Goal: Omar, Abraham (40th min. for Omar)

Defense: Vasken, Pierre, Tycho, Stephane, Tim (40th min. for Tycho)

Midfield: Matthieu, Tansel, Tallard, Salhi, Jerome, Francois (60th min. for Matthieu)

Forward: Marco

We have won our first round cup match in the Hong Kong Football for Life Hong Kong CUP against team TWF with 4-1 and proceed to the next round.

The match set up was great, we played on our home turf Futian Stadium with its vast dimensions. Weather was top, the referee and two linesman very professional. Thanks to team TWF travelling all the way from Hk to play us here in our "home town" and we hope they had a good day as well despite their result.

The first half we started a little nerveous but soon could score a goal by striker Marco which put the pressure early on TWF to respond. But TWF prooved at first half to be a bit tootheless despite our own defense line being a bit shaky and could not utilize on any weaknesses in Inter SZ’s defense. And soon Jerome pounded another 2 goals with his hammer left feet and we went into half time 3-0 up.

We made some changes in the team roster and started even more nerveous than in the first half. Credit to TWF, they pushed in the beginning minutes of the second half very hard and earned their well deserved goal. But after another 15 minutes it was all business as usual again after TWF easing the pressure and with Inter regaining control in defense and midfield. Tansel had a very rare penalty miss for Inter Shenzhen and soon after Vasken scored the last goal of the match with a long range shoot overlopping the TWF goallie.

Overall it was not a very technically or tactically versatile performance, neither by Inter Shenzhen nor by TWF who seemd not to match physically the Inter players. Many missed passes and a generally poor technically display by both teams. Inter had the better part of individual display and this was the reason for the deserved win. 

We will now play against team YINWU on February 12th 2012 at the FUTIAN Stadium here in Shenzhen again for the next round QUARTER FINALS!! (http://www.footballforlife.hk/index_topic.phpdid=206769&didpath=/206769).

Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year and see you all next year around!

http://www.shenzhenstuff.com/group/shenzhen-football?xg_source=activity

Shenzhen Ruby team line up: 3-4-3 

(in braket numbers of games played so far in CSL this season). 

Some of them are young and you might see them become really good players for the next few years.

Shining (0)

ShiYong (0), HuanXin (0), YuanLin (7, but play regular first team for the last 8 years)

ZhaoJiang (0) ZhouShenYuan (0), Liyi (0 retired, but played CSL for the last 10 years with more than 40 caps for national team), Zhang GuoFeng (1)  

Waili (5), LiuDeWei (0), Wang Xiao (0).

Came in 2nd half: He Yichen (0), Laijing (9), Li JiaHe (6), Zhang Yu (0)

The stage was set for a great football night. Perfect weather, top grass pitch and lighting conditions, a top referee with two linesman and another 4th official, what do you want or need more to play football and enjoy yourself ?? Just what you would expect from a professional team setting up this friendly match for and with us. 

We came out with 16 players, some on time and some a little late. The preparation was therefore a little half hearted, team talk and warm up reduced to a minimum. Anyway, we started with a 4-5-1 formation in order to try to absorb the expected pressure coming from their midfield. It was expected that the entire defense line will get the full force of Shenzhen Ruby, and it came just like that. The first 20 minutes Inter Shenzhen did not see much of the ball and were forced into our own half, or better say into our own box. The Rubies showed great skills in fast passing and movement, they kept the ball with one-touch football in their ranks waiting for the moment to send their strikers upfront, carrying the ball very determined towards our box. Our attempt to follow the ball or the player made the Inter players in return tiring, and ultimately strength fading away.

The first three goals were all resulting from individual melt-downs not having the power and concentration anymore to clear the ball despite possession from our own box far away, balls were intercepted in our own back yard and from that distance it was easy tap ins for the Rubies. The speed, relentless pressure and physical fitness of the Rubies paid their toll on the amateur Inter players with heavy legs in those beginning minutes. 

It took us nearly 20-25 minutes to adapt to the slower grass pitch with our passing and to the fast speed of the opponent to take a little grip of the game ourselves and for the rest of the first half we could hold on better, even managed to bring the ball into the Rubies half and in some scarce occasions even into their box. But playing with only one central striker with little help coming from the midfield it proved very difficult to break the Rubies as their defense was standing formidable. Nevertheless we could hold our grounds in defense and midfield better during this period and had some decent build-ups in midfield, but with harmless outcome upfront.

