Thriller Niner
Sid Seals It
A tempestous second derby match in four days swung one way and then another in a packed FMA Utd Arena, with the home side twice taking the lead, but their advantage lasted a total of below five minutes as Grilled swiftly replied each time. Impressive dead-ball specialist
Sylweriusz Zywczyn then reaped his ninth and tenth goals of the season, some feat for a wingback, even as Grilled wasted a couple of glorious late chances to take the number of goals into double digits.
With even their coach admitting that the current S-League season was a write-off, Grilled were in no mood to tarry, naming virtually a full-strength side with only the homegrown
Qiu Swee Pheng in for sidelined winger
Hidde van Liere. The young utility midfielder will never be mistaken for a second Han Kok, but his composure in front of goal was exemplary in the twenty-first minute.
Dani Spirig's forced header on was a difficult one to control, but Qiu took a calm first touch and lashed it into the bottom corner before Mészöly got to him.
FMA Utd were not discouraged, having ousted Division Two kick fc 4-1 after going a goal down. For a moment it appeared as if history would repeat itself, as 22 year-old Czech striker Ignác Ondrák looped an unstoppable curler to the inside of Sulaiman's far post, and then Swiss midfielder Nathanael Ihle opened his Cup accounts with a solo strike after getting past Swee Pheng with disconcerting ease.
The scoring spate would continue with Spirig putting the ball in FMA Utd's net the very next minute, after Paullin found him with a clever forward pass into space. Not to be outdone, Ondrák cancelled that with an unthinkable solo effort right from the restart, as Bona found no answer to his aggressive run.
Ola Martinsson was distraught as he ballooned off Mészöly's horrific giveaway, but even that was not enough for FMA Utd to hang on to half time as
Dimitri Simon powered through their backline to beat the experienced Spãtariu from close up.
There was all to play for in the second half, for while Grilled had more of the possession, the difference was not overwhelming, and Ondrák was always threatening when he got the ball. His star faded somewhat after the break, however, and FMA Utd's cause was not helped by Paullin delicately threading home Grilled's fourth goal just a minute after the match resumed.
The home team never really recovered from that, as Grilled did a good job of containing them away from the defensive third of the pitch. FMA Utd recorded a few shots off target, and then were thoroughly deflated by a cracking Sid free-kick against the run of play. Spãtariu could only shake his head after he watched the blur of a ball lift the roof of his net.
With a considerable cushion, Grilled decided to withdraw for the last ten minutes, but paradoxically found themselves with a plethora of opportunities as FMA Utd opened up in a desperate effort to salvage a draw. Kek-Tjiang, who had a quiet game, might have gotten himself a first goal for the season when a fortunate rebound took him past Spãtariu with the ball nicely at his feet, but Canadian fullback Zeb Dockery somehow slid across to prevent the simplest of tap-ins.
Sid padded his total with a penalty conversion after a FMA player's arm got in the way of a goalbound effort from Martinsson, and then Swee Pheng's miskick off Fredgård's delightful backflick was fired back by Simon, only for Spãtariu to keep the score down as FMA Utd went out of the Cup nevertheless.
