RMM 1 Puchong Indian 3

CONTROVERSIAL END TO RMMs UNBEATEN RUN

RMMs record breaking unbeaten run was finally ended amid a heady mix of controversy, comical goalkeeping and woeful finishing.

Coming into the game with an unbeaten run that lasted almost 3 months, the veterans of RMM had every right to feel confident against a team consisting of a wiry old man in goal.

The wiry old man however proved to be a stumbling block for RMM and combine that with the inability of RMMs frontline to hit the barn door, it was no surprise that the veterans were under pressure for most of the first half. The backline marshaled by Saint Shane were tested constantly and RMMs keeper Shark was called into making several crucial one on one blocks to keep the scoreline to 0-0.

Upfront, Mat Burit lived up to his undisputed title as the Master Of Hit and Miss as he led his fellow attackers in crafting a manual on 'How To Miss Sitters'.

The battled hardened veterans were lucky to finally end the half without conceding when Puchong Indians smashed a penalty against the post after MuscleMan Arch was adjudged to have fouled a Puchong Indian striker in the RMM box.

RMM were then dealt with a blow when Saint Shane pulled up with a calf injury during the 1st half break. The reshuffled backline were just getting warmed up when the Puchong Indians bounced a direct through ball down the middle, catching the daydreaming RMM defenders out. An ever alert Puchong Indian striker then pounced on the thru ball to lob it past the on-rushing Shark to finally give the Puchong Indians the lead.

The game was more evenly contested in the second half but with the RMM frontline continuing to put on a full on display of wasteful finishing, the game looked to be slipping away from the undefeated veterans.

RMMs big break came when trialist Jazzy Sazly broke through on the right to draw Puchong Indian's scrawny old keeper out from the box. The on-rushing keeper was then forced to handle the ball outside the box in order to prevent a RMM equalizer. The Puchong Indian keeper was immediately shown the red card by the ref for his troubles.

That was not to be the last red the ref flashed as a disgruntled Puchong Indian player showed his displeasure at the the ref's decision to send his keeper off by throwing his jersey at the direction of the match official. Needless to say, he was giving his marching orders as well.

The 2nd half ended with RMM a goal down and Puchong Indians 2 men down.

All the talk during the break was on how RMM could capitalize on the 2 men advantage to protect their unbeaten run. The main talking point was however Puchong Indian's refusal to take the field for the pre agreed 3rd half unless their sent off players were re-instated back into the game. So it was 11 v 11 or the game would have to be called off.

Showing the sportsmanship of olden day Corinthians, RMM agreed to play the 3rd half against a fully re-instated Puchong Indians.

Puchong Indian's wiry old man keeper then continued to keep RMMs strike force at bay with a lot of help from the misfiring strikers doing their best to out miss each other.

On the other end, the in-form RMM keeper Shark then inexplicably let an easy cross slip through his fingers into the path of a surprised Puchong Indian striker to slot home from 2 yards.

With the match seemingly slipping out of their hands, RMM finally managed to find the net through superstar striker, Batigol who produced yet another wild eyed, vein popping, banshee screaming celebration. Game on.

The wounded veterans then started playing with renewed sense of urgency but all thoughts of a fightback was extinguished when the RMM backline was once again caught off guard for Puchong Indian's 3rd goal. It was yet again another punt into the RMM box that caught the veterans out and this time, the static Flash That borne the brunt of his team mates wrath for his lack of movement during the goal's build up.

When the final whistle was blown, RMMs unbeaten run was finally shattered. Whilst it would be easy to blame the unsportsmanlike behavior of Puchong Indians for the defeat, it has to be said that the complete manual of 'How To Miss Sitters' that was written during the game played a big part in it too.