Match report: On Tuesday Bali Pugs took on Galacticos (also known as’the Malaysians’) for the 17th time. (in futsal) Pugs had won 10 games and lost 6. Pugs went in to the game seeking for an 11th win in row knowing that it was not going to be easy. Jon and Edd were still out injured. Bayu had to be with his family.Brant and Andrew could not join due to work. Alex still had not come back from the States yet. Attending Pugs were: Nicky, Michael, Fuji, Agus, Jan, Lee, Caleb, Hans, Oscar and Zain. Zain made his comeback after being out injured for nearly two months. Galacticos went in to battle with their complete team plus a player that was new to us. Galacticos, always carried by their two main playmakers now had a third member with a similar skill-set. Pugs’ starting lineup: Nicky, (goal) Jan, Michael, Lee and Caleb. Within minutes it became clear that Pugs were dealing with a highly motivated opponent. The Malaysians played their passing game like always but with less patience then usually; as they seemed to go for shots a lot quicker. With always at least two men on at the same time possessing the ability to dribble around an opponent they were often able to create an open man. At a 1-3 scorline Pugs had good reason to be worried, not so much for falling behind but the way it had happened. Galacticos managed to get their lead with some ease. Pugs did battle back to 5-5, but without really changing the way of the play. Another problem the Pugs faced was how to deal with the subs. Without a doubt Lee and Caleb formed the strongest frontline but having them on at the same time also disturbed the balance when they were subbed off. Both Hans and Oscar were functional for linking up attacks but missed pace and dynamics to deal with the forward-pushing Malaysian backline. Galacticos on the other hand subbed entire well-balanced teams in and out keeping both stamina and level up. Pugs seemed beaten when Galacticos scored 5 goals in quick succession and not in the last place because a demoralized Pugs FC made a lot of mistakes. On top of struggling with Galacticos tactically; Pugs also suffered from a lot of players not having a good day individually. Nicky, so often the one to keep the Pugs in a though match, yesterday, clearly had his thoughts elsewhere. ( girlproblems?) Zain after missing nearly two months just was not ready yet. Caleb struggled finishing of chances, and a mild ankle-injury kept him from being a 100 percent. Captain Tinggi led some frustration influence his game. On the positive; Lee battled impressively hard, and his drive definitely kept Pugs hopes alive. Fuji had a very solid game as a defender, also making strong and effective runs forward. After been put behind 9-17 Pugs had one spell that even suggested a comeback was still possible. While the Malaysians perhaps were already celebrating a convincing win Pugs bundled every last bit of energy and fighting-spirit together. Early pressure, early shots and running extra yards led to many late goals, closing the gap to only 3 goals with about ten minutes left. Captain Surain, however, responded wisely by putting on his strongest formation to secure a well deserved win. Pugs versus Galacticos: 17-22. Captain’s note: Thanks Caleb for handing out beers after the game and stimulating a little team chat. We need to get that cool-box organized.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 11:07:29 +0000
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