Skanked Hard
Darong Done
Grilled were left with reason to regret their trip to Bob Marley's Memorium in Paris, as French Division Four side Skanky Hard Team handed the reserves a nine-goal drubbing, a long-term injury and a sending-off, though the last could be said to be through no fault of the hosts.
The Birds boasted both their best wingers,
Ciro Penati and
Feng Darong, as they were both left out of Sunday's big match against heimu XI, but they did not get to parade their silky skills as Grilled were overrun in midfield from the get-go. 18 year-old forward Jean-François Barbier, a new addition to the Skanky squad, was at his blazing-fast best as he skipped past
Chan Woon Jin to get his team off the mark.
Israeli teenager Liel Maaravi fluffed an assist from Barbier as Chan had no answer to his counterpart's speed and agility, but it was only a matter of time before Maaravi had his goal, in the 19th minute after he went it alone. Chan then decided to play it tough, and left his foot in the next time Barbier darted around him. It was as blatant a warning as any, and the referee was quick to give it a yellow.
Skanky's Romanian spearhead Vasile Drãgoi then made it three for three for the frontline, and winger Vasco Luz was inches from a spectacular lobbed goal as he struck the bar from a free-kick. Chen then got himself dismissed in the silliest of ways, by tapping the ball away after the whistle had gone - twice.
This Grilled XI wasn't quite of of the calibre of the first team, and going down to ten men meant that they were well out of it. Sure enough, they were extremely fortunate to make it to half-time just four goals down, with Drãgoi recording his brace. Finnish midfielder Ville Valkeeniemi aggravating a recurring knee injury five minutes before half-time was the sole black mark for the home team, but he won't be missed much with a walkover against gaffatonq coming up.
Maaravi corrected Skanky's failure to make five soon after the restart, with Grilled's defence simply unable to cope with all that speed. Mirchev attempted to hold the fort, but Vasco Luz simply rushed past as if he wasn't there. The Portuguese winger score, then brush the bar again, before finally finding the mark from a free-kick in the 78th minute.
Grilled's usual substitutes looked disinterested as they headed into the massacre on the hour mark, with Skanky's Pavol Romančák looking far more eager to get into the action. Liel Maaravi's well-deserved hat-trick looked to be the end of it, before Adrián Díaz made an irresponsible tackle that sent Darong flying. Mirchev then closed off a forgettable day by getting booked, before Skanky substitute Pedrozo had Silvera pick the ball out of his net for the ninth time.