Match Report

Any self-confidence USJ may have had prior to this season’s kick off will have been horribly shaken by the technical, physical and, most of all, psychological dismantling they endured at the hands of LAU’s big, bad mean machine on Saturday lunchtime.

The massacre was called off after 64 minutes, ending in what might have been labeled a farce but for the callous methods employed by an imploding USJ team which, having lost all sense of discipline, was hell-bent on escaping the field.

With captain Khaled Rafii, who had already received two yellow cards this season, sent off for abusing the referee on 58 minutes, USJ subjected LAU to a number of high tackles that brought proceedings to a dramatic halt. First prop Roni Latouf was yellow carded for kicking out at LAU’s excellent Ibrahim Ballout at the play-the-ball, then Chrief Elias and scrum half Zahi El Murr were dismissed in quick succession for deliberate high tackles. With the nine-man Saints resembling a broken boxer on the ropes, unable to defend himself against the torrent of LAU blows, referee Faysal Jaber brought the proceedings to a halt on safety grounds.

Even before kick off there was a palpable sense of defeatism emanating from USJ, without their injured star, Wael Harb, and facing an all-powerful Immortals side not only fresh from a record setting day against AUST but strengthened by the return of halves Karim Jamal and Jad Hachem as well as Mohamed Jamil, back after serving a one-match suspension. The portents manifested themselves in a marvelous LAU footballing display, with the scintillating Immortals reaching deep into their bag of tricks to produce some stunning rugby league.

What little resistance USJ put up soon evaporated, with LAU centres Jamil and his partner Mazen Kneeo, who has impressed in the centre position in only his second season, notching two tries apiece as the Immortals registered a record 52-point first half haul. The second half was a mere training run for LAU, until USJ’s cynical finale brought it to an unsavoury halt.

LAU, meanwhile, installs itself once more as the team to beat. They have not lost a regular season game since USJ of all teams shocked them in April 2008, a run of 17 consecutive victories. The Immortals, with not a point conceded, look more impressive than ever.

Sin bin: Roni Latouf (USJ)
Sent off: Khaled Rafii, Zahi El Murr (both USJ)