SAFFC beat Home United to seal third S.League football title in a row

By Les Tan. Photos by Lai Jun Wei.

Jalan Besar Stadium, Friday, November 14, 2008 – Singapore Armed Forces Football Club beat Home United 1-0 tonight to seal their third S.League title in a row.

An Ahmad Latiff goal on 55 minutes gave SAFFC the win after good holdup play by Aleksandar Duric allowed Therdsak Chaiman to sneak in to hit a stiff grounder that Lionel Lewis could only palm away. Ahmad Latiff came powering in ahead of his Home Utd marker to tap the loose ball into an open goal.

Home United were then given an opportunity to tie it up when Kengne Ludovick was brought down by Daniel Bennett in the penalty box. However, the usually reliable Peres de Oliveira took a penalty that rolled the ball wide of the left upright, much to the relief of Shahril Jantan in the SAFFC goal. Home Utd captain Indra Sahdan was seen jumping in frustration.

This third title win in a row by SAFFC is unprecedented in the 13-year history of the S.League and the team can now look forward to the S.League Awards Ceremony next Tuesday, November 18th, where 2007 Player of the Year Aleksandar Duric is up for the same award again. His teammate Therdsak Chaiman is also up for the Player of the Year award while SAFFC coach Richard Bok and player Shaiful Esah are up for the Coach of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards respectively.

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87th min: Home Utd are pressing but they have created no clear chances. Perhaps they have exhausted their quota for the night.
78th min: A SAFFC free kick comes in from Shaiful Esah and Wilkinson’s header hits the bar. What a miss! That would have killed off the game and sewn up the title for sure.
75th min: Another Home Utd miss! Ludovick fails to convert a volley with the whole goal to shoot at. Not Home Utd’s night.
73rd min: Home Utd penalty! Daniel Bennett is adjudged to have taken down Ludovick. Peres de Oliveira steps up to take it. Will he score? He steps up, he stops, looks up at the keeper, and rolls it wide of the left upright. Unbelieveable miss!
71st min: Home Utd haven’t come close to equalising.
55th min: Duric and Therdsak combine to give Latiff the first goal for SAFFC! Duric held up the ball well for Therdsak and the Thai ran on into space with the ball and took a stiff shot that Lionel Lewis saved at full stretch. However, he could only push it into the path of Latiff who just outran his marker to get there to roll the ball in. 1-0 to SAFFC.
Start of 2nd half
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1st half
42nd min: A Hafiz Osmnan cross finds Wilkinson who takes it down and over the Home Utd defender beautifully but Lionel Lewis snuffs out his shot. Best chance for SAFFC so far.
40th min: Another Home Utd chance is wasted as the players don’t communicate after outnumbering the SAFFC defenders.
39th min: But Home Utd come back with a reply from Juma’at Jantan. His shot off a Ludovick layoff flashes wide with Shahril Jantan in the SAFFC goal at full stretch.
39th min: Two clear SAFFC chances in quick succession. Close but no final shot on target. SAFFC getting into a rhythm.
37th min: Shi Jiayi holds the ball up very nicely and makes space for himself for a shot. Too direct. Shahril Jantan saves comfortably.
35th min: Duric is clear through after a lob by Therdsak. Offside? Didn’t look like it.
24th min: A crisp Wilkinson cross in sees Aleksandar Duric meet it with a right-legged volley. Over the bar.
14th min: John Wilkinson gets up to meet a Latiff cross but his header flashes wide.
10th min: Kengne Ludovick steals the ball from John Wilkinson of SAFFC. He opts to shoot instead of laying off to Peres de Oliveira. His shot is off target.