The second half the by then already battered Inter players were better prepared at least mentally to what will come at them, and the blocking in midfield and defense was more effective. Further goals came mostly from very well placed long distance shots and were not played out as a sort of credit to our defense line. Perhaps some of the goals could have been kept clean, but…

The second period of the second half after the score line was 8-0 was perhaps the best one for Inter Shenzhen. Some 15-10 minutes to go perhaps the Ruby players were tired themselves or just got bored, Inter somehow managed to have a greater deal of the game. We possessed by then the ball better and pushed the entire game more into the Rubies half. For sure they were very surprised when at one occasion Luis took the ball some 20 yeards from their goal in a soft but well placed volley into their left lower side of the goal. The stunning effect then continued some 5 minutes left to the finishing whistle with Ike going one-on-one with the Rubies central defender, fooling him with a nice back heel trick in their box and smashing the ball in the right corner of the goal. Both goals were so well taken that their pro goalkeeper had no chance of getting it. 

It was more than a consolation price, it was proof that we could have done more that night. Could, should,.. whatever… Most of the 8 goals conceded were not meant to be conceded. A bit more concentration and a bit better goalkeeping could have easily reduced the score sheet to half of what it then finally was. But again, that night was not about the score line anyway, it was about enjoying ourselves and play football to the best of our abilities. And we did just that, EVERYONE!

Thanks to all the Shenzhen Ruby FC players and managers Philippe Troussier and David Camhi for setting up this venue for us and hopefully we can play this side some time soon again, and should be better prepared for that one by then. At least mentally most of our lads have now a better idea, and physically, well, we need to train more and harder to come somewhere near the Rubies… but after all they are professional and we are amateurs.

Thanks to all the 16 players, some had more playing time and some less, but we needed them all that night. 

Thanks as well for Max who came out despite having a bad knee and video taping and taking professional pictures from the entire venue. Soon those media will be available for us on this website as a good memory.

All in all it was a very good night!!

The first third of the match Inter started composed and disciplined. Judging the opponent’s strength first with emphasizing on our own defense we controlled the game well, with some exceptions where several Inter players left their position and showed some undisciplined play. Nevertheless, a perfect play over the central midfield to the right wing with Ike charging through and crossing the ball perfectly in front of the goals all over to the left wing to Mihran who had an easy tap in brought us the first well deserved goal. Unfortunately this would be the only non-individual team effort goal we scored that night. The rest of this third we played average and managed to keep the opponent team away from our own goals.

The second third we made 5 substitutes all over the field and it turned out to be the most desastrous part of the game. Over-hard und unfair tackles, and complaining with the referee in combination with further undisciplined position play derailed most of the play during that part of the game. There was no team effort recogniseable anymore and a questionable call from the referee leading to a free-kick for Taipinyan 20 yards in front of our own goal was well taken and the result was suddenly leveled to 1-1.

The last third of the game we changed again players and the game was more quite and disciplined. However, it needed a induvidual class effort from Ike to score a mid-range shot into the left corner of Taipinyan’s keeper who had no chance of getting it. At 2-1 Inter Shenzhen then found again their rhythm and soon after again with two fine individual efforts this time from new boy Fabian with long-range shots sealed the final score of 4-1.

Emphasizing on a strong defense set up, it turned out to be the match winner. All of the defenders, Tim and Rahim in central defense, Stephen, Vasken and Prince on the wing backs were just too much for the Taipinyan strikers to handle. Our set up suited very well for the anticipated Taipinyan play, which was like anticipated starting from their 2 technically gifted central midfield players with long balls up to their tiny but fast strikers. This classic "english"style football we were very well prepared for with our defenders showing speed and additionally physical strength. For most of the game the taipinyan strikers were nullified and our goalliess Omar and Abraham had a very quite evening without being tested at all. Bravo to the entire back line, they provided the backbone for the less effective central midfield, the non-existing wing players and the out-of play strikers (with the sole exception of in form Ike).

There is still a lot to develop in Inter’s game play, which we will emphasize from now on in training as most of the players are back from their holidays. The quality was there, but the fluidity and link-up between the players was missing. Thats because if just a few players do not play their allocated positions then the block will fall apart. And it did for most of the game.

Therefore the win goes to our defense’ account, and to them only. Hope we can do it better next time -if there is a next time against taipinyan at all. They proved to be a fine team with a professional attitidue. We could not say that to several of our own players and we have to pray for Peter to talk with a sweet mouth to the Taipinyan team to play us again soon. If not then we have foolishly lost one of the very few good local Chinese tams in town to play against….

“Expatriates from France, Britain, Ghana and the Netherlands say: “I’m here to welcome you” in their own mother tongues after they played a soccer match at a sports ground near Lianhua Hill in Futian District on Sunday night. Anthony Prempeh from Ghana told the Shenzhen Daily they are going to Hong Kong to play another match to promote the Universiade”
Sun Yuchen.

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