Haha 3 - 0 Grilled
77429 spectators had found their way to
Haha Arena, despite the heavy rain.
Julian Mieser was the appointed referee with assistance provided by
John Duncombe and
Petar Chakúrov. The rain was pouring down, it was the kind of weather favoured by strong players who stick to simple football. For players blessed by speed or technical skills, the day really was as grim as for everyone else. Haha fielded:
Teani -
Ze Xin,
Gudivada,
Parguiña,
Belaîdi,
Viroux -
Tian Jin,
Corbean -
Valdayo,
Ghiringhelli,
Mazlov.
The following players had been chosen by Grilled:
Vadalà -
Carapaica,
Lunde -
田宮 (Tamiya),
Kamel,
Mohammad Harun,
ter Berg,
Dong Chu -
Ze Han,
Egan,
Xin Seng.
The teams had chosen different formations for the match. Home team Haha went for 5-2-3 while Grilled Birds has decided to play a 2-5-3 lineup. Using their counter-attacking abilities was the strategy of choice for Haha on this day, taking advantage of their divine (20) level with that tactic. Grilled used their divine (+5) (25) ability to concentrate their attacks in the middle of the pitch, rather than on the wings. The coach of Haha wanted to try to change things around after 1 minutes, and gave new tactical instructions.
Aw Tian Jin did everything in his power to contain
Chan Ze Han from having an impact in the game. A risky tactic, as
Aw Tian Jin was often pulled away from his starting position in the process.
Chua Ze Xin stunned the crowd with a brilliant counterattack from the left, giving Haha the goal to make it 1 - 0. Haha caught their opponents out with a clever counterattack down the right wing 18 minutes into the match.
Félix Valdayo was able to finish off the move - 2 - 0. Content with how the game was proceeding, the Haha coach let
Isaac An replace
Simon Mazlov after 18 minutes. 2 - 0 was the score after the first half. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Grilled, with 68 percent of the ball.
Central attacks were the recipe of the day for Grilled, as they moved the ball from the wings to the middle with startling regularity. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave
Miguel Parguiña from Haha a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 56 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! Grilled were determined to attack in the middle, even their wing attacks ended up centrally. Grilled players heard their coach's words ringing in their ears and steered their wing attacks to the middle instead. The counterattacks of Haha were deadly and 80 minutes into the game,
Miguel Parguiña received a nice pass from the right flank, making it 3 - 0. After 83 minutes, a couple of quick and successful challenges followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area by
Fatin Belaîdi might have resulted in another goal for Haha. However,
Manuel Vadalà made a spectacular save.
Kalle ter Berg would have preferred to play on, but his coach decided otherwise.
Prokop Mottl entered the game for Grilled as the match clock showed 88 minutes. With
Kalle ter Berg no longer on the pitch,
Bilal Mohammad Harun took over free kick duty. 88 minutes into the match, the referee signalled for a Grilled substitution.
Radovan Jaška came on for
Bernie Egan. After 89 minutes, the Grilled coach wanted to see a new face on the pitch, waving
Bilal Mohammad Harun off the field.
José Luiz Velho took his place. As
Bilal Mohammad Harun exited the field,
Salah Kamel volunteered to be the new set pieces taker. The referee decided to let play continue for an additional 1 minute beyond the regular 90 minutes. The match ends 3 - 0. Grilled enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 66 percent of possession.
Haha's top performer was clearly
Giuseppe Ghiringhelli.
Aw Tian Jin was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Grilled player was without a doubt
Moey Xin Seng.
冬馬 (Toma) 田宮 (Tamiya) turned in a dismal performance, however.