Flamed In Poland
Grilled Birds finished a modest 2227th in the Supporter Week Trophy, after sustaining a second defeat on the final day. While there had been no realistic hope of making the knockout round following a winless second day, the team were resolved to at least finish strongly, and started out well against Cameroon II.4 champions PFC Bolbasovo.
Mohd Marzuki Khairul's hot streak continued as he matched François Losama's 19th minute go-ahead goal, before capping the 5-2 victory with two minutes remaining. Chinese striker Zheng Cunxian had scored for Bolbasovo, but flirted with a red card for an extremely careless late tackle.
German III.15 Saphir-Pokal holders Fanatics Berlin - who had finished just behind Kickers Lumpenhafen in the league - were up next, and the Birds had a much better time against them than the latter. Benedikt Ache levelled after
Chia Kwang Tse's gritty opener, but
Wu Ping De,
Mohd Marzuki Khairul and
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko put the ball past former Portuguese national U-20 goalkeeper Cosme Dias in turn, before
Chia Kwang Tse capped the 5-1 with a 64th minute strike.
It all went south in the curtain closer against just-promoted Polish IV.63 champions KGHM Zagłębie Bielsko-Biała, sadly, as Bielsko showed just why they were on an eight-match winning streak with an iron defence that would be bolstered by busy wingers Reipas Koivuluoma and Tomasz Wojcik. The Birds were crushed 0-4 with Saudi forward Khalifa Al-Mazem celebrating his thirtieth birthday with a great chip in the 18th minute, with Grilled looking simply tired throughout.
Grilled skipper
Genki Nagano recognized this as the team's worst performance of the tourney. "But it's been a long season, with a longer one to come. Best not dwell on it."
Farmer Bunnies managed just two points to finish 10910th on four wins and three draws, as they too met their match in a Polish club to begin with. Czarne Trykoty of V.127 had taken the Szmaragdowy Puchar Drugiej Szansy VII Ligi three years ago, and tall fullback Edmund Łysakowski found the winner for them today in the 86th minute, as they counterattacked to a 2-1 victory.
A 3-3 draw against Romanian V.23 side Hoppers Football Club was next, in which Spanish striker Juan Carlos Alberca Fernández was named the Man of the Match for an excellent brace. The Buns had to come from behind starting with
Arturo Rosano's penalty conversion in the 69th, and
Sng Xin Wai completed the rescue from an
Amirul Jufri Khairil low cross in the 76th minute.
They ended with a one-all draw shared with Dutch V.158 participants Maasmasters, who took the lead off an eighteenth minute corner forced in by giant Swede Per-Olov Fredriksson.
Guan Ming Kum nearly repaid the favour four minutes later under nearly-identical circumstances, and it took
Ong Li Jing's 49th minute finish together with a flurry of good saves from
AES Anchan to claim the point.
Grilled International cruised home in contrast with two wins, though they wound up 18294th on a 3-2-5 record due to poor results previously. Haiti III.7 club Porcos Bravos were first downed 1-4 as
Phua Li Kong dominated the first half, one in which
Mikhail Romashov both scored and assisted too. Daniel Saint-Eloi got one back in the 55th, but young
Seah Chao Xin spotted defender Gilbert Lorzeus out of position later, to restore International's three-goal advantage.
There would be another 4-1 against German VI.617 side FC Bergischer Hammer, moreover with a fresh slate of scorers.
Mohsen Zeynali and Hubert Hold traded goals early on, with
Nurul Aleshahnezan bin Adib giving International the half-time lead with a dinky chip past Braco Školnik.
Sazali bin Hj Mursidi then made it three after 63 minutes, with the ever-hungry
Nabil bin Mohd Zulkhairi cleaning up in stoppage time from a delectable
Phua Li Kong thirty-yarder.
They then ended the day scoring four once more in a draw with German VII.307 outfit Vredehoek, whose Italian veteran Paolo Savastano rolled back the years with a versatile hat-trick.
Waldemar Gołata was his closest equivalent on the International end in bagging twice in three minutes, with
Mikhail Romashov and
Khosrov Danelyan the other goalscorers.
Romashov pronounced himself ready to go for the new season. "Bring it on!"
