Finals: MJC

The sojourn was almost at an end.

We were already winners. Having reached the finals, we had accomplished more than any other batch under our couach, going the distance without any DSAs or appeals through soccer. Even if we lost the finals and finished second, we had earned the respect of our opponents and placed RJC back on the soccer map. We had proven our critics wrong and had progressed onto the finals despite their scepticism. Even if we lost, we would still be applauded by our supporters, and our efforts would undoubtedly be remembered by some.

But we hadn't come so far, given up so much, only to stumble now. While some might have settled for a second placed finish at the start of the season, or even when elimination seemed all too real, now that we had made it all the way to the finals, losing was not an option.

The 2007 A Division Finals was special because it would be the last time it was held at the old National Stadium. Ours was one of the last matches ever to be played at the National Stadium before it was scheduled to be torn down and revamped. History has a quiet way of building events up to climaxes. MJC, whose soccer team was their pride and glory, would be sending the whole school down to support. RJC, where soccer was just another CCA who were having their finals in a week that would see us in 10 different finals. The stage had been set for this clash between titans. It was a rematch of our hot-blooded group stage clash, except this time we were both 'all-in'. Winner takes all.

In an attempt to avoid being overawed by the occasion, our coach scheduled a bus ride down to the National Stadium for us to get used to the dimensions. My initial reaction was pure astonishment at the sheer size of the National Stadium as viewed from the pitch. Just standing on the track and looking at the empty stands, I could almost imagine the stadium full of supporters and hear the echo of cheers. It was the National Stadium. Where Singapore beat Indonesia to clinch the Tiger Cup earlier in the year. The immensity of the occasion hit me and I was glad for the opportunity to get over my intial shock.

The National Stadium pitch was in impeccable condition, and by far the best non-synthetic pitch I've every played on. The grass was smooth and the field was completely even, which would certainly be an advantage to our passing game. However, the size of the National Stadium pitch exceeded that of JJC's synthetic pitch by almost 10 metres, and we would have to quickly adjust to the increased distance. While JJC's pitch was considered small by any standard, and our own field larger than average, the National Stadium pitch was gigantic. The game would certainly be a very open one with lots of room to run.

As the rest of the team took a slow jog around the stadium and did some ballwork on the off the field, I was reduced to the status of spectator. As I mentioned previously, I had twisted my knee during the semi-finals, and upon returning home, I discovered that I couldn't put any weight on my left knee. A trip to Dr. Low, who every J2 with the exception of Darrell has visited at some point or another, confirmed a sprain of my knee ligament. I had 5 days to recover, and on Saturday I was in crutches. It was a personal miracle that when I returned for another consultation on Wednesday, I was given the green light to play, subject to my own estimation of my match fitness.

As the finals drew closer, we started to feel the jitters. It became harder to go to sleep at night, or to pay attention during lessons. Making matters worse was the fact that the GP/KI Common Tests 2 were scheduled the day before our finals, and as important as our finals was to us, our coach had always emphasised the academic part of 'student-thlete' over the sports bit.

The day of the our finals coincided with the Badminton Boys' and Girls' Finals, the Bowling Girls' Finals as well as the Hockey Boys' Finals. Of the 4, only the Hockey finals was a direct clash with our own, meaning that support would be split between the National Stadium and Delta Complex. Despite this taxing schedule, the Badminton Boys team promised to come down and support our match after they clinched their own title, a generous gesture indeed.

When we got to the National Stadium, the 3rd-4th placing match between SAJC and VJC was underway. We walked the corridor underneat the stands, and into a dressing room. While it was not exactly posh like the ones Premiership clubs had, it was a nice touch and added to the air of authenticity. We chilled out in the dressing room until the start of the second half, where we changed into our white jersey and green shorts for our warmup. We would later change back to our green jersey before the match started. The warmup was a little awkward as there was precious little space for us to do our drills, and we had to improvise alot. However, I don't think anyone put too much thought into the warmup, and our minds were more focused on the match to come.

During our stretching, the usual voices added the usual comments. Cunzhi, with his calm demeanour and reminders. Eugene, with his customary tough love. Bowen with his traditional optimism. It would have seemed like just another game if not for the fact that this was likely to be our last stretching warmup as a team. Sitting in a circle, I took the opportunity to look at each and every one of my teammates, focusing on their faces to remind myself that when I stepped onto the pitch, I was playing for each and every one of them.

