25 Jun 2012, 1:00PM
Posted by Mark Booth
City kicked off their campaign with a win against Vasco da Gama at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.
Goals either side of half-time gave City under-15s a winning start in the Canon Lion City Cup, beating Group B pace setters Vasco da Gama 2-0.
Diminutive playmaker David Brooks got the scoring under way on 6 minutes with a calm sidefooted finish after great tenacious work from Aaron Nemane on the right wing and Joe Nuttall doubled the lead 2 minutes after the break.
There was a welcome sheet of cloud blocking the sun when the game kicked off, meaning it was slightly cooler at pitch level which would have pleased coach Scott Sellers more than his Brazilian counterpart Sergio Bello.
City’s physicality was a huge factor in their early dominance, with Marcus Wood a terrier-like presence in the centre of midfield, providing an effective shield for the centre back pairing of Charles Oliver and Joshua Murray.
Callum Bullock was a constant threat on the left wing, cutting inside on a couple of occasions to launch shots at Vasco keeper Vinicius de Oliveira but both times his shots bended narrowly wide of the target.
Matheus da Silva was man of the match in Vasco’s first match against Singapore and he was a real handful for the City defence, as he wormed and weaved his way through but Vasco were reduced to sideways passes and pot-shots for long stretches on the first period.
Their best chance came in the final seconds of the half when Bradley McDonagh had to be at his very best to tip a da Silva shot wide from the edge of the box.
City managed the conditions well, showing maturity to slow the game down when a break was needed and economically choosing when to burst forward and when to hold.
Joe Nuttall replaced Aaron Nemane at half-time and Deri Corfe came on for goalscorer David Brooks as Scott Sellers looked to shuffle his pack and keep gas in the tank of his City team.
Nuttall didn’t take long to make an impact, scoring with practically his first touch after latching on to a long ball. It was a sweet strike from the powerful forward that left Vinicius in the Vasco goal with no chance.
The Brazilians came into the game after conceding the second and McDonagh had to make a couple of excellent saves to protect City’s two goal cushion - his efforts earning him a well deserved man of the match accolade.
The Blues were good value for their win and go into their match against Singapore u15s as firm favourites to qualify for the semi-finals.
We'll have match highlights and all of the reaction from Scott Sellers and the team on the site shortly
