Split Decision
The second day saw a win, a draw and a loss for Grilled Birds, beginning with the latter against Macedonian II.1 repeat winners F.C. LAVOVI.
Raúl Himadas' right foot was as accurate as ever as he bent a free-kick past Baldomer Pijuan in the fifth minute, but the yellow shirts of LAVOVI would then hit four past the just-turned-32
Dimitris Germanakos without reply.
Chad Thach slotted a second in from three yards in the 77th minute as
Brian Reddy worked the right flank, but Friso Boissevain was then gifted a fifth by Grilled's inattentive defending.
Chia Kwang Tse then came to the fore against Danish V.205 side THE BIG BAYERN, cramming a hat-trick into a big 6-1 victory.
Lim An Keng,
Chad Thach and
Hwang Teck Fu scored the others, with Himadas curling one towards the top corner six minutes from time, only for Polish veteran custodian Bogusław Gołda to have anticipated that. Bosnian midfielder Nedim Softić then lobbed Germanakos for an injury-time consolation, before getting booked for a physical confrontation with
Ha Qicai.
Freshly-relegated Tunisian II.1 favourites Gantoise Keerken then rode a defensive 4-4-2 to a two-all draw against the Birds, as
Lim An Keng's second minute breakthrough from Trindade's ambitious cross was equalled on the next possession by Turkish striker Mustafa Kiziroğlu's impressive strike from the edge of the box. After a bunch of missed chances,
Raúl Himadas chipped one in from open play in the 53rd, only for Amir Bachrouche to equalize again, 76 minutes in. A wild attempt by
Damian Hutter then came off former national defender Moufid Naouali's head into his arm in injury time, but Himadas inexplicably put it wide, with Italian goalie Leandro Assirati having already committed to the left side.
Farmer Bunnies improved with two wins and a draw, as they finally got off the ground against Montreal club Les Caribous Embusqués, with the Canadian IV.21 newcomers having won ten competitive matches in a row, in Division Five. It was a profoundly gritty experience with Embusqués devoted to pressing a Buns side that didn't quite have advancing on their minds, but an extra-long
Amaya Ravula cross in the 58th minute was sufficient for
Prakash Bhujbal to nudge the ball past Scott Hayes for the winner.
It was
Amirul Jufri Khairil's turn to get the only goal in the Buns' match against Finnish VI.422 side KEKENATION next, with the KEKs leaving them ample opportunity to counterattack, with a more conventional 3-5-2 approach. Most did not come to fruition, but after four yellow cards and much frustration, Khairil would elbow his way towards a heavily-contested free-kick delivery 69 minutes in, and blasted it home after a random deflection off the back of
Lau Keng Kwang's head. A goalless draw versus Uruguay V.13 participants Losmoder Academy then ended their day, with
Gilberto Sorondo saving at least three good chances by Losmoder.
Grilled International again mirrored the Birds in their results, with a 2-6 loss to storied Swedish III.35 outfit Wettershaga International first on the agenda. Things were looking up as
Hardi bin Besar smashed a rebound home after
Chua Jun Long's effort was barely blocked by Bosnian goalkeeper Armin Šahbegović, but it was all downhill from there, with
Umut Koza having to do it all himself to grab another after 63 minutes.
Another Swedish Division Three side was up next in III.11 promotees Trädgårdstomtarnas IK, and this time International prevailed 2-1 as
Snæbjörn Sigfússon struck first from an eighteen-yard free-kick, before confidently knocking a penalty into Gerhard Johansson's top left corner. Italian striker Luciano Barbera got one back for his wine-red clad team in the 75th minute, but it was Trädgårdstomtarnas who had to defend for the rest of the game, with
Umut Koza nearly making it three from his well-weighted lob.
A high-scoring 4-4 against Norwegian IV.18 side MatTib SC then closed International's day, with
Chua Jun Long and Koza blitzing them for two before the eleventh minute, only for MatTib SC to take a 3-2 lead by the 56th minute off unapologetically physical play. Koza and
Phua Li Kong responded with fine finishing in the 68th and 70th minutes, but 23 year-old Austrian defender Josef Reinbacher secured a point for MatTib SC with a stunner in the first minute of added time.
