The Port Moresby City Strikers Football Club (POM City FC) displayed a strong performance against the Gulf Komara and snatched a 2-1 victory on Sunday, 1st October 2023, at the PNG Football Stadium.
As the match unfolded in the eyes of a small crowd, the Strikers showcased their best strategic game plan and dominated the game in the first 20 minutes of the contest, maintaining both defense and attack.
The Komara rose to the occasion and gave them a competitive run, but the Strikers’ established dominance had an impact that saw them leading the match 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, they maintained the momentum and scored another goal, bringing the score to 2-0.
Komara fought back stronger and balanced the defense, giving the Strikers a few goal-scoring opportunities, as they gained possessions in the Strikers' zone.
They strived to secure a goal and eventually did it. This forced more pressure on the Strikers, predicting the match most likely to be a tie.
The coach of POM Strikers, Marty Terry says: “We are sure they (Komara) will come strong. They always have the best players in their team; that’s why they make a good squad and always have quality on their side."
However, the Strikers' well-defensive play had them leading the race. Their ability to gain ball possession and execution, and defensive play, gave them the advantage to win ultimately.
“The execution after you possess the ball is more important because if you lose it, the reverse side of it is the advantage of opponents, because even when you have more numbers in front, you turn to lose more numbers at the back, and the opposite team will capitalize,” coach Terry explained.
“During the week in our preparation, we never underestimate them (Komara), or any team.
“We concentrated on what we did wrong in the last match and made use of what we had as our strengths," he said.
Strikers have bounced back from last week’s 1-0 loss at the hands of the Hekari United and redeemed themselves against the Komara.
So far, they are doing well and obviously trail behind Hekari. They have lost 2 games; the first one to Komara in the first round which is why they came back stronger in this challenge, and the other was to Hekari. They also experienced a few draw-matches.
Terry was pleased with his team’s performance, however, he also touched on the side of officiating, among other things that happened on the field.
“The game is supposed to be played fair and square. We expect referees to be on the same level. The level of inconsistency is something we see in the last season and this season as well," he said.
In light of the game, both teams gave each other a competitive run in both attack and defense. They both had equal ball possessions and execution, and goal-scoring opportunities, but did not finish most well.
Strikers will meet the reining champions Lae City FC and are determined to give them a hard challenge in this weekend's encounter.
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