Courtesy: ESPN Star


Tiger Street Football ends with a bang

The Singapore leg of the Tiger Street Football tournament concluded with a bang as Brazilian team ADC Florianopolis were crowned champions of the regional competition.

Day One of the event brought much cheer as On The Run emerged winners of the local competition and were given the opportunity to represent Singapore in the Grand Final in September as well as participate in the regional competition held on Sunday.

A full house at the 400-seater Tiger Football Stadium, along with a strong crowd of bystanders, had their eyes fixed on the specially-constructed pitch in anticipation of some pulsating street football action, which was exactly what they got.

The first semi-final witnessed a South East Asian showdown between G H BANK.RBAC Futsal Team of Thailand and Thai Son Bac Futsal Club of Vietnam. Professional futsal teams in their respective countries, both sides boast of highly skilled and talented players.

And it appeared nothing could separate the two teams, who were locked at 2-2 apiece until the final minute when Thai Son Bac FC found the decisive winning goal that secured their passage to the final.

But it was the second semi-final that the crowd had been eagerly waiting for. Local champions On The Run was up against ADC Florianopolis of Brazil in a match that was simply touted as Singapore versus Brazil - a truly tantalizing match-up.

Despite being at an overwhelming physical disadvantage, the local team were determined to prove to their Brazilian counterparts that anything is possible in street football. And with the strong local crowd fervently behind them, an upset was on the cards.

What a game it turned out to be as On The Run came from behind thrice only to lose the game 4-3. A valiant display from the local champions but it was ADC Florianopolis who booked a place in the final against Thai Son Bac FC.

The final proved to be equally as thrilling as the semi-finals with ADC Florianopolis threatening to make it a one-sided affair after cruising to a 2-0 lead in the opening minutes. But the Vietnamese refused to give up as they clawed their way back into the game to level the score at 2-2. But the Brazilians' quality shone through at the end as they finished 5-4 winners and were crowned champions.

ADC Florianopolis forward Hewerton Moreira spoke of his delight and reflected on the tournament after the match.

"It has been a wonderful experience in Singapore playing in such a great competition that was so well organized," said the 32-year-old.

"We knew how tough it will be before we came and we were proved right. The teams we faced even during the early stages were all tough to beat but we just did our best and show how happy we were playing football."

The tournament is organized in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management arm, with its rich experience in organizing large-scale sporting events across the region.

The goal of the tournament is to elevate the level of play and passion for football on the streets of Singapore, as well as in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam - countries that will host subsequent legs of the inaugural competition this year.

Next stop for Tiger Street Football will be Bangkok, Thailand (May) before moving on to Guangzhou, China (July); Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (August) with the culmination of an adrenaline-filled international grand finale in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (September).

At the Grand Finals, the top team from each local leg will not only win attractive cash prizes but a chance to fight it out to be the Tiger Street Football Champion and win the coveted top prize of USD30,000.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com