Soon after we changed to our green jerseys, it was time to get onto the pitch for our last warmup. Barely any time had elasped before we were called in for the huddle. This was it. Everything we had trained so hard for, and with the supporters cheering in the background, the tension was thick in the air. There would be no holding back this time, everyone would be going all out.
This was the finals.


The starting lineup for the finals: Timon, Junliang, Eugene, Cunzhi, Zenzel, Yijing, Martin, Hashir, Woohan, Sean and Chaolun.

Timon had been outstanding throughout the season, and his form had really peaked during our last two matches against JJC and VJC. His performances kept us in tight matches, and vindicated every ounce of faith we had placed in his two hands.

The back 4 remained the same, and had been ever since Zenzel had recovered from his ankle injury. The partnership of Cunzhi and Eugene, with Cunzhi as last man and Eugene as stopper had proven successful during the 2006 campaign, and had proven so during our season as well. With Cunzhi behind him as the last line of defense, Eugene was able to confidently step up and provide a one-man wall in the centre of defense. It was as strong a back four as one could possibly hope for, with each player not only strong defensivley, but able to distribute as well.

Yijing and Woohan had proven themselves two of the most dangerous wingers in the entire competition. As different as their styles were, with Yijing depending on his skill and Woohan exploiting his pace, they were both highly effective.

Hashir and myself were back together in the centre of midfield, with me playing a more defensive role and Hashir the more attacking one. It was the same midfield partnership that we had started out with in J1, and the fact that we had come full circle was not lost on either of us. Hashir had not exactly been playing well, or at least not up to his usual high standards in the last few matches, but he was everywhere in the finals.

Sean had earned his spot on the starting lineup by nature of his excellent form. At one point, we thought we had lost him because he had family commitments to juggle along with training, but his form returned just at the right moment. He was fighting for individual honours as well, as another goal would see him tied for top and the Golden Boot award.

Chaolun had the most important role in our team. He had the unenviable task of man-marking the MJC captain. While it might seem strange to ask a striker to man-mark a defender, the MJC captain, a National player, was the heart of the entire MJC team. He took all the set pieces, goal-kicks included, and was the driving force behind the entire team. We hoped that Chaolun's height and his suprising speed would allow him to match the MJC no. 8 physically. Our strategy was to shackle him completely, and to prevent him from even getting into the game. We were essentially going to play 4-4-1, against what we hoped was 3-5-1. Unorthodox certainly, but at the JC standard, an effective strategy.

As we got ready for the kickoff, we lined-up in the tunnel, side by side with MJC as the PA system announced the starting lineups for both teams. It felt surreal, as though we were in in a professional match, with the tunnel and the announcer. As wonderful as it felt soaking up the atmosphere, we were focused on the task at hand. I had perhaps the most motivation to give my all in the first half, as our coach had told me he only intended to play me for a maximum of one half before bringing on Bowen.

It was a nervy start for both teams, with both teams tentative in their play. However, with the large pitch, the wingers on both sides were soon finding plenty of space on the flanks. MJC had come with clear strategy: they were attacking heavily on our right side, and they kept forcing their play to the left where their speedy winger was enjoying some success. On our side, Woohan was having his way with the MJC left back on the right flank, and only excellent defending from the MJC centre backs kept our forwards from being on the receiving end of his crosses. However, the pick of the bunch had to be Yijing. Playing against his ex-clubmate, he was practically toying with the right back. Turning him inside and out with his trickery, he came the closest to unlocking the MJC defense. His cross-cum-shot to the far post was narrowly missed the far post, and Woohan was a split-second late in getting on the end of another of Yijing's crosses and opening the scoring. Yijing would later win Man of the Match honours for the finals, and deservedly so, and would prove himself to be someone to watch for next season.

The first half was a close affair, and ended honours even. During the half-time talk, our coach asked us to close our eyes and just listen. While this was totally reminiscent of the movie 'Miracle', it was nevertheless impactful. I don't know how to describe it, I could hear the voices of the RJC supporters from the stands, I could hear the heavy breathing of the players around you, and we just soaked that moment in. It was at that moment that for the first time I believed that we would win the championship. As naive as it sounds, the confidence in my coach and the people really just seeped into me. In that moment, I somehow just knew we were going to win.

