On an absolute scorcher of a Saturday morning, the German Old Stars faced Hibs at GESS, a match where the Bookies saw no clear favourite.

GOS started off strong, taking control of the match with some nice passing and opportunities. After a tussle on the edge of the box, Winnie managed to get the ball to the right, where David beat his opponent to the ball but was received with a blow to the knee. The following penalty was converted by Micha, making it 1:0 for the homeside. A few more opportunities followed, with Chris Ang hitting the crossbar from outside the box. Urs almost scored after he received the ball at the edge of the box completely unmarked which some might say was offside, but the ref interpreted it as creative Swiss positioning. A cross by David reached Kris at the penalty spot with spectators expecting the ball either at the back of the net or on one of the balconies of the nearby condo, but unfortunately the ball avoided contact altogether. Thomas had another great opportunity but the shot went wide.

The water break came and from that moment onwards, the game dynamics shifted completely, giving Hibs the upper hand. Lapses in passing accuracy and positional play by GOS gave Hibs plenty of room to maneuver. Sleepy defending when Hibs had a freekick outside the box saw an unmarked man in the box who managed to bend in the equaliser.
GOS did not manage to find back into the game at this point, and a great save by Joe in a 1v1 situation kept them in the match.
Moments later, another freekick, this time from 25 metres away, found the back of GOS's net, making it 1:2. Seconds before half time, Micha broke through on the left but Chris S. couldn't reach the ball in time.

In the second half, the match slowed down further due to the relentless Singapore sun. A misplaced cross by David connected with the crossbar but luck was not on GOS's side. Hibs focused on quick counters which GOS gave them ample opportunity to practice. It must have been more than five close offside calls in GOS's favour, three of them HIBS managed to score but were not given.
A shot by Chris Ang had the keeper struggle with Winnie almost converting from close distance and Kris following up with what could have been a penalty as he was brought down by the keeper. The resulting counter attack was converted by Hibs but the referee surprised everyone with creativity and decided to give a freekick to Hibs in their own box instead.

A last second attempt from Micha from 16 meters went high, ending the match with a 1:2 defeat. In summary, GOS simply wasn't good enough today to bring home points.

MOTM: Joe