Ruby Royale
Bilal Having A Blast
A much-needed perk-me-up for Grilled Birds would be had today, as they steamrolled Orchard's Crescent Royale Kelab Di Raja 6-0, in the Ruby Challenger Cup. The III.7 side had not been convincing in their previous two games against International CAT F.C. and Singapore Big Dogs, and this indifferent form would carry over to today's meet at Brunei Embassy - particularly relished by acting vice-captain
Bilal Mohammad Harun.
The 36 year-old Bilal has made something of a name for himself bombing forth from midfield, and had been named as the club's best player largely for such some thirteen years ago, but he would have to fill in at rightback supporting a middle three of
Mohd Marzuki Khairul,
Hwang Teck Fu and
Lim An Keng today. This was a responsibility he gladly shared with
Aw Keng Chuan and fellow veteran
Teo Chuan Yong, which also brought him something thought quite unlikely: his first career hat-trick.
His starting position was not as much of a hindrance to that as it might have been imagined to be, as the hosts' retreating to a defensive posture afforded all plenty of freedom to roam anyway. Opposing forward Teo Chee Jian would do the responsible thing in trying to shield his midfield, but it would be for naught as Bilal did his usual shtick in the 18th minute, after a short dribble up the middle. A little feint - and perhaps his reputation for shooting from distance - got him past the last man, and he would then deposit it nicely past goalkeeper Ang Yew Kong.
Young fullback Ooi Chu Siong would be booked for trying to delay a throw-in shortly after, which would lead into a three-goal rampage from the Birds, before the thirtieth minute.
Enrique Baena, who has been maturing greatly as a winger, assisted the second goal with a brilliant cross that was nearly impossible for
Toma Tamiya to get wrong.
Chan Ze Han would then have an attempt blocked, but his loss was Bilal's gain, and Lim Ah Keng then raised his stock with a flamboyant flying volley, for his first-ever cup strike.
Being four-nil up at half-time would soothe the pain of yielding to the Tonners over the weekend, and
Chia Kwang Tse would have his own demons to slay, as he replaced Lim for the second half. It would be a fairly messy restart with Ler Shun Puay leading several fine pushes for the hosts, before the Birds got a free-kick about five yards outside the Crescent box, in the 58th minute. Bilal would be invited to line up for it - and he would lift it into the top left corner, after
Kalki Parvathaneni's dummy run!
This then seemed an appropriate moment for a smiling
Chan Ze Han to pass the armband over to Bilal, then, with Chan having attracted overwhelming attention whenever he was on the pitch. Toma then passed the favour on three minutes after Chan's departure for
Prokop Mottl, as he bent one it hard from the right wing. Chia had to contort himself to reach that, but the contact was good, which meant that he had finally opened his account with the Birds too.
Kalki would be the next to rest his tired legs, with
Gandhik Chitre eager to express himself upon coming on, but fifteen minutes wouldn't be long enough for him to stamp a mark. Hwang would come closest with a thirty-yard screamer in the 80th, but it wound up a few inches wide.