We started the second half excellently, and I recall giving a blind pass to Hashir who had tons of real estate in front of him. We created chances and we defended with our lives. However, the game really swung in our favour when Bowen and Bong were substituted for myself and Woohan. We had done our jobs, and now it was time to pass the baton on to others to finish the work we had begun.

The goal was a thing of beauty, and in fact somewhat similar to the one Bowen scored against MJC in our first encounter. It involved the same three players, Bowen, Bong and Chaolun. A nice long ball down the line by Zenzel saw Bong play a neat 1-2 with Bowen, and Bong's low cross was flicked by Chaolun staight into Bowen's pass, who carrying the weight of the dreams of each and everyone of us, calmly slotted the ball pass the keeper and into the bottom left hand corner.

The crowd went mad. For the first time, we celebrated a goal thoroughly, with Bowen running to the sidelines pointing his finger at the crowd and at us in triumph. And for once, our coach didn't appear to mind. Bowen, whose form had deserted him at the start of the season, scored the most important goal of the entire season, taking his tally up to 5 to tie with Sean as our top scorers.

It was an amazing feeling, to be ahead in a finals. I remember the reaction on the bench, just pure jubliation. I remember pumping my fist and egging the crowd on, though rather needlessly as pandemonium had long erupted in the stands. Now, all we had to do was to hold on to our precious lead.

Holding on to a one goal lead is about the hardest thing to do in soccer. There is a tendency for the team ahead to sit back and defend which more often than not, proves fatal. Protecting a lead can sometimes cause you to lose it, as you are no longer able to keep possession of the ball in the opponent's half, and sooner or later, the odds work in favour of your opponents. We had only let in 5 goals the entire season. One from SRJC, one to ACJC, an own goal by Eugene for MJC, a token goal to JJC and a goal to VJC. Now, only the clock and our own resolve stood between us and the title.

Everytime one of our players got the ball, we would be begging them to drive the ball to a corner and to hold the ball there. Everytime we chanced an attack and loss possession instead we would curse the players involved. Nothing is worst than sitting on the bench and trying to mentally will time to accelerate. Every near miss by MJC set our hearts to our stomachs, while every clearance met with a sigh of relief. We were shouting at Hashir and Yijing for much of the last 20 minutes, encouraging them to persevere through the exhaustion. Hashir finally succumbed to cramps and had to be replaced by Si-En, who made a cameo appearance in the finals.

Finally, it was over. We had done it, we had won the match by a single goal. For Chaolun, he had erased any demons that might have haunted him after his semi-finals penalty miss. For Cunzhi, he had captained a championship winning side, and he could not have been prouder of us. For our coach, it was his very first A Division title. For me... It was simply a miracle.

We had done the implausible even though the odds were stacked against us. By lifting the National Schools Soccer A Division Championship trophy, we had conquered our very own third mountain and accomplished the goals we had set. The journey that we had begun almost 19 months ago was now complete.

This... is our miracle.



The end.

Semi-Finals: VJC

It's the playoffs, crunch time. Time to see what we were made of. Were we contenders, or just pretenders? Don't you just love knock-out? While it's true that a league format more accurately reflects championship form, and what makes a champion is not the performance of one day but over a period of time, the knockout format nonetheless has a certain appeal to it. The English FA Cup is known for giant-killing, where on any given day, a minnow can defeat an established giant, everything is up for grabs.

There were no undos, no do-overs, no makeups. It was all... or nothing. We were only going to get one shot at this, and had to make it count.

Along with the news that we had made it into the semi-finals, we found out that we would be playing VJC. This came as somewhat of a surprise, as we had expected SAJC to finish top of their group, having been tied with VJC throughout the tournament but having a substantially superior goal difference. However, SAJC lost to CJC on the final matchday, although they had already secured qualification. This meant that they would face MJC, while we had a date with history. Why? Because for the past 7 years, VJC had made it to the finals every single time, a considerable streak, but nevertheless, we had no intention of letting it be extended.

