Abdelhadi Lakkaad (right) receiving due attention from two Etoile players. The striker scored the opening goal for Woodlands, but missed a crucial penalty and got sent off late in the second half in what was a forgettable match for him. (Photo: FAS)
The headline sums up the 2010 League Cup final between Woodlands Wellington and Etoile FC. That was how the final was played out, a tale of two strikers, of two No. 9s, a Moroccan and a Frenchman, on opposing sides and who ended the match with different fates.
Abdelhadi Laakkad, the Rams striker, gave his side the lead with a well-placed free kick at the stroke of half-time. Etoile captain Matthias Verschave, emulated his opposing number, by notching in a well worked equaliser minutes after the re-start. But while the Frenchman went on to score his second goal from the spot in the 82nd minute, and subsequently earning himself the Man-of-the-Match award, the Moroccan missed his penalty just two minutes after Etoile’s equaliser, blasting it over the bar like how Jonny Wilkinson would, a rugby ball. And to make matters worse for the Moroccan, whose night started off so promisingly, he was sent off near the end of the match.
Do not let the 3 – 1 score line fool you. The match was evenly contested with both sides working their socks off. The final nail in the Rams’ coffin was rammed in (pun totally intended) after they were caught exposed in the dying minutes surging forward for an equaliser.
In the end, while one basked in the glory of the moment, the other could only wish the moment never happened. But this is what sports is all about, you celebrate your victories and you emerge stronger from your defeats. And while some ugly scenes broke out near the end after some Woodlands players got upset over what they deemed to be over-zealous celebrations from the French side, it was truly heartening to see both sets of fans showing their appreciation for the passionate performances of the No. 9s.
By: Dennis Saw