Once again, Osiris came back from a deficit of one goal, at half time, to be triumphant over opponents Sporting Goras 2-1, at Bedok View Secondary School. The two goals from Osiris came rather late in the second half and it was much to the relief of Osiris.
Having been demolished last Sunday by Kentridge Rangers, Osiris came in this week looking for a win against Sporting Goras, nothing less. In contrast, Goras, who notched their first win of the season the previous week, came in sanguinely. They looked revitalized, with a bunch of new players, and definitely seemed confident enough to continue to win and consolidate their position in the league.
Osiris started the first half looking disconcerted. The first goal came within 15 minutes into the game. Miscommunication played a huge role in the first goal. Osiris goalkeeper Stanley Teo was urged by centre-back Victor Shi to come out and retrieve the ball, while Shi shielded the ball from the opponent. But, a hesitant Teo, combined with a forceful nudge by the opposition’s striker made Shi trip inadvertently over Teo, and both teammates crashed out of the pitch. With an empty net in front of him, the opposition’s striker capitalized and nicked the ball in casually to put Goras one-nil up.
The goal undoubtedly dented Osiris’ confidence as Osiris were then off the pace. Goras continued to pile the pressure on Osiris for a second goal. There was a myriad of crosses from all over the park by Goras’ defenders and midfielders. However, centre-backs Colin Wong and Victor Shi, dependable as always, were first to the balls, quelling any hopes of Goras adding to their lead.
The second half started with a blast as Shi took a direct kick from the kick-off point, just to go wide of the left post. Osiris settled down quickly to a new 4-4-2 formation, while there was a massive overhaul of Goras players, who substituted nearly half the team for fresh players. This exploitation of the rolling substitution policy proved a costly mistake for Goras as Osiris was undoubtedly the dominant side at the start of the second half. There were many exchanges of passes amongst the Osiris players as Goras looked subdued. There were innumerable chances for Osiris to get back into the game. Captain Kelvin Teng was the brains behind the attacks, which saw striker Nick Matthew not once, but twice, miss the goal by a whisker.
An unrelenting Osiris finally grabbed the equalizer with 20 minutes to play. A throw-in from captain Teng saw the ball being brought down by Javin Singh, Osiris’ colossus, who then took on several defenders before finally losing out. But, the ball landed perfectly at the feet of Matthew, who seized the rare opportunity, and instinctively struck the ball to the ceiling of the net to put Osiris back on level terms. Shortly after, midfield maestro Teng stepped up to take a corner. There was a flurry of activity in the box, and Goras’ defenders failed to pick out the biggest threat. This time, an unmarked Singh, was on the receiving end of the sublime cross and nodded home the winner. It sure seemed that Singh was the key to unravel the Goras defence. For the rest of the game, Osiris held the fort well and stood their ground, doing just enough to suppress the waves of attacks that ensued after the final goal of the game.
Osiris continues its run for the 1st spot in division 4.