However, despite VJC's impressive record in the A Division semi-finals, there was some upside to our fixture. We had played SAJC twice during the preseason, drawing 2-2 at SAJC and losing 3-2 at home. VJC on the other hand, we beat 3-0 at home. While preseason matches are hardly anything to go by, and VJC's squad was certain to be strengthened since the last time we played them, SAJC were extremely potent up front. SAJC presented a very small and quick strikeforce, and while we had managed to standup to taller and bigger strikers, we had not been able to keep the SAJC strikers quiet during the friendlies. The SAJC strikers had been in top form in the tournament, scoring goals for fun and racking up the goal tally. Personally, I thought that there was little to separate the two semi-finalists from Group A, but perhaps it was a pure stroke of luck that we were drawn against VJC. Every cloud has a silver lining, after all, if we knocked the defending champions out to progress onto the finals, no one would think us underserving of the finals berth.

However, going into the semi-finals, we were undoubtedly second-favourite. Many thought of us as the underdogs of the tournament. I wouldn't even go so far as to call ourselves the dark horses because I think frankly everyone thought that we were in the semis to make up the numbers, and no one honestly believed that we would pose much of a challenge to the defending champions VJC. After all, we had barely scraped into the semis, and of the four semi-finalists, we had fared the poorest in the group stage. It was, for all intents and purposes, a three-horse race.

The atmosphere during the trainings leading up to the titanic clash with VJC was subdued at first. Perhaps the realisation that we were no longer in the Little League anymore sank in rather hard; We were batting with the big boys now, there weren't going to be any more gifts or freebies, we were going to have to fight tooth and nail for every inch of that field. But credit to the team, I think we rose to the occasion and the tension only hardened our spirits. Credit to our coach as well, who opted for more relaxed training sessions, where we more stretching than we did running. Even though he told us he was merely trying to guard against any last-minute injuries, I think he wanted to avoid adding any pressure on us with last-minute preparations and late-night drills. He believed that we had it in us to beat VJC, and as long as we 'showed' up for the semi-finals, it was ours to win.

The pre-match briefing was similar to that of our first encounter with MJC. Aside from our usual defensive assignments, we were not given instructions on how to attack VJC. Perhaps it was simply that at the highest level there were no weak-links to exploit, but I'd like to think that we played our best football when it was allowed to flow freely.

One anomaly about the VJC pre-match briefing was that we were given scouting information on the entire VJC squad, or at least those that had featured in the matches that we had scouted and were likely to play in the semi-finals. Of course the information we were given was nothing like scouting reports in FM, but basically the key threats in VJC's team were identified and had to be neutralised. Junliang was given the task of keeping VJC's RW Redzuan quiet, while Hashir was to track the surging runs of their star midfielder Pakin and I was to shadow Justin, one of the few members in the team who had tasted victory in the finals the year before.

We were to play VJC at 3pm at CCAB, the venue for the semi-finals every year. On one hand, our coach had told us that he would try to request to play the earlier match, because as absurd as it sounds, he believed that playing in the heat of the 3pm sun would be to our advantage. On the other hand, the CCAB pitch was notoriously poor, and this would definitely be a major disadvantage to our passing game. True enough, when we arrived at CCAB and stepped onto the field, we found patches of water and mud that stopped the ball dead in its tracks, and there was hardly any grass for the pitch to be called a field. Compared to the synthetic turf at JJC, or even the scrappy pitch at MJC, this was by far the worst pitch of the lot. It was going to be a scrappy affair.

The clash between VJC and us would see two somewhat similar teams, both defensively stout and both prided themselves on being among the fittest in the competition. Furthermore, our coaches knew each other quite well and as uncanny as it might sound, were rather similar themselves. Once, we saw the two of them wearing similar blue T-shirts and black shorts, standing side by side as they watched a match. If this had been a boxing match and the coaches had gone head-to-head, the headlines would undoubtedly have read, "Brother against Brother".

I guess that really sums up how tight the match was, the two teams trading blows for the majority of the first half, waiting to see who would flinch first. VJC had championship experience on their side, yet we had that thirst, that hunger, that only contenders can comprehend, which winners gradually lose as they enjoy continued success.

Lastly, if there was one thing that was sure to add some fuel to the fire, we would be playing against Wu Chean again, our old teammate who left RJC after the first three months. While there was certainly no bad blood at all, and he had left on the best terms and was sorely missed by us, the pre-match comraderie quickly spilled into rivalry once we stepped onto the pitch together like we did in the past, but only this time on opposing sides. It's always special playing with one of your ex-teammates, it adds a certain rivalry to the air.

