She was cool and composed when she approached the media at the mixed zone.

All of a sudden, though, Singapore’s world No. 8 Feng Tianwei broke down in tears, when asked her thoughts on the Republic’s nervy 3-2 win over Holland in their final Group C tie at the Table Tennis Team World Championships at the Malawati Stadium yesterday.

The victory cemented the Singapore women’s team as winners of the group, which afforded them a bye into the last eight.

Composing herself, Feng, 29, said: “It was a very difficult tie. After I lost the first match the pressure was very big but (Yu) Mengyu withstood it and won her match.

“I was actually in a poor condition to play in the fourth match, but I had to persevere and win it to give Mengyu the opportunity to take the court for the fifth match and win it for us.

“I am very proud of our team today,” she added, tearfully.

While Feng had been the strongwoman in the team since the start of the tournament, world No. 34 Yu was the heroine yesterday.

Feng lost the first match 3-2 (12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7) to Li Jiao – her first loss in 10 matches here – but Yu brought Singapore back into the tie with a masterful 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-7) win over chopper Li Jie in the second match.

Yu said: “I played against choppers twice in this tournament and lost to one of them. The defeat woke me up – I told myself to slow down my play and be more patient.”

Isabelle Li lost 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 12-10) to Britt Eerland in the third match, but Feng stayed strong and kept the tie alive when she trounced Li Jie 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-9) to force the rubber.

Yu had match point at 10-8 in the fourth game of the winner-take-all fifth match, but allowed Li Jiao to force deuce at 10-10.

NERVOUS

Yu recalled: “I was rather nervous when I was leading and Li Jiao, being experienced, sensed it and attacked.”

But Yu held her nerve to win the match 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10) to give Singapore the winning point.

Yu said: “I don’t get to play two matches very often in such big tournaments because usually Tianwei has the burden of getting the two points. “I am satisfied with how I have played in this tournament so far and feel that I have matured quite a bit this week.”

Li Jiao praised Yu after the match.

She said: “Mengyu played really well today, she stepped up when Tianwei was injured. Tianwei’s perseverance is also something we can emulate.”

Late last night, Singapore was drawn against either North Korea or Romania in the last eight, but progress to the semi-finals and a probable showdown with No. 2 seeds Japan – world No. 1 China is in the other half of the draw – will very much depend on Feng’s fitness.

The Singapore No. 1 has been plagued with old injuries and has already played 10 matches in this tournament.

Yesterday, she has been icing her right shoulder in between matches and women’s national coach Chen Zhibin said: “Her injury is rather serious, we have to treat it quickly and see how she recovers tomorrow.

“There is a possibility that Mengyu may play the first singles tomorrow.”

sayheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 3, 2016.
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They sit comfortably near the top of the Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League table, while their opponents tonight, Home United, are two off the bottom of the nine-team standings by virtue of goal difference.

But V Sundramoorthy, coach of third-placed Tampines Rovers, is taking nothing for granted.

He feels it is way too early into the season for the league table to mean anything and is bracing himself for a chess match at the Bishan Stadium.

“The league is tough this year, you don’t take for granted that you can beat any team but, make no mistake about it, this is one of the big games that we will play this season,” he told The New Paper yesterday.

“Home are no pushovers, they are a good team with a good blend of young players and experienced ones.

“This will be a game where tactics play a very important role, how the teams line up, how strongly a team start, that kind of thing,” added the former LionsXII coach.

In their opening match of the season, Home dominated the game against Warriors FC in a show of pass-and-move football that was pleasing to the eye, only to concede a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

Similar to what the Warriors did, Hougang broke up Home’s attempts to build up play in the midfield area as the Cheetahs shocked the Protectors 1-0 in the second fixture.

CLOSE CONTEST

Understandably, Sundram did not give away his game-plan, but he hinted at a close contest tonight.

“Home have got Faris Ramli, Sirina Camara, Ken Ilso and Song Ui Young, who is a good defensive midfielder who can also distribute the ball well.

“But they have to think about what our players can do, too,” he said.

With former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant in their ranks and a host of the Republic’s best frontmen and defenders, Tampines demolished Bangladeshi champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi 4-0 in Group E of the AFC Cup last week.

The Stags have already experimented with various formations at this early stage of the season, with players deployed in different positions.

“We do have many options available to us, but the challenge is about finding the right mix to suit the game, based on analysis of how our opponents line up,” said Sundram, who has even deployed Singapore international Shahdan Sulaiman, a central midfielder, on the right of a flat four in the engine room.

Perhaps more importantly for tonight’s match, Sundram has Noh Rahman on his side, the defender who captained Home last season.

But 35-year-old Noh looked to play down his familiarity with his former employers.

“Maybe my knowledge of how Home play will help the team, but we all know what Home can do, the style of football they want to play.

“Personally, there isn’t any special significance to this game, it’s like any other match,” he said. “It’s unfair to pick out one player who will be dangerous because Home are a good hardworking side who pass the ball around.

“But if I really have to, it will be Ken and Sirina.”

Sundram wants his expensively assembled side to come up with the goods tonight.

