League Play-Off

dsb
Spectators: 39 (Terracing: 30, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Aziz Rajah kicked off to start the match. A collision led to Eltham getting a freekick after 3 minutes play. Afiz Cheng hit a great ball. 11 minutes into the match, Eltham's goal looked a bit too open when Wu Ao Liang came free, but Jonathan Tian reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Jonathan Tian made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Wu Ao Liang in the 11th minute of play. In the 12th minute Merlin Boon shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Jonathan Tian saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The audience thought a goal was coming when Azly Seng got free with Jonathan Tian in the 13th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 14th minute, 龚明宁 ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Jonathan Tian was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. 17 minutes into the match, Eltham's goalkeeper Jonathan Tian had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by 龚明宁. When Lamar Butcher fell near the penalty area in the 18th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Eltham's protests and gave Lamar Butcher a yellow card for diving instead. In the 18th minute, Lamar Butcher hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 21 minutes into the game, Shafiq Hsi was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Eltham's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Saltaire the free kick. A collision led to Eltham getting a freekick after 21 minutes play. Shafiq Hsi hit a great ball. In the 24th minute the ball was on its way in behind Saltaire's goalkeeper Karim Ghazi, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Karim Ghazi showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Shafiq Hsi in the 26th minute of the match. After 28 minutes, Noh Ning made it 1-1 with a short kick to the right side. Saltaire's Karim Ghazi tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. If Wu Ao Liang had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 31st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Karim Ghazi made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Shafiq Hsi in the 37th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Aziz Rajah in the 41st minute of play forced Eltham's goalkeeper Jonathan Tian to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Jonathan Tian took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Wu Ao Liang, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. When Eltham's Noh Ning in the 45th minute got a chance for a shot 45th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Saltaire's goalie prevented a goal. Saltaire's Karim Ghazi played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Shafiq Hsi in the 46th minute of play. In the 48th minute Shafiq Hsi shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Karim Ghazi saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Noh Ning to make the kick off. Eltham's Jonathan Tian played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Wu Ao Liang in the 52nd minute of play. Karim Ghazi showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Noh Ning, who was totally free with the ball in the 56th minute. After 57 played minutes Saltaire got a freekick which was hit by Azly Seng. After some fancy dribbling in the 60th minute, 龚明宁 managed to get in a good position for a shot. Saltaire's supporters rose to their feet, but 龚明宁 was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Jonathan Tian breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Saltaire were awarded a corner in the 63th minute after Eltham's defender lost control of the ball, allowing it to roll out over the line. Bartosz Karanowski took the corner. A nice corner shot did that Bartosz Karanowski got away a dangerous shot. Despite this Jonathan Tian quite easily got ahold of the ball to make the save. Jonathan Tian showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Azly Seng, who was totally free with the ball in the 65th minute. In the 66th match minute, Saltaire was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Azly Seng to maneuver through the defense. Eltham's Jonathan Tian played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Aziz Rajah in the 69th minute of play. Karim Ghazi came out of the goal in the 70th minute to try and stop a shot by Eltham's Noh Ning. But to his dismay, Noh Ning quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 2-2. A collision led to Saltaire getting a freekick after 75 minutes play. Rudy Hui hit a great ball. In the 77th minute Noh Ning shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Karim Ghazi saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The referee blew the whistle for a penalty in the 79th minute of the game. One of Eltham:s players had nearly got his shirt torn off by an opponent while getting free in front of Saltaire:s goal. Bartosz Karanowski walked up to take care of the penalty kick. He was aiming for the top corner, but the ball went just outside the post. After some careless play in the Eltham defense, Anil Tee kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Jonathan Tian. The Eltham fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Jonathan Tian should have stopped the shot. 85 minutes into the match, Eltham's goal looked a bit too open when 龚明宁 came free, but Jonathan Tian reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 龚明宁 scored 4-2 in the 85th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Jonathan Tian, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. An unexpectedly hard shot by Wu Ao Liang in the 88th minute of play forced Eltham's goalkeeper Jonathan Tian to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Noh Ning's late challenge caught a Saltaire's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Noh Ning helped the player get up and apologised. The supporters of Saltaire booed when Eltham was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 95 match minutes in a wonderful position. Noh Ning didn't get a good kick on the ball. Jonathan Tian took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from 龚明宁, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Saltaire walked away with a well-earned victory that was much celebrated by the crowd.