Extreme Gals vs Wild Chikas
Match report
The 2nd of the girls’ games on Sunday was this encounter. A physical mismatch, yet Extreme Gals failed to take advantage of their superiority over last year’s Cup champions, the Wild Chikas. However, most of the game was played in the Chikas’ half, with them finding it difficult to break through the midfield. A scoreless 1st half set the tone for a faster-paced 2nd, but to no avail, with both keepers hardly troubled by the opposing forwards. The match looked set to end in a stalemate, when suddenly, a scramble in the Chikas’ penalty box led to the referee awarding Extreme Gals a controversial penalty for what the 2nd official Ravishankar claimed was a definite handball. The penalty stood, and was calmly converted by Durga. That was the last kick of the game, as the referee brought the match to an end, 1-0 the final score.
Woman of the Match
She was hardly troubled in her goal, but Extreme Gals keeper Armin showed her potential again, staking her claim as MMA’s undisputed NO.1 Women’s goalkeeper. Some very confident catches and accurate throws could rival those of some goalies in our men’s division. Her presence in goal surely is a comforting thought for her teammates.
Extreme Gals verdict
Extreme they were, both in spirit and determination. Their opponents hardly had a sniff on goal, and the only drawback was that they didn’t have a well-honed finisher amongst their ranks. With that kind of steely midfield, surely a proper striker would benefit from their services. Durga took the last minute penalty well under pressure, and maybe she is that finisher they need to keep them at the summit.
Wild Chikas
Clearly outdone physically, surely there will be better days for the Chikas. They do possess speed about them, but did not use that advantage well against the Extreme Gals. Maybe their opponents’ intimidation tactics worked well, but the Chikas will have to prepare better for their next game if they are to defend their Cup title.
Hadouken vs Shabooyaz
Match report
The 1st game of the new girls’ futsal season was a much anticipated one. The was a lot of hype surrounding last year’s league champions Shabooyaz this time around, with new captain Shamini playing a more central role this season. Hadouken, meanwhile, were actually last year’s Whoosh Kiss with a few new faces added to give them some much-needed depth and stability. The game kicked off in a very cagey fashion, both teams not committing themselves forward too much, approaching the game carefully. A lot of the possession was contained in midfield. After a few early exchanges, Hadouken’s defense was caught napping suddenly when a swift counter-attack left them for dead, Shabooyaz’s Janaki bursting through from the center circle and slotting the ball home to put Shabooyaz 1-0 up. That early goal clearly gave them more confidence, and surely would have silenced their critics as well. Hadouken immediately responded, using their physical advantage and bulldozing through the Shabooyaz midfield, but they found it tough to get past Shabooyaz last-man (or woman, I should say), Kaema, and goalie Sarada. On one such chance, both were beaten, but Shamini tracked back and was on hand to bail her team out, hoofing the loose ball clear before it could reach the Hadouken forward. Just before half-time however, a lapse in concentration gifted Rinita a sight on goal, and she made no mistake, a beautiful left-footed finish beating Sarada. The 2nd half was never going to be as exciting as the 1st, though it must be said, Shabooyaz had plenty of chances to win it, but several 1-on-1’s with only Hadouken’s keeper to beat went begging. The game ended in fair 1-1 draw.
Woman of the Match
A tight affair, this game, but Kaema’s superb defending in the heart of the Shabooyaz defense really stood out today. Holding a very high defensive line, she made sure her keeper was hardly troubled from close range, with Hadouken limited to some weak long-range efforts, bar their goal scored. Winning some aerial battles confidently, she really made the last-woman position her own. A truly John Terry-like performance. Perhaps this team should be built around her.
Hadouken verdict
A good start from Hadouken, using their physicality well against the smaller Shabooyaz players, but defensively, they were exposed too often, not dealing with Shabooyaz’s long passes very well. Defending too high does have its usefulness, but can lead to some easy goals conceded when against a quick team like Shabooyaz. An important point however, and a point which may prove to be very useful come the end of the season.
Shabooyaz verdict
A brilliant early goal made some people think that they were going to trounce their opponents, but that wasn’t the case. Defensively, they were very stable, with Kaema putting in a Woman-of-the-Match performance. Offensively however, they were poor, with their solitary goal coming from midfield. Some speed is needed in their attack, several 1-on-1’s wasted in such fashion when the opposing last defender managing to catch up and snuff out Shabooyaz’s chances. We know from last season that they can do much better.
