The Switch City Kings stormed into the Xpert League Semi Finals with a hard fought 3-1 victory over Guilin Dragons. The deceptive scoreline indicates that the Kings had a reasonably easy time of it but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact the Dragons were probably the better team on the day but heart and soul got the Kings over the line.
The Kings players nervously awaited the whistle to be blown to start the game. Understandable given that the club has never advanced this far in the Cup competition and history could be created. Those nerves quickly left the Kings players as they went on an attacking raid just 6 minutes into the game. Young midfielder Alvar Rubiero who had been thrown to the wolves by manager Mr Shephunter showed poise beyond his years when he put on a beautiful pass to Caetano Vaz. The 40 yard pass was so pinpoint in it's delivery that it created a breakaway situation for Vaz. The cool customer with just the keeper to beat made no mistake and gave the Kings the early lead.
The Kings were finding space in behind the Dragons defense on a regular basis. Surely this lack of concentration would have been driving the manager crazy. In the 22nd minute the Kings were awarded a free kick just outside the area. Defender Norm Ashwell stepped up to take the kick. Ashwell had been in fairly average form leading into this game so as he deliberated over the kick, the travelling supporters had their hearts in their mouths. What were they worried about? It was vintage Ashwell on display as he curled the ball around the wall before somehow getting it to dip violently into the top right corner. At 2-0 the Kings supporters went ballistic!
The midfield of the Kings had successfully controlled possession for the bulk of the first half. The two goal advantage was the pay off for that. However late in the half the Dragons started showing signs of life. The final 10 minutes saw them claw their way back into the game and although not creating any chances, the signs were there that they would cause plenty of problems in the 2nd half for the Kings.
Captain Franco Baressi came very close to icing the game in the 57th minute but his shot cannoned into the post. It didn't take long for the Dragons to hit back. In the 64th minute forward Xiao Xiang Jin brought the difference back to one. The talisman managed to find himself all alone with just the keeper to beat and did it with aplomb. At 2-1 a few heart flutters went through the Kings camp.
The game was opening up. In the 70th minute the Kings gave themselves a 2 goal buffer when Robbie Strummer found himself out in space with just the keeper to beat. Vaz spotted Strummer making a cut into the square. Whether it was his old legs or his skinny frame, somehow he was undetected. Vaz fed him like a baby having dinner and Strummer made no mistake putting the ball in the back of the net.
The Dragons with nothing to lose started attacking hard with just 10 minutes remaining. Unfortunately Strummer couldn't match it with his opponent and smacked Gawad Karge fair in the mouth. The referee saw the blatant act and sent Strummer from the field. The Kings would have to play the remaining time a man down. Thankfully for their manager and supporters they withstood the challenge and ran out 3-1 winners to book their place in the semi finals.
Mr Shephunter was over the moon with the result. "You little ripper! We're into the final 4.It's an amazing effort for this team given the less than ideal circumstances that have taken place. I thought we fought hard today and showed real character to play out the game with just 10 players. That will stand us well in future games. I would love to have Vilas-Boas back for the semi but he's out for another 2 weeks. Still we'll give it our all and fingers crossed we can get the win."