The lineup: Timon, Junliang, Cunzhi, Eugene, Zenzel, Yijing, Martin, Hashir, Woohan, Sean, Bong.

For once, we actually started off the match quite well. There was sustained pressure on the VJC goal for the opening 10 minutes, in which we earned a couple of corners on the right flank. Woohan probably had his best game of the season, fully exploiting the space on the right flank despite the truly horrid condition the pitch was in. Football Weekly called him tireless in leading the line, and I have to admit he was amazing with his endless sprints up and down the right flank. He was explosive on the burst and really exposed the left back for his lack of pace. I suspect that to some extent, VJC played Wu Chean on the left wing in order to add a little more defensive presence in order to counteract Woohan, whom they might have likewise scouted during the season. While Yijing brought sublety and skill onto the left wing, and penetrated into the centre more often than his counterpart on the opposite wing, Woohan had the ability to move down the line at will.

After the initial onslaught by us, the tables quickly turned. Soon, it was us who who came under a period of sustained pressure from VJC, for about the middle 20 minutes of the opening half. While there were not any clear-cut chances from VJC, it was quite evident that they had increased the tempo and we had yet to match it. The game was being played in our own half, and their physical prowess was starting to gain an edge. Pakin and the captain, Gavin, had switched roles, with Pakin dropping to centre-back and Gavin pushing up to midfield, meaning that any high balls that we attempted to send upfield were mostly cut out by Pakin's tall frame.

While attempting to clear the ball, I swung my left foot straight into Justin and even though I gave away a foul in our defensive third, I came off worse of the two. My knee got caught between Justin's legs as I swivelled and fell, and although I didn't know it then, I sprained my lateral collateral ligament, an injury which would see me through the remainder of the first half. However, after the half-time talk, I discovered that I had lost all power in my left leg and had to be substituted. Thankfully, I did not prove a defensive liability before Bowen could be brought on to replace me.

During the half-time talk, our coach emphasised that we were doing well, and that we should draw inspiration from the scoreline. We, underdogs in the tournament, were holding the defending champions to a goaless draw, and just a single goal from us could potentially see us through to the finals. Some tactical information was passed, most notably in response to the switch between Pakin and Gavin that had caught us offguard, and back we went onto the pitch hoping to break VJC's rhythm.

Unfortunately, we soon went a goal behind in the second half. VJC substituted their top scorer for Joel, who had been identified as a key threat during the pre-match briefing. In fact, we were actually a bit surprised that he had not started, and we only later learnt that the striker who had started in place of him had actually been in excellent form. True to our reports, Joel punished us with a remarkable goal. A throw in on the right flank was met by a flick on by one of the VJC players, and Joel stole in between 2 defenders to flick the ball into the far corner over Timon. A well-taken goal, deserving of the lead.

Up till that point, we had to carve a genuine opportunity against VJC. But again testimony to the spirit of the team, we fought back to equalise. Shortly after VJC took the lead, we equalised via Sean, who managed to force a corner from Yijing into the back of the net for his 5th goal of the tournament, far from his best but perhaps the most important of all. Just as against MJC, we responded to going a goal down in the best possible manner: by equalising.

From there on out, it was anybody's game. Both side had chances, although I have to admit VJC came agonisingly close to regaining the lead, with their right winger volleying over the bar from close range. As the clock waned, it seemed more and more likely that the match would go into extra-time, which was somewhat redundant as only 5 minutes were played in each half, barely any time at all.

During the training sessions during the week, our coach had told us that for the past few years, no semi-final had been decided on penalties. But nevertheless, we practiced dilligently. I suppose he foresaw the possibility that the game against VJC might boil down to penalties, and wisely decided to test our penalty taking abilities. Eugene, Darrell and Junliang had been the most impressive during penalty kicks, scoring every single penalty.

However, before the match could be decided by penalties, where we felt that we held the edge because of Timon, who was an excellent penalty saver, we had to survive extra-time. Yes, survive is an apt word here, because extra-time was all VJC. It took every ounce of Cunzhi's man-of-the-match performance and Timon's heroics to keep us in the game, as VJC pounded our goal relentlessly. There was one breakaway where Cunzhi had to sprint half the breadth of the field to toe-poke the ball into the stands away from the onrushing winger. VJC came close to winning it in regulation time on a number of occasions, but failed to convert, and perhaps this was a sign that fate had already decided who would progress onto the finals.

