Toxic Deportment
Grilled Birds finished 928th of 5734 entrants in the Trophy of Legends with five wins from eight games and a 31-22 goal record, after splitting their final day. Colombian IV.47 toppers Deportivo Pasto were hammered relentlessly as the Birds monopolized the ball against them, with
Chan Ze Han powering one against their crossbar as early as the second minute. It ended 4-0, but honestly could have been much more with Ramiro Mora's 82nd minute attempt the only real chance that Deportivo got.
It was another story against former Trophée Pantelis winners les toxines in the final game, with the French V.180 champions catching up thrice in a breathless first half that had
Gandhik Chitre,
Federico Parada and
Brian Reddy put the Birds ahead, only to be promptly answered each time. The second half belonged wholly to les toxines, who had Mikołaj Jasionowski lead them to a 6-3 triumph on timely counters. Striker Tonio Macolino would be sent off in stoppage time, but he had done his bit by then.
Farmer Bunnies disappointingly lost their last two fixtures to close off on nine points on 2-3-3 with just three goals scored and four conceded, which put them at 1048th of 1462 teams in the Heroes of 2014 Trophy. Former Copa Galileo Rubí holders and Colombian III.4 challengers Diablos de Amazonas FC stuck two past them through Dutchman Rombout Jaspers, whose ability to hit the target from outside the penalty area left
Gilberto Sorondo grasping at straws.
Another former Challenger Cup winner in Oceanian IV.62 side the Drop Kicks were next, who had Chilean veteran Bartolomé Bunster shove it home in the 34th minute, after a free-kick found itself pinging about the Buns' packed box.
Lee Yau Tong looked likely to equalize in the 83rd as
Amaya Ravula beat all comers up the left, but he put it marginally high over Turkish goalie Serhat Hurrem.
Grilled International had a hard final day too, turning what might have been a playoff into a 482nd-placed checkout, admittedly still their best result in six years. That included five victories and three defeats, two of the latter coming today, and a 22-17 goal tally. Honduran H.I. III.5 club Milan Fanatic II cruelly crushed International's dreams with two strikes from the 88th minute, after
Mohsen Zeynali's 18th minute tap-in appeared to have secured three points for them. Charif Omari levelled close to the death though, and Tonny Marcussen then polished off a cleverly-plotted free-kick, with International still shell-shocked.
The Brunei side were not in the proper frame of mind when they took on Swiss IV.53 outfit Sadrith Mora in the last fixture, and were duly swept 1-5 after
Umut Koza gave them a bright start through an exquisite half-volley in the seventh minute. Former Uzbek youth international custodian Ali Sa'di would stop Koza brilliantly two minutes on, and it was one-sided the other way from then on, as homegrown midfielder Vincent Fromage narrowly missed out on a hat-trick.
