Friday, April 3, 2009

Catch Coach Azman LIVE on RTM 1

UUM Head Coach, Azman Eusoff will be featuring LIVE on RTM 1 at 7.30pm on Saturday, April 4th 2009 to make a match forecast on the Pahang and Perak Super League match which will be telecast live later on the same date at 8.45pm. He will be making comments and predictions on the strengths and weaknesses of both teams prior to the match. Don't miss it..!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

And Now For The MASUM Carnival

After a reasonable outing in the recently concluded IMT-GT Varsity Games in Arau, now the team will get to fix themselves for the upcoming MASUM Sports Carnival scheduled for May at the UUM Sports Complex. There are many areas that need to be improved before the games kick-off. The players need to polish their technical aspects of the game besides developing their physical and fitness level. Besides the need to improve the technical areas, the team also need an injection with players of high calibre to ensure their strong challenge for the title and be promoted to the Premier League in 2010.
Head Coach, Azman Eusoff however is happy with the performance of goalkeeper, Mohd Razi Azami in the IMT-GT Games. Besides, other players who shined in the games are Mohd Taufikh Abdullah, K.Shankar, Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali and Dominic Roy Joseph.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

IMT-GT Games Final - UiTM 1 UUM 0


UUM went down 0-1 to UiTM in the 11th IMT-GT Sports Carnival Soccer Final this afternoon at the UiTM Stadium in Arau. The Northern Warriors went down after they fought gallantly against the more superior and fancied UiTM. The goal was scored in the dying minutes after the defenders failed to clear the ball out of the danger area and deflected into the goal. However UUM was forced to play with only 10 men throughout the remaining 15 minutes after Mohd Sharin Mujin was flashed the red card for his second yellow card offence.
UUM played with full of discipline knowing that UiTM will come in full strength after their first round trashing. Zaki Lateh started in the 1st eleven partnering Cao Le and Mahama Saiful Kalate in midfield. Unfortunately he failed to sustain in the game due to his knee injury and was replaced by Obiekwe Nourbert. The midfielders sticked to the instructions by closing the space for the opponents to deliver the ball to their strikers and that strategy proved to be effective. However Mohd Nasron Basri who was given the lone striker responsibility upfront failed to perform. Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali was unable to lift up his game on the right. The tired legs of the entire team proved to be very costly and with injuries to several key players. However the superb performance by goalkeeper, Mohd Razi Azami (pic) throughout the match was commendable as he kept the opponent at bay with several fine saves. After the dismissal of Mohd Sharin Mujin, the team could only hope to be able to hold the opponent until the final minute and force them to play in the extra time.
With the final match and considering the quality and the duration to prepare the team to this carnival, it is indeed a great achievement by the Northern Warriors. They showed excellent fighting discipline, commitments and solid teamwork througout the games and made the UUM's community proud. The team will take a short break prior to the MASUM's Sports Carnival in May and will report for training on Monday, April 6th, 2009.

IMT-GT Games - UUM 3 TSU 0 And Into The Final


The Northern Warriors beat the odd against favourite Thailand's Thaksin University of Songkhla (TSU) in the semi final which was played at the Kangar Municipality football field. UUM trooped into the field being an underdog to the much superior TSU team but discpline and team work managed to put the team through to the final. 3 goals from Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani (10th), Cao Le (57th) and Noorhasrul Zainal (68th) gave the Northern Warriors much confidence in completing the game in a victorious note.
UUM made a minor change in the line up with a more defensive approach realising that TSU has superb technical abilities in each of their players. The defenders gave a spirited and disciplined performance, cutting out any advantage to their strikers. Both Thai strikers were totally out of their game with the tight man to man marking by K.Shanker and R.Thevan. Mohd Sharin Mujin recovered from his earlier match setback and gave a splendid performance on the left back position. Cao Le (pic) combined well in midfield together with the hardworking Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali. The 1st goal came from a through ball from the back to Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani and without any pressure simply tapped the ball to the left far post beating the goalkeeper. Both teams were being victimised by many rediculious decisions by the referee. The match stood at 1-0 to UUM in the first half.
UUM made 3 substitutions in the second half by bringing in Mohd Nasron Basri for the tired Syed Mohamad Hilmi Shahabudin. Out of a direct freekick awarded to UUM, Cao Le calmly and beautifully curled in the ball to the far post to give UUM the 2-0 lead. That inspired the team to be more focused to seal the match. Thailand was left with 10 men in the 64th minute after their defender was sent off for collecting his second yellow card. UUM took the advantage well when Noorhasrul Zainal made it 3-0 for UUM when he ran with the ball into the box and tapped it in from an outrushing Thai goalie. K.Tharmendran replaced the fatigued Noorhasrul Zainal shortly after. Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani then was substituted by Mahama Saiful Kalate.
The score remained until the final whistle and UUM celebrated themselves to the final. Both teams however were not happy with many decisions made by the referee when 10 yellow cards and 1 red card were given to both teams. The Northern Warriors will meet UiTM at the UiTM Stadium in Arau at 5.00pm.

