Outmatched By Xaviers
Yadav Martyr
The Birds would be humbled at their own game for once by Toa Payoh's St. Xavier's FC, who pulled out all the stops in striving to attain their first national-level trophy, other than the Singapore Consolation Cup nine seasons past. Playing at a level beyond anything they had exhibited thus this season, and powered by national team trio Broderick Chu, Nikhil Sethi and Abhirup Mamidi, they outlasted Grilled in a 6-5 thriller that echoed Grilled's own unforgettable Singapore Cup final comeback against Bot Team FC by the same margin, three years ago.
Xaviers certainly had not demonstrated such when they crashed out 3-5 to Haha in the quarterfinals of the main cup, and their 11-0 whipping of Tampines Phoenix F.C. in the Emerald Challenger Cup quarters was one-sided enough not to reveal anything of their depth. Said potential was hardly hidden, though, given the number of active internationals they maintained in their squad, thanks to Haytham Gouda's development plans. This had not been enough to threaten the Birds four seasons back, as evidenced by their three straight losses then, but all indications were they they had caught up to a large extent since.
Grilled were not wanting for local stars either, chief among them
Chan Ze Han, who has been the subject of persistent calls to be included in the Singapore national team. There would be little need for further elaboration as the teams set upon each other from the opening whistle, with intent to attack clear, as the fans recognized quickly that this was not about to be some staid match won by the odd poach. Chan created the first big chance, slipping
Sølve Lunde through for an instant in the seventh minute with a silky first touch, but the defender blasted straight at goalkeeper Law Chin Jun.
Xaviers were actually edging possession, which few have managed against this Grilled team, but the Birds had perhaps that bit more experience in making the most of what they had.
Kalki Parvathaneni wasn't waiting for instructions in the 23rd minute, as
Salah Kamel advanced up the right, and the Number Ten was on hand to slide in at the back post to score off the low, cutting cross. Three minutes later, however, Xaviers mounted a very similar rush up their right too through Sethi, but the finish would be more involved, with Li Nie Jie turning
Kalle ter Berg, before lobbing it barely over
Jānis Salmiņš for 1-1.
Defence was not either club's strong point by either means, and both always looked likely to score, whenever they managed to run at the respective backline with weight of numbers.
Bernie Egan restored Grilled's lead after beating Rahul Yadav from the front in the 30th, and it was 3-1 Grilled several minutes later, as Chan - surely the fulcrum of this team - hit a short backpass to set Ter Berg up for the strike. The pattern of the match would begin to show as Ho Yi Yew reduced three minutes before half-time on another Sethi run, following excellent awareness by Salmiņš to deny Sorin Domşa a clear shot, after the Romanian had evaded Grilled's offside trap by a whisker.
Hilal Bakhtiar replaced
Kalki Parvathaneni with
Heng Dong Chu for the second half, after it became increasingly clear that Kalki was fading since his goal, and Heng would prove a capable replacement by tying Sethi down as his predecessor never did. That affected Heng's own offensive output, but then Grilled were hardly wanting for options there.
Teo Chuan Yong pulled back from Levi Chin in the 60th minute to open up more passing lanes, and placed a flawless thirty-yard crossfield pass to the oncoming
Salah Kamel, who withstood Broderick Chu's meaty last-ditch attempt to throw him off his finish.
With things not going their way, Gouda would signal for Sorin Domşa to stay up more as Xaviers transitioned to a more urgent, direct approach, which came good five minutes later; they had enough legitimate threats that Grilled wouldn't pick up Seow Tian Jin's dribble from midfield until too late, and Seow would be allowed to fan it inside for Mamidi in the box, and receive an instant return while he eluded
Mateja Jeftić without the ball. The Birds weren't worried just yet, however, and
Kalle ter Berg found his second goal at the other end, as
Salah Kamel became Grilled's most productive assistant for the day, dazzling Ho on the right flank yet again.
The complexion of the match would however make an abrupt and total change upon a single event, which was Ter Berg's vindictive-seeming takedown of defender Rahul Yadav from behind. The Dutchman appeared swollen on his own achievements as he attempted to chase Yadav down towards a hat-trick, and his apparent lack of remorse - even complaining that the defender was simulating an injury - would earn him the instant enmity of the Xaviers set. Referee Jérôme Schöppenthau giving the second yellow card of the day wouldn't assuage the Xaviers' supporters fury as Yadav limped off, but his teammates would have their own revenge in store.
It didn't take long either, as Seow Tian Jin scored Xaviers' fourth goal from the free-kick that restarted the game, as Zhuang Sheng pumped it straight to the edge of Grilled's penalty area. While that was partially cleared, Li Nie Jie would send most of the Birds' players scrambling in one direction, before stopping on a dime and somehow threading it through to Seow.
Jānis Salmiņš had little option but to stand his ground, and could do little against Seow's rolling it accurately to his far post.
Xaviers were then level in the 80th minute at 5-5, as Grilled were unprepared to cope with the sudden explosion of energy that they found. Driven on by their frenzied fans, Xaviers ripped into Grilled's retreating midfield, and although
Moey Xin Seng had recognized the threat and had taken it upon himself to shield the backline, it was not enough. With several players hacking at a loose ball at once, it flew at speed towards goal, and got turned past Salmiņš by
Mateja Jeftić making an attempted block. Briefly credited - and unwanted, surely - to the Grilled defender, the goal would soon be reattributed to Ho Yi Yew following the fourth official studying the replays.
Hilal Bakhtiar could barely keep himself from running onto the Tarpots Rec. pitch to set his team straight, but it was probably too late, as the Birds didn't seem to have access to any emergency pool of reserve energy to draw on. The stadium would absolutely erupt in the 84th minute, as Seow Tian Jin strode through to complete his hat-trick, and despite Grilled's late rally, they did not manage to take the game to extra time.
