Match Report ICAS Friendly Red Devils 3 – 2 Saints FC Devils hosted Saints FC at ICAS and the match was yet again very well-anticipated. However, things seemed a bit tough for Saints as they had to play without their captain, Ali Abbasi, and his brother, Saad Abbasi. Moreover, Mani also had to miss the game due to personal commitments. Naeem was away on a ‘field trip’ so he couldn’t be a part of this fixture as well. Lastly, Yaseen couldnt join the team due to his personal reasons. Mehdi, on the other hand, managed to pick up a squad of 9 and decided to take up the huge challenge. Devils fielded AD in between the sticks while Punja and Sameer formed the defensive wall. Muawia featured in the centre midfield with Zaki on the right and Musab on the left. Haris Qamar started the game as the sole striker. Ahmed Saeed Butt and Bhatti were the two substitutes for the Devils. On the other hand, Saints fielded Yasir between the sticks. Rafa and Rabba formed the defensive wall with Hamza playing in the centre midfield position. Ozil and Tariq took the wings with Mehdi starting as the sole striker for Saints FC. Ali Raza and Noman Gondal were the two substitutes for the Whites. Without any biasness, Devils were the ones who took the entire control of the game. Safe to say, however, captain Abbasi’s attacking prowess was seriously missed by Saints. Despite the fact they were solid in defence; those surging runs were the thing they lacked throughout the game. Saints did, however, threaten Devil’s goal once in the beginning as a one-two between Mehdi and Tariq found Mehd in a one-on-one situation. AD, however, parried the shot away wonderfully. Despite taking utter control of the game, Devils conceded the first goal, thanks to a brilliant long-ranged shot from Ozil. The sensational winger received the ball on the left wing and took a shot from his stronger left foot to give his side the lead. 1-0, Saints! How did AD let that go? After conceding the first goal, Devils began to threaten on the other end. Yasir was simply phenomenal throughout the game. He almost managed to stop everything that was coming at him. His best save being the last one where he was able to block a one-on-one effort with his legs. Devils’ first goal came with the help of none other than their star striker, Haris Qamar. Receiving the ball outside the box, he got past one defender and simply placed the ball in the far corner, giving Yasir absolutely no chance to parry the shot away. 1-1, Game back on! Devils were then able to take the lead. This time a shot from Musab was deflected by Yasir but the deflected shot found a Devils player in the penalty area. He easily tapped the ball into the empty net to give his side the lead. 2-1, Devils! Ozil, however, was not ready to give up that easily. The winger was definitely the star for Saints FC; showcasing his skill on the ball time and time again. This time he got the ball on the right wing. After cutting past two Devils player, he placed the ball into the near post, giving AD absolutely no chance to stop the shot. Parity; 2-2! What happened there? The rest of the match was a tale of two midfields trying to dominate each other. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Devils were dominating the midfield, but Saints made amazing chances on the counter attack. The first chance fell to Ozil who was unable to find the back of the net after Mehdi passed him the ball right outside the penalty area. Later, Ozil’s shot was deflected by AD and Tariq couldn’t really find the back of the net on the rebound. Few minutes later, Mehdi received the ball on the left wing and his toe-poke could only find the framework. Seconds later a pass from Ozil found Mehdi on the left wing again and his effort hit the crossbar. Ozil’s efforts later during the game also found the woodwork twice. On the other hand, Devils had a handful of chances as well. The best effort of the game was definitely Haris Qamar’s shot almost from the halfway line as it hit the framework. Another pass from Haris found Zaki on the right wing but a brilliant save from Yasir saved the day for Saints. Moments later a shot from Haris was yet again saved by Yasir as he collected it well on his chest. Rafa was able to pull off two goal-line saves. One with a back-heel while the other was pushed over the crossbar. With a minute left in the game, a goal was bound to happen. Devils were pressing in the Saints’ penalty area while Saints were looking quite dangerous on the counter attack. Devils had the last laugh when Haris stole the ball from Rabba right outside the box and shot the ball into the far post to find the back of the net. Beautiful from the striker! 3-2 to Devils! Saints didn’t have much time to recover from the goal they conceded. A well-deserved win for the Red Devils, but Saints were quite brilliant considering they were relying on a few weak links to do the trick. Not to forget, a new talent in the making: Tariq – phenomenal throughout the game and probably the best first-touch for a kid his age. Well-played, Devils! It is always a great game whenever we play against you. Next game we’ll come out better and stronger. Man of the Match: Hard to choose between the two brothers this time. Both did a remarkable job. Ozil ran like a horse while Rafa stood tall in the defence to deny Devils twice from the goal-line. Rafa and Ozil, both, deserve this title for this game. Goal Scorer(s): Ozil (2).
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 18:04:42 +0000