At this juncture, I must really applaud the RJC student community. On the day of our semi-finals, there were quite a number of other matches RJC was involved in, and the Student's Council had been taxed greatly over the course of the week with Council Investiture and other match supports. Yet, when the announcement came that the soccer boys were playing their semi-finals against VJC, the student body answered the call and came down in full voice. While our numbers weren't close to those of VJC, or even SAJC and MJC, I was greatly touched by the fact that although the two buses chartered for our match support were quickly filled, many people still came down on their own to support us, such as Mr. Hodge and the VP. While the players had requested their friends come down to support them, a considerable number of supporters came down of their own volition, and everyone lined up on the track alongside the players on the bench as we watched the penalty shootout with bated breath.

Order of penalty takers for RJC: Bowen, Cunzhi, Eugene, Weiyu, Junliang, Darrell, Chaolun, Sean, Guankoon-Yijing-Timon. Weiyu had substituted on for Zenzel, while Guankoon had come on for Woohan, and Chaolun had come on for Bong.

RJC 0- VJC 0:Strangely enough, we found out later that Cunzhi had won the coin tossed and actually opted to kick 2nd, a move which we would later reproach him for. The logic is that you generally want to take the penalty first, so all the pressure is on the second penalty taker to score assuming sudden death. But I guess it all worked out for the best.

0-1: I don't remember the order of penalty takers for VJC, but safe to say that all 5 were excellently placed and had power to boot. Timon guessed correctly on occasion but couldn't quite get a palm to the ball. Maybe I'll ask Timon if he recalls how they went. The first penalty however, wrong-footed him and was cooly placed in a bottom corner.

1-1: Bowen stepped up to take the 1st penalty for RJC. If there's one thing about Bowen, he has nerves of steel, possibly accounting for his icy cool finishes. He later explained to us that he had atttempted to con the VJC keeper by pointing left and right before taking a run-up to the ball. As audacious or ridiculous as this might sound, the latter being especially so considering the gravity of the situation, it worked and Bowen sent the ball straight down the middle as the VJC keeper dived wrongly.

1-2: I don't think Timon came close to saving this one, another corner placement.

2-2: Cunzhi's turn to take the penalty. While I would like to say I firmly believed that he was going to score, the memory of his recent miss at JJC was still fresh in my mind, and I could only hope that it wasn't in his. Maybe it was the captain's armband, or the fact that he had played too well during the course of the tournament to be cruelly denied a captain's penalty, but somehow he managed to squeeze the ball into the back of the net. Not the best of penalties, but it was a goal nevertheless.

2-3: I think Timon actually guess this one correctly, and was within a whisker of touching the ball. But again, the pace of the spotkick ensured that it was pass Timon before he could get down in time to palm it aside.

3-3: Perhaps the most emphatic penalty came from Eugene, who I cannot recall having ever missed a penalty. Stories of his secondary school basketball flops and fiascos aside, Eugene was completely professional. His face devoid of any emotion, he all-too-cooly stepped up and placed the shot into the bottom right hand corner leaving the keeper rooted on the spot, swift and painless like a professional hit. He took the spotkick with such confidence that it hit the back of the goal frame and actually rebounded out, leaving quite a number of us on the sidelines wondering whether he had just missed. But as Clifton quickly pointed out, looking at his nonchalant expression, he had definitely scored.

3-4: Timon guessed right again I think, but this time that was all he managed as the ball was impeccably placed into one of the top corners.

4-4: Time for Weiyu to step up. Frankly, I was a little afraid that he might just go a little beserk and just smash the ball so hard that it would fly straight at the keeper and out. But credit to him, he kept his wits about him and instead of smashing the ball, rolled it into the the bottom corner, allowing the spectators to breathe once again.

4-5: No chance, Timon was beaten ends up by the 5th penalty, by Pakin I think. Can't be sure though, but any hopes of the pressure getting to the 5th VJC penalty taker were quickly dashed.

5-5: Junliang was perhaps the surest bet among the 5, possibly why he was selected to take the 5th penalty. Nothing appears to ever faze him, except his own mistakes or those of the boy who plays in front of him, though Yijing too seldom put a toe wrong. With trademark sass and a cocky run-up which only he can manage, Junliang placed it and beat the keeper easily.

