J. J. Muniandy
info@sleague.com
Seven goals in eight league games.
Two match-winning assists over the same period.
The evergreen Aleksandar Duric just keeps showing us lesser mortals how it is done at he highest levels of local sports.
41 years old he may be, but that did not stop him from having a hand in both goals for Tampines Rovers as they surged to top the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League table after going a goal down against defending champions Etoile FC 2-1 at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday evening.
It was a crucial result for the Stags as they prepared for their continental assignment against Vietnamese side Hanoi T&T in the AFC Cup next week, and having faced three title rivals in succession, a tally of seven points from those games put them in a strong position to firm up their holdings.
Championship mentality was written all over the Stags’ win, as they showed the perseverance and teamwork that was always going to win out at the end of the day.
It was not all smooth sailing, though, for Steven Tan’s side, and indeed Etoile had the brighter start.
Kevin Lefranc scored after 18 minutes to give the French outfit the lead after a mistake from Tampines goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, a moment that capped what was a strong first half for the boys in blue.
Etoile seemed almost irrepressible as they pushed the Stags into a string of errors in the opening 30 minutes, which Hicham Bouchemlal and Serge Souchon, who dominated midfield proceedings, were frequently happy to pounce on.
And with Duric closely shackled by the mohawked Franklin Anzite and Andrea Damiani, it seemed there were no openings for Tampines to break through.
But Hassan recovered superbly from his earlier mistake to pull off two world-class saves that made sure Tampines were in with a shout going into the half-time break.
The first came after some neat passing by the Etoile players in the Tampines box. Jonathan Toto, who looked threatening for much of the game, found himself free inside the six-yard box with a chance to simply tap the ball into the net.
Hassan, however, showed superb reflexes to stick a leg out, and that was enough to divert the ball away.
Etoile were virtually gifted another chance to make it 2-0 when the Stags cheaply gave away possession in their own half, prompting their opponents to go on a quick counterattacking raid.
Toto charged into the box before calmly squaring the ball to Souchon, who had only Hassan to beat, and even then the goalkeeper had been drawn out of position trying to intercept Toto.
Just when Souchon seemed all set to drill the ball mercilessly into the net, though, the 29-year-old spooked himself into a tamer shot than was required, and the light tap-in gave Hassan just enough to get a touch to the ball.
With the course now diverted, the Tampines defenders managed to recover and clear away, but Souchon was left kicking himself after blowing a chance the likes of which the team would not see again.
Tampines, on the other hand, had their foot in the door, and as the second half progressed they showed the grit and determination to earn at least a point.
Stags coach Tan indicated as much when he shared the contents of the half-time team talk with the press.
“The players wanted to win, and at half-time I told them to keep going, give 120 percent, and the goals will surely come,” he said.
True enough, the goals did come, and for Duric it was well worth the wait as he fired his way to the top of the goalscorers’ chart on 72 minutes.
Tumbling and turning eight minutes later, he managed to evade the advances of a vigilant Damiani before laying off a perfect pass to Akihiro Nakamura, who slotted into the right-hand corner to give the Stags all three points.
Tampines could have led even before Nakamura’s winner had arrived, but Duric contrived to poke the ball over the crossbar with Etoile goalkeeper Antonin Trilles badly beaten by Imran Sahib’s excellent cross on the right.
But give the big man enough chances, and he would eventually score or set someone else up. The Stags did that, and they were rewarded against an Etoile side that faded badly in the final minutes.
Sirina Camara even got himself a yellow card for petulantly protesting a decision about a throw-in that did not go his way, although Stars coach Guglielmo Arena appeared to take the result in his stride afterwards.
“We prepared to win tonight,” said the Italian after watching his side blow their lead.
“We could have closed the game, but didn’t manage to keep the intensity throughout the whole match.
“We cannot blame anyone for being tired at the end, it was our tactic to pressure the team from the start and we could not finish the job. But in the end the best team won and it was Tampines.”
Tan meanwhile thought his Tampines team did well to survive the early pressure before coming back, but dismissed suggestions that fatigue on Etoile’s part had let them back into the game.
“We started a bit on the slow side, but after 20 minutes, we managed to get some rhythm in our game,” said the 40-year-old.
“People talk about Etoile showing fatigue, but we should be the ones having the fatigue, not them! But then when we are down, we have nothing to lose, so the players went all out to get the goals.
“We kept discipline, and it was really important we did that. We let in a goal, but mistakes are bound to happen, and Hassan’s going to save us big points in some games throughout the season.
“We want to stay at the top until the end of season, but we’re taking it one game at a time. We have a tough game in Hanoi on Tuesday, then we come back and play on Sunday, Thursday, and then against Hanoi again here – it’s neverending, so let’s take it one game at a time.”
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