New Legends Begin
Having just finished their league season triumphant, Grilled Birds would dive straight into the Trophy of Legends tournament, and came up with three straight wins to catapult themselves up that table. Zurich-based Swiss VI.239 side FC Barça Sports were first handily overrun 7-0, as
Wu Ping De's brace was matched only by yellows to Théau Duran and Joshua Satter in a clear mismatch.
German V.10 representatives FVN Weseler Wingers 92 were next, and fared little better with
Chad Thach and
Hwang Teck Fu getting two each, though their big defender Alessandro Höppler did earn a consolation from a 40th minute corner, in a 5-1 result. It was then on to Dutch IV.23 entrants Empyrea, who did well to hold the Birds to just 2-3.
Genki Nagano got a rare double from open play, as Empyrea took the lead for a short minute from Vladimír Bojko and Antoon op der Heijde's quick-fire strikes, swiftly equalized by Thach.
"It was a good experience." Birds captain
Genki Nagano commented. "Let's see if we can qualify for the playoffs this year!"
It would be two wins and a defeat for Farmer Bunnies in their Heroes of 2014 Trophy competition, beginning with a 2-0 over German VI.153 club Lübeck Saints in the pouring rain, that saw an early
Arturo Rosano penalty followed in the second half by his corner assist for
Guan Ming Kum. Italian III.11 side UDinamo Povoletto then outdid the Buns from range, with local hero Pierpaolo Rivi's twenty-yard drive past
Gilberto Sorondo deciding it in the 70th minute.
Rosano would be back at it again for Slovakian IV.11 opponents 1FC ZOCHAROVCE, with ZOCHAROVCE electing to attack into the Bunnies defence. This required them to weather a storm through almost all of the first half and much of the second, with Sorondo putting up a goalkeeping tutorial. They then stole it 75 minutes in after 41 year-old Uruguayan midfielder
Mauro Fau went over in the ZOCHAROVCE box on a minor bump from countryman Facundo Porras, that allowed Rosano to put it away from the spot.
The Italian specialist was simply relieved about not having to play in the rain for once. "I was this close to calling in sick."
Grilled International arrived at the same record as the Buns if in a more hair-raising fashion, starting with ten goals in a 4-6 defeat to former Northern Irish Emerald Challenger Cup victors Zlatan *Ibrahimovic*. The III.2 runners-up fell behind by two goals to
Leri Bezhanishvili and
Umut Koza, only to roar back to 4-2 before the hour... and having want-away former national U-20 star Oscar Barnett sensationally sent off. The chase was then on with Bezhanishvili and
Etienne Binder reducing, only for Peruvian winger Túpac De La Fuente to reply each time.
It would be a lot easier against Italian VI.361 side REAL TIMOTI FC, who had the excuse of being a man down in a 3-4-2 in losing 1-9. The dismissal of Rene Simpanen brought them further down to nine by half-time, with Bezhanishvili reaping a hat-trick and Ulf Töytäri finding their consolation. A nailbiter versus Portuguese V.102 outfit Athletic South Tagus followed, with injury-time goals from
Remond Bergervoet and then Pedro São Bento making it 5-4 to International.
37 year-old
Minür Nurettin Tütsü, who scored two for International in that effort, was coy in addressing rumours of his retirement afterwards. "I don't know - what do you think?"
