Thursday, January 28, 2010 – The last game of the tournament proved to be an exciting finale. Despite having cemented their positions prior to the match, Singapore (3rd) and Hong Kong (2nd) nevertheless put up a scintillating display with aggression.
Singapore got off to a good start, hitting the post once and forcing a save from the goalkeeper within the first minute. However, it was Hong Kong who drew first blood through Yuen Kong Ho, who would end up as Hong Kong’s top scorer with 9 goals. A clever fake confused the Singapore defence, and he quickly guided the ball into the top right corner.
Both teams suffered a slow spell soon after, and were equally guilty of wasting precious chances that came few and far between in the early stages of the match.
Hong Kong gradually settled into the momentum, whose effective coordination soon became apparent as they raced to a 5-1 lead. Tay Ze Jun Wilmer then contributed both the first and third goal against Hong Kong and pushed Singapore back to 6-3.
It was however a downhill game for Singapore from the 8th minute, as the players suffered a lack of concentration, which was evident by the high frequency of misplaced passes and defensive mistakes. By the 22nd minute, Hong Kong had taken advantage of this to enjoy a 15-2 run which extended her lead to 17 goals, with the score standing at 23-6. Hong Kong’s captain, Lau Wang Kei, was the catalyst for this score surge with his incisive bursts, often splitting the defence apart, allowing his teammates to score. 
Hong Kong called a timeout in the 24th minute, and Team Singapore halted their momentum soon after. The disparity was no longer apparent as both teams fought tooth and nail with great spirit. Singapore’s Captain, Tham Kei Nam Johner, had the last say as he scored just before half time to push Singapore’s score into double digits to end the first half at 28-10.
After the break, Team Singapore evidently returned with much vigour and confidence. Swift and purposeful, they wore down the Hong Kong defence, taking each and every opportunity with vengeance. Defence was tight, and Singapore’s goalkeeper was especially effective as he made several superb reflex saves to deny his opponents, drawing cheers of exhilaration from the Singapore fans. Led by Singapore’s top scorer Vinoth Arun, this rewarded Singapore with an 8-3 run to pull the score to 31-18.
Unfortunately, an illegal substitution by Team Singapore disrupted her plans as they were reduced to 6 men on the court. This allowed Team Hong Kong to regain her composure, which cruelly exposed the thin defence with brilliant wave attacks and crossovers to push the score up to 41-20. Hong Kong wingers were also especially deadly with their quick breaks; racing to the midcourt after each Singapore attempt often enabled Hong Kong a 2-on-1 attack that left the Singapore goalkeeper with no chance.
In particular, a creative manoeuvre from the left wing successfully set up Lau Wang Kei twice. The left wingman made identical forays deep into the left wing and floated a ball to the centre after faking a shot. Hong Kong’s Captain then broke through, caught the ball in mid air and slammed it into the net.
Towards the end of the match however, fatigue soon set in for both teams, which was marked by slower pace and a lack of aggression. Despite this, Singapore displayed unwavering determination to score the last 2 goals of the game, but unfortunately it was not enough as the game ended 44-24 in Hong Kong’s favour.
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