The Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds Tour – Singapore 2015

Match Report

Bragging rights went the way of the Liverpool Masters in the Castlewood Battle of the Reds clash as they beat their Manchester Utd counterparts 2-0 in a thrilling encounter. The first time these two great British clubs have met in Asia for an eleven aside game – over 27,000 locals came in full voice to The Singapore National Stadium to witness this historic occasion.

The match started off on a sombre note, with a minute’s silence held in honour of the victims of the Paris terror attacks. All players also wore black armbands as a mark of respect. Once the game started, the stadium transformed in to a cacophony of noise as supporters belted out hearty renditions of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Glory Glory Man Utd” – with every fan decked in their club’s respective shade of red, the local crowd created an atmosphere which season ticket holders in “The Kop” or “Stretford End” would have been proud of!

The players themselves made some noise on the field. Spanish forward Luis Garcia opened the scoring for Liverpool after 20 minutes, sending a looping header in to the top corner of Nick Culkin’s goal following a great cross from full back Jan Kromkamp. German midfield maestro Didi Hamann sealed the win late on with a trademark long-range pile driver.

It was clear to see that class is permanent as many of the legends rolled back the years with some slick passing, dynamic skill and the will to win against their arch rivals! Steve Mcmanaman ran the game from midfield, regularly spraying cross-field passes perfectly to the feet of his teammates, while Utd legend Louis Saha showcased tricks and flicks reminiscent of the days when he was one of Europe’s most feared centre forwards – at one stage the 37-year old hitman shimmied past four opponents only to see his effort deflected wide! The Red Devil’s best opportunity fell to Keith Gillespie who saw his volley acrobatically saved by charismatic Pole Jerzy Dudek.

Liverpool drew first blood and Man Utd are sure to fight back in next week’s Battle of the Reds in Bangkok!

10/11/2015

• Players and staff land at Changi airport Singapore
• Collected by fleet of chauffeur driven Porsche’s and taken to Marriott Tang Plaza
• Press conference
• 1Altitude welcome dinner and drinks

11/11/2015

• CWG soccer clinic and autograph session at Tanglin Trust school
• Team lunch @ The Exchange
• Castlewood Group office visit – autographs, photographs and table tennis tournament
• Sponsor dinner at The Exchange followed by Q&A session with some legends

12/11/2015

• Castlewood Group Golf day
• Sponsors lunch and golf presentation
• Standard chartered cocktail party @ Grand Hyatt
• ION meet and greet session (autographs and photos)

13/11/2015

•  Match highlights – Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds – Liverpool Masters v Man Utd Masters