Backstreet 3 -- 3 Eastside

Resilient And Classy Performance By Backstreet Stuns Eastside

The 20^th derby between the Backstreet and Eastside ended in a 3-3 draw with both sides sharing the spoilts. The kickoff was delayed for around 45 minutes because the Backstreet team cars arrived late due to the “heavy” traffic conditions. The game was also almost postponed due to rainfall, but the official in charge later deemed the pitch condition safe. Due to previous crowd trouble, the match was played at an empty stadium with only special guests being allowed to enter. Miss Jac was there to support the match.

The match started at a furious pace with both sides threatening. Backstreet took an unexpected lead, against the run of play when Woon pounced on a defensive error to smash the ball to give Backstreet 1-0 lead. The stunned Eastside almost reply instantly when Sim burst into the Backstreet penalty area. However, just as he was about to pull the trigger, Yeo, tripped him. The referee waved play on, ignoring the protests of Sim, much to the fury of the Eastside.

It was Eastside all the way, and minutes later, Sim latched onto a through ball by Felix. His volley smashed against the crossbar, much to the relief of the shocked Yeo, who was in the Backstreet goal.

Backstreet began to get into the game with Yue making a couple of defence splitting pass, posing problems for the fragile Eastside backline. A couple of miscommunications between Lam and Hu-li went unpunished. However, before long, Eastside finally equalized.

Sim, posing problems for the Backstreet all evening, found Lam with acres of space with a chip over the defence from the byline. Lam, who was anonymous till then, was left with the easiest of finish as he nodded the ball past the stunned Yeo, who was later seen berating his non-existence defence shortly after the goal.

Backstreet started to control the game right after the restart and created a lot of chances with as Yue orchestrate play from the back. A couple of defence splitting pass found Yeo at the end of it, but as usual, he failed to convert. Both sides were starting to tire especially Sim, who was playing his 3^rd game in 5 days. His failure to control passes from their midfield general, Felix, allowed Backstreet to launch quick counter attacks. From one of the resulting corners, Woon nodded the ball past Hu-li, after he escape the marking of Sim. Woon smiled to the stands as he celebrated the goal.

Eastside replied almost instantaneously as Sim launch a quick counter attack right from the restart. He controlled a long ball from Felix before flicking the ball past Yeo.

With the game looking destined for a draw, there was a sheer moment of brilliance by Yeo to give the Backstreet a lead. Controlling a high ball down, he evaded the tackle of Felix by flicking the ball over him, before unleashing a first time volley towards goal. But as usual, it ended up in the stands.

Backstreet took the lead once more when Woon smash his third goal of the match in from a seemingly impossible angle after another defensive error by the Eastside. He smiled and waved to the stands, seemingly gaining his inspiration and form from the face in the stands. It was finally left to an unlikely hero, Lam, who volleyed home the equalizer after another superb assist from the tired, but ever-reliable Sim who waltz his way through the entire Backstreet defence before setting up Lam.

There was one last chance for a rousing finale when Baskstreet scored another goal in the dying moments of the game. It was, however, disallowed due to a foul on Lam from an Eastside corner. Lam received treatment for a stratch on his face before referee blew the final whistle as Yue injured his foot in the process.

It ends all square in this pulsating 20^th derby game between the Backstreet and the Eastside.

Toshiba Man of the Match: Woon Yuyee

Pundits Man of the Match: Lam Kee Siong

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Yeo left bemused after missing his team's chances

Sim waltzed his way past the defence before setting up the equalizer

Lam celebrating after scoring the equalizer

Woon celebrating the goal and gazing at the stands after his hat-trick

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