Since captain Viran broke his toe in November against Shane, the Lions had recorded their first win against King George and were frustrated to draw their last game of the year against Vagabonds.

The first game of the year was an opportunity for the team to extend their unbeaten streak, which could be attributed to the leadership by vice-captains Kaz and Mark, and the return of veteran Chin to the starting line-up.

Due to a last-minute drop-out, and fearing that the team would have no subs, Viran brought forward his recovery period and appeared at the pitch unannounced to most of the team.

The unbeaten streak was now more at risk than ever. 

Nevertheless, vice-captain Kaz had already put the Lions 1-0 up against the Clash after a delicious through-ball from Jeremy had left Kaz one-on-one with the opposition keeper within the first 5 minutes. 

Some delicious defending kept the lead until the half-time point, with the Clash becoming more and more frustrated. Their frustration began to tell, when they began savagely sandwiching our players with their elbows, including Chin who suffered on multiple occasions.

As the second half started and Viran received the ball up-top, he received the same treatment just outside of the box. Karma came into play. The free-kick was put out by the opposition keeper, and the captain's corner-kick was headed-in by Chin.

The Clash continued to struggle against our defence, marshalled by Inaki. Due to great defending by Inaki and the supporting defenders and DMs, a debut for goalkeeper Yu was fairly uneventful, apart from a heart-stopping moment when the Clash managed to smash the ball against the post. 

At 2-0, the Lions extended their unbeaten streak to 3 games, and recorded their first clean sheet. They progress into the quarter-finals of the Plate, and were awarded the first Team of the Week Award of 2018 by the TML.

The Lions have built a strong vein of form, due to a greater understanding between players on the pitch. There were many nominations for MVP, with every player fulfilling their role well and according to plan.

Honourable mentions go to Goran for winning every header, both Kaz and Chin for their typical all-action midfield play and goals, and goalkeeper Yu for his accurate goal kicks. 

Nevertheless, for his immense contribution to marshalling the defence and killing the opposition's attack to earn the Lions' first clean sheet, the Adecco MVP for this game is Inaki Zulaika.