Aliff Shafaein scored two goals – including the sensational extra-time winner – as Tampines Rovers thwarted Chonburi Province FC’s late show with an amazing comeback in the RHB Singapore Cup grand final on Sunday evening.
Chonburi of Thailand, the first foreign side ever to reach the final of the tournament, looked set to take the trophy from the National Stadium when a three-minute blitz with about 15 minutes left put them 2-0 up.
“The Little Master” then provided the last-gasp knockout blow, emerging from a chaotic goalmouth melee to bring an end to two full hours of incredible drama.
Tampines, carrying the hopes of the nation as they had vowed to keep the trophy in Singapore before the match, demonstrated their attacking intent as Peres de Oliveira was passed fit to start behind the strike duo of Ahmad Latiff and Mirko Grabovac.
Chonburi meanwhile opened with a defensive-minded 4-4-2 formation, Jetsadakorn Hemdaeng a surprise non-starter after he had picked up a thigh injury in training.
The Thais were clearly concerned about putting more men in their backline, after national call-ups and transfers robbed them of four defenders who had played in earlier parts of the Cup campaign.
Nonetheless, they retained substantial bite up front, going blow for blow against a Tampines side desperate to end the season with a trophy after missing out on the S.League title and the AFC Cup.
Phaisan Pona came close to scoring for Chonburi with a wide header off a 10th-minute corner, while OliveiraÂ’s curled free kick on 18 minutes narrowly missed the target.
It was quickly evident that both teams wanted to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and the football leaned towards quick movement rather than elaborate possession play.
Attack was often followed by counterattack as the ball swiftly moved from end to end, and nowhere was this clearer than in an exchange in the 24th minute.
Tampines started a counterattacking move after Nazri Nasir had foiled Coulibaly KafoumbaÂ’s assault. Within 20 seconds, Latiff, found by a good pass from deep, saw his shot inside the Chonburi box blocked by Phaisan.
Barely another 20 seconds had elapsed when Pipob was denied by a two-footed save from Rezal Hassan at the other end, leaving the crowd of 18,634 drooling in expectation.
They were left gasping in the 31st minute when Latiff sent a first-time shot high, after a free kick from midfield was sent straight to him in a Route One lob into the box.
Rezal then trumped that with arguably the save of the match just a minute later, barely pushing PipobÂ’s looping header out on the backpedal after the Chonburi captain had connected with Sarawut JanthapanÂ’s cross on the right flank.
Sarawut then tested Rezal in the 42nd minute, taking a shot directly from a free kick on the left that the former Singapore goalkeeper had to punch clear.
But it wasnÂ’t all heroics from the Ivorian goalkeeper, and he was involved in a rather odd episode over the half-time break, delaying his exit from the dressing room as he made everyone wait for him.
Badra Ali eventually showed up close to five minutes after everyone else, prompting Korean referee Kwon Jong Chul, clearly unamused by the incident, to show him the yellow card before allowing the second half to kick off.Chonburi started the second half looking the more aggressive of the two sides, but it was Tampines who created the better chances, Oliveira and Grabovac coming close with three great chances within five minutes.
The Stags looked set to crank up the pressure even further with the introduction of national striker Noh Alam Shah, who replaced captain Nazri in the 65th minute.
But Withaya LaohakulÂ’s players were holding out well, and they were handed a great chance to steal the lead with 16 minutes of normal time to play when Santi conceded a free kick for a foul on the flank.
Pipob made sure the chance counted this time, sneaking ahead of the Tampines defence to meet SarawutÂ’s low delivery with a flying header not even Rezal could keep out.
Two minutes and another set-piece strike later, it was 2-0. Arthit Sunthornphit was the scorer this time, gliding a beautiful free kick from 35 yards out that dipped at just the right moment to go in off the crossbar.
Suddenly Chonburi were in the driving seat, prompting Tampines coach Vorawan Chitavanich to turn to his bench and summon Aliff into action.
The 1.60m-tall forward came on in the 80th minute, replacing veteran poacher Grabovac, who worked hard on the night but was beginning to look his age with his pace fading.
The Stags still needed an opening though, and four minutes later, they got it when ChonburiÂ’s Adul Lahso, who had not been booked before AliffÂ’s arrival, was sent off for his second cautionable offence in a clash with Mustafic Fahrudin.
AdulÂ’s dismissal had a psychological effect on his teammates, who were in disarray as they tried to defend a corner less than 60 seconds later.
Somehow the defensive organization went completely missing, allowing Aliff to meet the penalty with a left-footed volley that emphatically bulged the net.
They got what they were looking for in the 90th minute, when another scramble in the box ended with Santi picking up the ball from a marginally onside position and poking it home to force extra time.
There was still time for one last piece of positive drama though, and Tampines provided it in the final minute of time as Aliff, denied a shooting opportunity from a central position inside the box, chose to pass it wide right to Latiff.
As the low return cross came in, confusion between Badra Ali and his defender turned a sure catch into a knock-down at Aliff’s feet. In flew the shot from eight yards out, sealing Tampines’ third Singapore Cup win and “The Little Master”’s place in Stags history.
Tampines Rovers coach Vorawan Chitavanich attributed to ‘luck’ his team’s amazing comeback victory over Chonburi Province FC in the RHB Singapore Cup final. The Stags were two goals down with less than 15 minutes of normal time left, but found enough strength in reserve to force extra time, before Aliff Shafaein scored the winner.
Vorawan revealed that he had decided to take a gamble on Aliff, who replaced Mirko Grabovac in the 80th minute after missing much of the past month due to injury.
The diminutive strikerÂ’s contributions, including the teamÂ’s first goal that triggered the turnaround, secured the clubÂ’s second Singapore Cup triumph under VorawanÂ’s charge, which the Thai felt tasted even sweeter than their 2004 victory.
“Compared to the last time we won against Home United, this match was much more exciting. Both matches went into extra time, but we were leading in that one.
The 24-year-old admitted his memory of the moments before he had scored the winning goal was “a blur” – but was clear on his future ambitions as his current contract with Tampines is set to expire.
Revealing that he would like to explore the options available overseas, Aliff was less positive about his chances of earning a national call-up, although he would gladly accept any such invitation.
For the moment, however, his immediate wish was to take a break after a long season.
“I really cannot remember anything that happened before my second goal,” he said.
“At that moment, it was all a blur, and all I could think of was to put the ball into the net! When I knew I couldn’t do it the first time, I decided to pass it to (Ahmad) Latiff, and when it came to me again, I just tried to send it in.
“It was a superb way to end the season for me, after I was worried whether I could play because of a calf strain. I told myself if I had a chance to play, I would just try my best.
“Now that I’ve achieved something, I may want to try playing in Indonesia or Brunei. As for the national team, I’m not thinking that far, but if the chance comes, that’ll be great!”
Chonburi coach Withaya Laohakul lamented his teamÂ’s inability to hold on to a 2-0 lead, claiming that they had not learnt from previous similar failures in Thailand.
The team, which finished in the bottom half of the 12-team Thai provincial league this season after accumulating “too many draws”, went two goals up in a three-minute blitz that seemed to be enough to win them the trophy.
But lapses in concentration and communications allowed Tampines to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, dashing ChonburiÂ’s hopes of becoming the first foreign team to lift the Singapore Cup.
“I have to congratulate Vorawan and his team, and they gave us a good lesson,” said the 53-year-old.
“We went 2-0 up with not much time left, but we lost concentration and could not keep possession. This kind of thing has happened to us in Thailand before, which shows the players never learnt from the past.