____T.H.E. .P.A.S.S.

____NUS on Sunday

Went to NUS to play football two days back. Initially there was some holding back from me. Yes, I will be playing football, but the thought of going to NUS is really a drawback. NUS is too far away. Luckily, Yujun arranged to meet Wilson, Weng and I at Clark Quay MRT station to give us a lift to NUS together. I must say it is really convenient to have a rich friend who can drive. Hah.

And so, the "Kovan Kids" made their way to the NUS field feeling lost and insecure and totally out of place. Yet, since not playing football for a full week, the fire in me was burning - I was ready to take on any opponent and stamp my authority on the pitch. Ready to bring the great "Catalan" spirit from Bedok to NUS and play our "Kovan Kids'" style of passing football. The only thing that was stopping me from bragging right from the start was the fact that I am new to the area.

The game soon started as we stubbornly insisted the "Kovan Kids" stuck to the same team with some others joining us to complete the 8 on 8 game. We occupied half of the field, using the breadth as the length of the playing area, and setting up cones as goal posts. The first half was forgettable. The pace of the game was fast as both teams played uninventive football and just playing long, stray, inaccurate long passes upfield and hoping for the defence of the opponents to make mistakes.

Make mistakes we did when we pushed forward and a long searching pass from the opponent released their left winger down the line. The striker made no mistake when the cross duly came in, as he converted the opening goal with a firm pass into goal. Our team soon woke and pushed and soon the half ended with us having a 2-1 advantage.

During the break, the restless youngsters took to the field and started taking freekicks. Trying our luck from outside the penalty box, I floated my best freekick into goal to date. The ball seemed destined to scale pass the far post when it spun, took a dip and nestled into the far side of the goal leaving keeper Yujun stranded. Everyone, me included, were stunned by the quality of the kick and that was the spark that kindled my outstanding second half.

Four successful Zidane-styled turns, many interceptions and tackles, endless down the line passes, a Kaka-like volley, and even managing a dummy which was bought by the opponent's striker, was very much of the showcase of my skills in the second half. As the opponents tire out, together with Wilson, EK and Yujun,we dominated and controlled the game. Credit must be given to EK's tireless running as he was given the lisence to get forward. While Weng and I were outstanding in covering the rear.

This is probably the start to a new football era for me in NUS. The biggest irony, though, is that I will be studying in NTU come late July.

Currently Feeling Like: Ballack (Bayern Munich) who controlled the game superbly.

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