Each team had scored all 5 penalties, VJC in emphatic fashion and RJC in rather less so. However, penalties were now sudden death, which is a completely new ballgame because you don't have the luxury of having your teammate bail you out. It was now mano a mano, man to man.

5-6: Timon guess correctly again, but couldn't save it.

6-6: The man in the cleanup position for us was Darrell. Yes, this might sound rather strange but Darrell had proven one of the best penalty takers in the team, performing far better than regular takers like Hashir or Bowen. Up till now what exactly it is in his disposition that allows him to excel continues to baffel me, but whatever it is, he has it in abundance. Darrell was in fact brought on with 30 seconds left in extra-time, with the sole intention of scoring a penalty kick. While some might dismiss this, the pressure knowing the you were sent on to score a penalty kick must be enormous, and even Jamie Carragher failed to convert. Darrell however, did not disappoint, as he cooly dribbled the ball into the bottom-left corner, kick the ball so slowly that it seemd as if time had slowed down and the keeper would simply pick himself up and walk over to the opposite corner to save the shot.

Later, we learnt that Darrell was unaware that he was embroiled in sudden death, and thought that there was still someone after him to fallback on in case he missed. Bless his forgetful mind because in the end it worked out for him.

6-6: A miss! The VJC player, as cruel fate would have it, hit the ball crashing against the woodwork. Centimetres never meant so much to us as it did then. We had it now, the finals berth was ours to lose. There was utter silence among the VJC fans, and the RJC supporters were almost rejoicing. Some of the players on the bench almost ran onto the pitch in delirium. But as we've learnt by now, it ain't over till the fat lady sings.

6-6: Chaolun stepped up, and even though he had done well in training, I could not ignore the foreboding sense in my stomach. Sadly, Chaolun did a Beckham, slipping right before he kicked the ball, and even though the keeper dived in the opposite direction, the ball slowly bobbled just wide of the right-hand upright. Ah... so close yet so far. It was now the VJC fans who started celebrating.

6-6: YES! Finally, Timon broke the deadlock by saving the first penalty in his duel with the VJC keeper. It was not the best penalty in the world, the type that haunts a player for the remainder of his career. This time, not only silence fell on the VJC supporters, but an air of defeat. In the other camp however, the RJC supporters were full of belief, knowing that it was highly unlikely that we would mess up twice in a row.

7-6: And of all people, the man to seal the contest for us was the goalscorer, Sean. At first, I thought that Timon might pull a Ricardo and go for the double-glory, but the reins were passed to Sean who duly stepped up. Sean hadn't been performing well during penalty practice, often blasting the ball wide of the goal and walking away sheepishly. However, this time there was to be no walking away with eyes downcast, only with raised arms as Sean rather nervously sent the ball into the back of the net, casting pandemonium and delirium among the RJC supporters. The players ran onto the pitch in ecstasy, completely ignoring the cries of the organiser to exit the field for the next match to proceed.

Some of us cried on the pitch, the sheer magnitude of our feat finally dawning upon us. I remember running onto the field, my injured knee be damned and hugging celebrating with Chaolun. Even our coach and teacher in charge lost all semblance of decorum, jumping and celebrating as though that single moment had shed decades off their lives. Timon was in tears and being comforted by Mr. Hodge of all people. I think none of us will ever forget that moment, and the friends and family we shared it with.

To the VJC team of 2007, our uttermost respect and admiration. In some ways, they were a superior side, and only lost out on penalties which has to be the worst way to exit a tournament. The penalty shootout has to be the most attractive feature of soccer, yet at the same time its most unfair and cruel one. In my opinion, if VJC had gone onto the finals they would almost have certainly gone on to win the championship. They put up what was arguably the toughest fight we had in our entire season, and until the very last minute of the game, never once stopped playing like champions.

We had done it... Heroes each and every one of us. We had gone further than any other team under our coach ever had, and we were one match and one victory away from immortality. While Timon will forever be remembered for his save and Sean for his 2 goals, each and every player played a part. We had worked for over a year to reach this position, the finals at Kallang National Stadium. We didn't need to aim to win the championship, all we needed to do was to aim to reach the finals, because we knew once we got there, there was no way we weren't coming home with the championship.

Onwards to Kallang. To the National Stadium. To immortality.