As I took the roads up North, all I could think about was, “Could we do it on a warm, sunny evening in Johor?”. Sadly, 10mins into kick-off, I knew my answer was a straight-up NO when the referee pointed to the spot for a JDT penalty. As the match progressed, LCS fans in the stands and those watching at home were an emotional wreck. I’ll try my best to summarise all them emotions in the next few paragraphs as we unpack what was an eventful evening at the Sultan Ibrahim stadium.
Pre-Game Thoughts
Coming into this game, dare I say, 90% of us fans weren’t as optimistic as we should be after the disastrous performance against Tampines over the weekend. Matchday chat predictions ranged from a narrow JDT win to even a 6-1 hammering for LCS. When the lineups were out, seeing JDT field an “ACL Elite”- worthy starting 11 definitely reinforced our pessimism. However, Tsiy Ndenge’s inclusion in the LCS 11 was a potential sign of positive things to come, given his commanding and impressive 2nd half showing against Tampines. The stage was set, the teams were ready, the sun was blazing and the referee blew his whistle at 17:30 sharp.
Quick recap
10mins into the game, a long ball over the top, our defence was caught napping and a foul on JDT’s frontman Jairo led to an early penalty scored by Joao Figueiredo. The penalty call seemed soft and fans made their feelings known (lound and clear with the drums for support). All of a sudden, the scorching heat no longer bothered the fans as the referee and his team became public enemy number 1. That set the tone for the rest of the game as they were rained with slightly dubious calls and “non-fouls”.
However, we need to acknowledge that the end-result of the game was not down to the referee but more so on our shortcomings, which was perfectly summed up by JDT’s 2nd for the night. Arif Aiman, the poster-boy for Malaysian football who was showcasing his talent throughout the game with his precise wing play, played in a brilliant cross that caught our defence by surprise. The ball was bundling around the box and once again, that indecisiveness to clear the ball gave Figueiredo all the time in the world to slot in the 2nd.
JDT’s 3rd came in the second half when a quick freekick was taken and Arif Aiman put the icing on the cake with a low-driven finish. Once again, our defence was caught completely off-guard and we were punished. A stunning Shawal Anuar finish in the 6th minute of added time did give the travelling fans something to cheer about, but it was too little too late.
General Thoughts
The end-result did not come as a surprise since many of us believed we were playing against a team that were levels above us. We simply wanted to see if the issues observed over the weekend against Tampines were slowly being cut out. However, our defensive incapabilities on dealing with long balls over the top and often being caught out were there to see from the start.
We surely appear to be missing Bailey’s leadership and communication at the back, as his absence for both our first 2 games is evident in the goals we are conceding. Fair play to Safuwan for stepping up in both games and providing his experience, although one could see him struggling slightly with the responsibility. Our keeper Ivan was still a nervy figure at the back, with several “beneficial passes” to the opposition and putting our already unsettling defence in danger.
As for the men in the middle, Tsiy was definitely a bright spark for us with his driving runs and positive play. His play with Bart, which almost resulted in the sailors pulling a goal back in the second half, was one of a few positive moments for us. Rui, on the other hand, was sadly having a shocker with almost 3 back-to-back-to-back misplaced passes which almost gifted JDT a third, early in the second half.
As for our attack, Anderson Lopes cut an isolated figure again, starved of any beneficial service and almost made to run at JDTs defence on his own. Once again, the team definitely showed there was more to work on in the training ground in trying to get the best out of Anderson (perhaps switching away from hoofing long aimless balls into the box and more one-two linkup/interchanges). Overall, it was a slightly improved performance from the Sailors (especially in the second half) in what has been an extremely challenging start to the season.
Post Game Thoughts
The feeling of being a part of an “away day crew” was surely a unique one. A first for me and I must say all credit goes to every single fan that turned up at the Sultan Ibrahim stadium. From singing the familiar chants to voicing our displeasure at what was happening, it was a truly holistic experience.
Members of The Crew (drummers to song leads) brought the passion to the stands and that made the entire evening a special one for everyone who travelled. Hats off to the LCS committee who organised busses to ferry Sailors fans to the game and back smoothly and comfortably. We may have lost the game and lost out in fan numbers, but we surely made our voices heard, loud and proud. Cheers to JDT for a wonderful game, amazing fans, and a stunning stadium), and with that, all I have to say is we are just warming up. Our Sailors’ identity will shine through during this tough period,and the players will return with something to prove.
As for us fans, we will continue to fly the LCS flag high, HOME AND AWAY 😉.
Written by Reuben
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