Canoense Whip Farmer
The late friendly at Brazilian H.A.L IV.11 side Atlético Canoense Internacional would not go well for the Buns, who had no answer to clever Swiss veteran forward Hermann Schmeling. None of the young defenders could quite figure out Schmeling when it mattered, and he would parlay that into two goals, before Kazimierz Kaszczuk made it 3-0 from the penalty spot.
Louis Lee, who had been toyed by Schmeling at centreback today, admitted that he had a lot to learn. "When you think you've seen it all, he goes and does something new. I guess that boomer lot do know something."
The youth side did do better in their end-of-season benchmark friendly versus the Chicken Wings, with a 5-3 win at The Purple Plantation. The strike partnership of Afiq Najib and Lee Keong Jun came up with two goals each, matched by 15 year-old fullback Toh Wee Chin for the Wings. "Najib is one to watch." Rabbits scout Tong Han Kong assessed. "If that weren't already clear."
As for Grilled Birds,
Tian Yonghang's search for additional reinforcements had hit a wall for now, with early targets Wu Caixiang going to Wisconsin fifth divisioners Serge for S$5.1 million, and Brazilian star Cleverson Leonetti to just-demoted Austrian Bundesliga club Partyzan Wien 08, for close to S$7.9 million.
Tian next turned his eyes to Sweden with Stolpe-In SK, as he entered informal discussions on their 19 year-old Slovakian striker Marcel Zazuľák. The asking price would eventually get far too high for consideration, unfortunately, and Zazuľák ended up moving to four-time Cuban Challenger Cup winners Villabotijo CF for over S$7.2 million, affording Stolpe a profit of over four million for but a season's investment.
"I see property's not the only market in a bubble." Tian said ruefully. "Well, plenty of fish in the ocean."
