February 10, 2007
SINGAPORE
NTU International Games: Football
Football Injuries Photo Gallery
First,
an update on the NTU International Games where I am
playing for the Union football team. We edged out
Indonesia on Friday night, but it was an unnecessarily
heated affair. I do not know if the Malaysian referees
were good friends with the Indonesian players or if they
were simply repaying us for pounding their team last
week, but the officiating was horribly lop-sided. We
were up 3-0 for most of the match, but midway through
the second half the referee began awarding free kicks
and penalties all over the place (which is how they got
their two goals). Tempers were flaring as there was
nothing to stop the injustice until we put the game out
of reach with the fourth goal. 4-2 to the Union, and we
were off to the semi-finals.
We played valiantly against the top-seeded Chinese team this afternoon with the oppressive heat doing nothing to support our depleted squad. We had only one substitute for the match, and to be perfectly frank, I would have rather left him on the sidelines than bring him out.
The game did not take long to pick up in intensity as we
were stuck with the same referee from the night before.
His officiating was even worse in this match, and I
received the first yellow card of the tournament for
telling the referee what I thought of him (in words I
won't dare repeat on this website). I suppose it is a
regression for me to do such things, but I was ready to
drop the referee and then go after his assistants for
the stunt they were trying to pull.
Despite both teams kicking and clawing at one another (it was really getting out of control at times) the match ended at a 0-0 draw at the end of regulation. I do not know how we marched back on the field for the 20 minutes of extra time because it was our fourth game in six days and all of us were ready to drop dead. Somehow we managed and by this point we had a huge fan base as neutral fans began taking the side of the underdog.
I hesitate writing about the finale because it could not
have been scripted any worse: we lost in the final
minute of the final half of extra time. After everything
we had been through (we were by far the tournament's
dark horse) it was the most demoralizing way to lose.
Nevertheless, I will remember the tournament for the way
we overcame all odds to make it as far as we did and how
we played with the kind of heart other teams will never
have.
As for my injuries and sore muscles (an entire photo gallery is now dedicated to them), I am afraid I will not be walking for the next week. Or two. The only thing worse than showering with open flesh wounds is having my skin attached to the sheets when I wake up in the morning.
Pray for me.
Money also helps.