Threatened…

I have been seriously contemplating about “resigning” as the official media for about two weeks. Call it a writer’s block or a summer’s break. It has been getting tougher and tougher to find new angles to this weekly blogging of the Cage. Thinking out loud was a wrong move as this was met by serious objection. I was even threatened by a gangster, who wore blue boots with studs in the Cage. He was the only one wearing the boots. So people, keep a look out for this grey hair uncle. Huiting had to accompany me to the Cage for fear of the grey hair uncle.

Before KO, Chin was walking with a limp. His injury was caused by Alvin last week. Like Peter, he carried on playing. It’s something about men and football, something I can never understand. Just like why people fail to comprehend why I loved this beautiful game so much. Remesh once asked me some years back before his KO at Changi. “This kind of game also you want to watch?” I guessed a smile was the best reply then, and now.

Playing with five-a-side, Daniel, Simon, Shih Chuan, Jiaming and Patrick have to score at the far end while U.N.C.L.E., Raphael, Alvin, Chin and Weiming’s target was at the near side. Chin had a name for our team – U23. The number of players we had never exceeded 23. This namelist is to help him collect $$ after the game. Apparently there are people who owe him $$$. This could help him track the people as I “mark attendance” against those who entered the arena.

Ten minutes into the game, the on-form Shih Chuan came up with a splendid save. With U.N.C.L.E. in between the sticks at the far end, I thought it could be a long time before the deadlock could be broken.

Right at this moment, Raphael proved to be the “commentator’s curse” as he opened the account at the 12th minute. But his heroic turned comic when he struggled to remain on two feet tripping over/over-stretching his legs to have another go at goal seconds later. This triggered a series of “Oi! Oi! Oi! Arr…Arr…Arr” from Alvin. Eager to erase this comedy, this target man hit the upright next.

At the quarter hour mark, Raphael turned and volleyed after two touches, forcing Shih Chuan to a magnificent save. But a lapse in concentration on Shih Chuan’s side and this Liverpool fan bagged his second a minute later. Refusing to let his “manager” hogged the limelight, Chin found the target from an acute angle. HE WAS PLAYING WITH A TWISTED ANKLE! 3-nil!

Over at the other end, U.N.C.L.E. kept his clean sheet at the 19th minute. But he was let down by his teammate Alvin, who scored an own goal. To make amends, his long-range effort found the target a minute later for 4-1.

Rongming arrived while all that were taking place and tried to position himself as the keeper in the 21st minute. Weiming’s comment “You must be kidding right?” And shoulder up the responsibility of keeping goal after Shih Chuan. Before he could be called into action, Chin was lying on the floor. Someone had to remove his shoe for him. His ankle injury got worse, and he had no choice but to cut-short his game.

Continuing without his fellow Liverpool fan, Raphael tried to chip Daniel who was keeping goal. But he kena thiang for the second time tonight.

“Thank you ah! Weiming!” shouted Chin. I saw Alvin limping on the left. I figured Weiming must have bumped into him somewhere.

At the half-hour mark, Raphael got his hat-trick, squeezing the ball between two defenders and into the back of the net. Alvin then made it 6-1. Another goal to make up for his earlier own goal.
If you think three goals were enough, you are WRONG! Raphael was hungry for more, as he took his goal tally for this game to four in the 34th minute. An unmarked Patrick found the target next, taking the score to 8-1.

Weiming managed to stop Raphael from scoring more, twice in a row, two minutes later.

Nobody would believe that there would be more own goals to come. Well, there was. Rongming put the ball into the back of his own net in the 37th minute for 9-1. Just after he announced that “the game has just begun!”

It was Simon who won “some face” back as he reduced the goal deficit in the 38th minute. A goal that deflected off U.N.C.L.E.’s thigh. e ground again. Rongming then atoned for his own goal as he took the score to 9-3, and 9-4, a minute later.

Then to my surprise, I saw U.N.C.L.E. wearing boots while the rest of the boys were not. Attacking the goal at the near side, he headed air molecules and NOT the ball in the 41st minute. Simon showed him how to score goals as this on-form player bagged his second, staging a come-back for his team. Daniel too, played a role in Simon’s comeback act. He blocked a shot from Raphael with his backside. United up front and at the back, Rongming got his hat-trick (if you count own goals) just before Bryan Wong arrived. Are you trying to break Raphael’s record of four goals in five minutes?

Shih Chuan performed another one of his tricks when he caught the ball between his legs. The other keeper has been educated with footballing terms after playing in the Cage for some time. He shouted “man on!” to Bryan the moment Raphael closed in on Bryan.

Raphael rewrote Simon’s script for “Comeback” as he scored another in the 47th minute for 10-6. U.N.C.L.E., on the other hand, wanted attention. He did a Jurgen Klinsmann. U.N.C.L.E., here cage, not swimming pool.

To prove to U.N.C.L.E. that keepers can score goals too, Daniel did it the right way and the score stood at 10-7.

If the fresh legs of Bryan were quiet in the Cage, his mobile wasn’t. Chin was obviously extremely amused by Bryan’s ringtone as his handphone rang couple of times with six minutes of regular time remaining.

Simon then bagged his hat-trick for the first time when he scored in the 54th minute. Are you challenging for the Golden Boot Award?

With two minutes remaining, the alert Shih Chuan once again stood to the task with a splendid save against Jiaming.

One player was definitely gunning for the Golden Boot Award. Rongming took the score to 10-9. But Alvin’s back header just before the final whistle ended Simon’s dream of staging a comeback and the final score read 11-9.