Kroniz so near yet so far...

K6 and K9 before the game

Players clean and smart before facing the wet sloggy football pitch

22nd Nov Gadong: Today Kroniz FC nearly won the the game against Hj Midon Family Team (HMFT)in a fast pace and hard tackling game at the wet and soggy Maktab Duli PSBS Soccer Field. However the game ended 1-1 with a very late penalty given to HMFT.

After a scoreless first half Kroniz increase the tempo of the game in the second half and manage to take the lead in the 10th minute in the second half score by Alinordi. A nice through pass by ex manager zainal had sent Sapai through to face the HMFT keeper in the tenth minute in the second half, but the striker shot was block by the indecisive HMFT keeper and the ball roll nicely to Alinordi who slot it home easily. After taking the lead, Kroniz were leading all the way until a surprise HMFT equalizer one minute from time through a penalty.

Ironically, Kroniz could easily finish off the game however it was last year top scorer Pg Aki who did not convert the a least five open attempts at goal.

After it had finished 1-1 at the end of 60 minutes no extra time was to be played, so it was already azan magrib time.

Kroniz were suffering from nerves from the start, it seemed, as the HMFT controlled the game from the opening whistle. However through perseverance Kroniz deservedly took the lead through Alinordi, whose strike from Sapai from an acute angle on the right of the area proved too powerful for HMFT keeper.

The ball had been won initially 35 yards out from goal in the middle of the pitch by Pg Aki, who sent away down the right.

Kroniz had relied on fast breaks in the first half to try and gain some toe-hold on the game.

Pg suffian was a lively presence in the first half, so it was a surprise when he came off at half-time, making way for Pg Ariffin.

Arch got in a good cross in the 37th, which was missed by Alinordi in the middle yet still gave Pg Aki a chance to make contact at the far post, which he did, only for HMFT keeper to block the shot with a desperate lunge.

“We felt the pressure in the first half,” explained Kroniz manager when it was all over. “We were unable to reproduce our usual form and since we lost the last game we were a bit too careful.”

It seems that the pressure came from the players themselves rather than the opposition and the occasion got to them.

Kroniz had chances to go further ahead in the second half, but could not take them.

In the 48th minute Pg Aki picked up a good pass from Alinordi, but then put his effort just over the angle of the left upright and crossbar as HMFT breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Arch was denied by the legs of the HMFT keeper in the 50th. HMFT came back, after that, to threaten once more.

HMFT striker cleverly curled a left-footer that swerved, first away from goal and then back towards it, as the ball cannoned off the left post and then away to safety to the delight of reliable Kroniz keeper Pg Zulkarnean.

HMFT push forword dangerously and a volleyed powerfully just wide from well inside the box in the 59th as HMFT looked for a way back into the game.

Kroniz looked set to win by the only goal of the game until a late cross, needlessly given away without midfield cover out wide on the left with only a minute to go, was curled towards goal well received by two HMFT strikers. In the chaos in the penalty box, Kroniz hard working last man Pg Nizam made a desperate tackle and made an unlikely contact with HMFT striker who fell to the ground.

HMFT striker gladly accepted the penalty and it wound up in the roof of the net.

HMFT coach was all smiles when it was over. “We had a game plan and we executed it exactly as I wanted,” he said.

Having gained a reputation for conceding a lot of late goals in their previous matches, kroniz proved far more disciplined and better organised in this match to frustrate HMFT.

Kroniz did look a little tired towards the end so they were spared, very willingly, to settle the with the outcome, given their apparent fatigue.

One worthwhile thing about the game was the genuine sportsmanship displayed by both sides, with referee issuing only one caution all match.

“Next game, we’d like to do even better,” promised one of Kroniz player.

KRONIZ 1-1 Hj Midon Family

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