Joker 6 - 2 Grilled
It had rained all day, but 51496 hardy fans still made it out to
Aljunied Bridge.
Valentin Zahm was the appointed referee with assistance provided by
Giulio Lanzani and
Angelo Russo. While a boggy pitch like this was an advantage for physical players, it really didn't help those who relied on speed or technique. The following players had been chosen:
van Boshuizen -
Seng An,
Puay Hui -
海翔 (Haixiang),
Wurzinger,
Saâda,
Hołówka,
Bodde -
Anderson,
Ah Kian,
Kong Han.
Starters:
Dob -
Webb,
Panigrahi -
Davlatov,
Mudaliar,
Mohammad Harun,
Xin Seng,
Muthyala -
Ze Han,
Egan,
Parvathaneni.
As the teams prepared to start the match, they both lined up in a 2-5-3 formation. Joker took a extra-terrestrial creative approach on the field. Grilled tried to focus their attacks down the middle, taking advantage of their divine (+3) level with that tactic. Grilled's
Bernie Egan gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead after 13 minutes with a superb strike from the right. After 16 minutes, Joker's
Desmond Anderson swiftly ran past
Bhavya Panigrahi and nutmegged the keeper! 1 - 1.
Islom Davlatov's fine footwork caused nothing but headaches for
Tobias Wurzinger. The keeper wasn't fooled however, and confidently scooped up the ball.
Kalki Parvathaneni had a good try after 36 minutes, coming in on a fine move from the left, but the ball went wide. Joker played a good counterattacking move down the left 37 minutes into the match, with
Radomir Hołówka finishing well for 2 - 1. The head of
罗 (Luo) 海翔 (Haixiang) connected with a corner kick after 38 minutes, and the ball ended up with
Ho Ah Kian of Joker who blasted the ball into the net, making the score 3 - 1. A bit later, Grilled's
Vikram Mudaliar easily reduced the lead to 3 - 2 after a misunderstanding in the home side's central defence. Halftime score was 3 - 2. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Grilled, with 53 percent of the ball.
Joker put themselves up 4 - 2 when
Tobias Wurzinger broke through on the right, leaving the entire defence trailing in his wake. As the 60 minute mark approached, the Grilled coach decided it was time for a substitution.
Islom Davlatov reluctantly made way for
Cyril Künzler on the pitch. The coach of Joker was happy with the game so far, but still wanted to change the line up. After 65 minutes,
Jatin Bhogle came on for
罗 (Luo) 海翔 (Haixiang). 70 minutes into the match, the referee signalled for a Grilled substitution.
悠太 (Yuta) 中北 (Nakakita) came on for
Gilbert Webb. A speedy charge from the left side of the field increased the lead of Joker to 5 - 2 as
Ho Ah Kian finished it off competently, firing in from an acute angle. 83 minutes into the match, the visitors' central line of defence had to look on as
Tobias Wurzinger broke through, making the score 6 - 2 for Joker. After 88 minutes, the Grilled coach wanted to see a new face on the pitch, waving
Kalki Parvathaneni off the field.
Prokop Mottl took his place. The referee announced 2 minutes of stoppage time, giving fans a slim hope that their team could get one more attack in before this was all over. The match ends 6 - 2. Grilled had most of the ball, with 52 percent of possession.
Ho Ah Kian performed admirably for Joker.
Jatin Bhogle was a disappointment, however. Most important Grilled player was
Moey Xin Seng.
Neeraj Muthyala turned in a dismal performance, however.