed good commitment throughout and plenty of fight, while the Super Reds had some good passing movements going for much of the game that could have yielded more than the two goals they were able to manage. |
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