Grilled 5 - 3 Witches
Clear skies welcomed the 3165 spectators who had made their way to
The Cooking Pot.
Zoltán Zsüke was the appointed referee with assistance provided by
Florian Cotta and
Yohann Auclair. Grilled fielded:
Vara -
Hutter,
El Khateeb -
Trindade,
Chitre,
Keng Chuan,
An Keng,
田宮 (Tamiya) -
Kwang Tse,
Khairul,
Teck Fu.
Witches's starters:
Dortmunder -
Dyer,
Gritton -
Robbers,
Rolfe,
Dodson,
Fay,
Bains -
Connolly,
Beattie,
Slaughter.
As the teams prepared to start the match, they both lined up in a 2-5-3 formation. The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 after 7 minutes courtesy of a breakthrough from
Aw Keng Chuan, who scored with a stunning volley following a cross from the right wing. Witches were close to putting the equaliser away after 10 minutes as the opposing defence lost control of the ball to
Liam Connolly in a scuffle towards the left of the goal, but in the end the ball was cleared over the dead ball line. Grilled's
Paulino Trindade saw his fine effort strike the top of the bar following some good work up the middle by his teammates after 27 minutes. Witches levelled the score after 31 minutes to make it 1 - 1, as
Sergio Robbers struck home after a fine midfield combination through the centre, which left him completely unmarked.
Chia Kwang Tse gave Grilled the lead as he successfully challenged the guests' central defenders, then slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the keeper no chance. 2 - 1 It was 2 - 1 at the break. Possession in this half belonged to Grilled, who controlled the ball 54 percent of the time.
Grilled's
Gandhik Chitre swung in a good chance from the left, but the visitors' defence were able to clear the ball. 60 minutes into the match, the referee signalled for a Witches substitution.
Cleveland Blackadder came on for
Liam Connolly. With
Liam Connolly no longer on the pitch,
Cleveland Blackadder took over free kick duty.
Cleveland Blackadder came close to levelling the score 68 minutes into the game, as he was set up with a through ball coming in from the left, but his shot hit the post. As the 70 minute mark approached, the Witches coach decided it was time for a substitution.
Danny Rolfe reluctantly made way for
Sky Blizzard on the pitch.
Sergio Robbers was handed the Witches captain's armband. Still trailing on the score board, Witches adjusted their tactics after 71 minutes.
Bruno Gritton had a quick chat at the side line, then switched positions with
Sky Blizzard. Grilled's
Chia Kwang Tse increased the lead to 3 - 1, after he saw his shot go between the legs of the advancing goalkeeper following some good play down the right wing after 71 minutes. After 75 minutes, the Witches coach wanted to see a new face on the pitch, waving
Lutz Dortmunder off the field.
Lautaro Willington took his place. After 75 minutes,
Damian Hutter suffered a slight injury to his left calf muscle. However, it was not enough to stop him from continuing the game. 77 minutes into the match, Witches replied and reduced the lead to 3 - 2.
Tobias Bains scored on a marvellous cross pass coming in from the left.
Damian Hutter would have preferred to play on, but his coach decided otherwise.
Radovan Jaška entered the game for Grilled as the match clock showed 80 minutes. Given a free kick close to the byline, Grilled tried a move that loyal fans may recognise from training. A pass to the side pulled the defence out of position which let
Lim An Keng slip through on goal. He didn't have to break his stride, and slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 4 - 2, 81 minutes into the game. Grilled solidified their lead at the 82 minute mark, as
Hwang Teck Fu dribbled the ball through the opposing central defence and scored to make it 5 - 2. 89 minutes into the game, Grilled wanted to bring some new energy to their game.
Mohsen El Khateeb gave
José Luiz Velho a quick hug as he left the field. As the match nears its end, the referee has deemed it appropriate to add 2 minutes as stoppage time. Witches managed to reduce the score to 5 - 3 as
Orion Slaughter finished off a well-played combination from the left, easily carving through the defence. Grilled's
Chia Kwang Tse was shown a yellow card after 90 minutes for slicing down an opponent.
The match ends 5 - 3. Grilled had most of the ball, with 55 percent of possession.
Chia Kwang Tse performed admirably for Grilled. However,
José Luiz Velho made a disastrous appearance. Witches's top performer was clearly
David Dodson.
Sky Blizzard on the other hand, had a terrible day.