“It is important that we win the game. Simply put, the team are healthy, we have no injuries and we have to take advantage of that and win,” said Sundram.

“There will be times in the season where we will have players out and might struggle, so we must take advantage when everyone is available.

“We just have to find the right mix against Home.”

shamiro@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 3, 2016.
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At their best, Philippe Aw knows his Home United side are good enough to challenge for the Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League title.

And he believes there is no better way to prove it than by beating Tampines Rovers at Bishan Stadium tonight in a huge clash between traditional S.League giants and perennial title contenders.

The Protectors have not made the best of starts to the 2016 season, twice throwing away a lead in a 2-2 draw with Warriors FC before falling to a shock 1-0 loss to Hougang United.

Their cause has not been helped by the fact that, having had a bye last week, they return to action against an in-form Tampines who have netted eight goals in their past two victories, against Bangladesh outfit Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi in the AFC Cup and Hougang in the league.

Aw and his men would have been reminding themselves of a similar situation 12 months ago, when a winless Home headed into their third game of the season against a heavily-fancied Stags team, and recorded a remarkable 2-0 triumph.

Aw does believe that football sometimes works in funny ways.

“Every game is a new game and we know things are not going to be the same,” he told The New Paper.

“But last year in that third game, nobody gave us a chance and we sprang a surprise.

“Deja vu happened so many times last season and, if it happens again on Thursday, so be it.”

Home and Aw received plenty of praise last year for the attractive brand of football they played, but the Protectors’ lack of consistency – especially at the start and the end of the campaign – ultimately saw them finish a disappointing sixth in the final standings.

SLOW START

The new season may only have just begun, but the Protectors’ tactician is aware they can ill afford another slow start, if they are to deliver on their title challenge.

“Last year, we started slow, went on a good run and then had a lull period again towards the end,” he acknowledged.

“This year, the league is going to be more competitive and we can’t afford to keep dropping points, but the good thing is that we know we’ve played well in the first two games, apart from finishing our chances.

“We’re confident that, if we start to focus a bit more and put the ball in the net, we’ll be thereabouts… A positive result on Thursday and we’re back in it.”

Much has already been made about how formidable the Tampines attack is, with Singapore international Fazrul Nawaz and Irish striker Billy Mehmet being supplied by ex-Arsenal and Liverpool man Jermaine Pennant and Canadian livewire Jordan Webb.

Home captain Juma’at Jantan is well aware how potent the Stags’ attack is, although he believes his side’s forward unit are a match for V Sundramoorthy’s side, if they are at their best.

The Singapore international said: “Everyone’s been talking about Pennant and Webb, but it’s all about the team… Even players like midfielder Izzdin (Shafiq) are important for them.

“We have to look at the bigger picture and, 11-v-11, we can definitely cope with them.

“Luck hasn’t been our side in the first two games, but we have to put that aside and move forward, ideally with our first three points of the season on Thursday.”

npsports@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 3, 2016.
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They are the most successful club in the history of the competition, and in the build-up to the 2016 Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League, Warriors FC were optimistic of a good season ahead.

Two games into their campaign, the Warriors only have a point and have yet to find any spark.

They host the Garena Young Lions tomorrow at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium and most of their fans will expect nothing less than victory over the national developmental side, who are essentially an Under-21 outfit.

But Warriors coach Jorg Steinebrunner has dismissed suggestions that tomorrow’s match will be a stroll in the park.

“There is no must-win and sure-win in football,” Steinebrunner told The New Paper before a training session yesterday.

“Because we lost against (Brunei) DPMM, it doesn’t change anything. For me to listen to people that they expect three points against Young Lions, it shows disrespect towards them.

“They are the younger players of the upcoming possible national team. They have been in the NFA (National Football Academy), so they play a certain level of football, demonstrated in their first game in the league when they got their win (against Balestier Khalsa).”

Although the Warriors lost to the defending champions DPMM 3-1 on Saturday, Steinebrunner felt his side should not have come away from Brunei empty-handed.

“We are disappointed with the loss in Brunei, but not with our performance,” he said.

“If we had taken only half of the chances we created, not by luck, then we would have come away with three points.

“We have a good team, and the last two performances against Home United and DPMM were good enough to get more points than what we got.”

Steinebrunner has warned his charges against complacency when they line up against the Young Lions.

“We need to realise that if you take the Young Lions too lightly, it’s going to be a rude awakening.

“People need to see that they are playing in a professional league and they cannot just say that the Warriors are going to win.

“We have prepared ourselves, just like for any other game.

“The mentality, character and attitude need to be spot-on.

“Otherwise, it will be a difficult game.”

Warriors captain Zulfadli Zainal agreed with his coach’s assessment.

“The Young Lions are supposedly the weaker team, but I don’t think so,” the 27-year-old defender told TNP.

“That’s on paper only.

“Every time you play against the so-called weaker teams, it’s very tricky because the players tend to be complacent.

“I’ve played in the S.League for quite some time, so I know how it feels.”

Nevertheless, Zulfadli said the eight-time champions will “go all out” for the win.

He said: “We will just play as per normal, like how we played against DPMM.

“Hopefully, our players can start scoring.”

haziqm@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 3, 2016.
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