Monday, March 30, 2009

IMT-GT Games - ITM 1 UUM 2


The Northern Warriors defeated Indonesia's Institute Teknologi Medan (ITM) 2-1 in the final match of the preliminary round at the Padang Rani, UiTM Arau. The goals were scored in the second half through Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani and Mohd Nasron Basri (pic). ITM took the lead from the spot when Dominic Roy was punished for pushing the Indonesian striker and the referee pointed to the spot. Earlier, Mohd Rahizan could have taken the team to lead the match when UUM was awarded a penalty when Syed Mohamad Hilmi Shahabudin was pulled in the box but unfortunately he ballooned the ball away. K.Tharmendran was substituted earlier in the first half with Khairul Abd Rahim while Onouha Keleche was replaced by Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani.
Head Coach, Azman Eusoff was very annoyed with the way the team performed and gave them some tough words and challenged the team to rise to their true potentials by winning the game. That had somehow lifted the team's moral and improved their performance. The team equalized through the penalty taken by Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani in the 56th minute. Dominic Roy limped out with muscle cramp in the 70th minite and had to be replaced by Mohd Sharin Mujin which later switched his position to the left with R.Thevan moved to the right back. Shortly after, Obiekwe Norbert also had to be replaced by Mahama Saiful Kalate for muscle cramp. UUM made another substitution in the 70th minute by bringing in Mohd Nasron Basri in place of the tired Noorhasrul Zainal and that proved to be right when he tipped the ball into the net from a short pass from Mohd Rahizan. Syed Mohamad Hilmi Shahabudin was later being substituted by Muhamad Shafuan Abdul Hamid. The team had numerous chances infront of the goal but wasted by the strikers.
The Northern Warriors will now play Thaksin University of Songkhla (TSU) in the semifinal which is scheduled to be played tomorrow March 31st, 2009 at the Municipal Council field at 8.00am.

IMT-GT Games - UUM 2 PSU 1


The Northern Warriors lived up the expectation when it matters most when they defeated favourite, Prince Songkhla University (PSU) of Thailand 2-1. The match which was supposed to be played yesterday afternoon, was brought forward today due to the heavy downpour that flooded the playing field.
UUM turned up with confidence knowing that a lose or a draw will dampen their chance to qualify to the semi-final. Noorhasrol Zainal (pic) was the hero of the team netting both goals in each half. Mohd Razi Azami stood between the post in place of Ezad Fadzril Baharuddin while Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali was switched to play in the right attacking position. In midfield, Obiekwe Nourbert and Mahama Saiful Kalate made up a strong combination and Onouha Keleche was pushed to support Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani in attack. UUM dominated the game in the early part of the match while the Thais were struggling to find their footing. Out of a through ball from the left by K.Tharmendran, Noorhasrul ran through into the box and managed to hit the ball passed the goalkeeper.
UUM made a substitution by bringing in Mohd Sharin Mujin in place of K.Tharmendran who seemed to be making numerous errors. That decision somehow didn't improve as Mohd Sharin Mujin was struggling to adjust himself into the game. The Thais equalised after Mohd Sharin failed to stop their right midfield from putting a through pass and Mohd Razi Azami was beaten. The outcome didn't stop the Northern Warriors from throwing their efforts to win the game and after all the hardworks, it finally paid off when a pass from Obiekwe Nourbert to Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali saw Norhasrol Zainal free on the left and a short pass to him, he calmly tapped the ball above the reach of the Thai goalkeeper. UUM made 2 substitutions by bringing in R.Thevan in place of the ineffective Mohd Sharin Mujin and Cao Le for the tired Mahama Saiful Kalate. Wan Mohamad Aizat Md Nasri came in later in the game to replace Norhasrul Zainal and the Northern Warriors stood firm till the final whistle.
Today at 3.00pm, the Northern Warriors will face defending champion Institut Teknologi Medan (ITM) of Indonesia to determine their position into the last four. The match is scheduled to be played at Padang Rani, UiTM Arau.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

IMT-GT Games - UUM vs PSU Match Postponed

The scheduled match between UUM and PSU at UiTM Padang Rani in Arau is postponed due to the bad pitch condition after a heavy downfall. The match will be played tomorrow morning at 8.00am at the same venue.

Herculean Task For The Northern Warriors Against The Thais

UUM will face the much fancied Thai's Prince Songkhla University in today's do or die match at the UiTM Padang Rani. The team will definitely go through some changes after some players failed to deliver. The Northern Warriors will definitely welcome back influential midfielder, Zaki Lateh, after he shows some improvement to his knee injury.
The outcome of this match will influence the team's position in this tournament. After losing the first match against UiTM, the Northern Warriors need to collect the valuable 3 points to secure their position before facing defending champion, ITM of Medan, Indonesia tomorrow in the final league match. The coaches are looking for a better performance and improved tactical discipline by the players. Onuoha Kelechi will lead the team's attack, replacing Mohd Rahizan Md Kasmani and Mohd Saiful Islam Ghazali will switch his position from midfiedl to the right flank. There are possibilities that K.Tharmendran (pic) will move upfront as a left flanker leaving his position to Mohd Sharin Mujin at the left back position. The team however will stick to their original formation of 4-3-3.