If Grilled's unbeaten record in the Trophy of Legends couldn't last, it might as well have come apart against former Allsvenskan and Sverigecupen winners Empoli. Though the Birds didn't exactly look out of place against the famous blue-and-checks, Empoli simply had an assurance about them that eluded Grilled, and Iranian defender Ghanbar Foroughi boosted them to a 4-0 lead on the hour. It was only after Samuel Huigen's dismissal for a mostly-unprovoked attack on Gilbert Webb, that Cyril Künzler managed to find a consolation.

Chan Ze Han was mostly chuffed at being able to play a piece of living history. "There are few more mythical titles than that of Swedish champions in the Hattrick game, and though we didn't win today, I'll remember this match fondly."

The Birds perked up against Swiss Division Six FC McChrystals next, with Chan closing the scoring in a rampant 6-0 win that saw Eligio Mosso sent off for a second yellow in the 54th minute. Thankfully for McChrystals, Grilled were largely done by then. There would be a three-peat of understaffed opposition with Constantin Loliş going off with five minutes to go, but Romanian fourth division club Cainii_lui_DORU had just gone 2-0 up through Bogdan-Andrei Pleş' stinger, and were coasting well before that.

A place in the last sixty-four seemed within the bounds of plausibility for the Bunnies, what with Brendan Leung coming up with an injury-time winner against Argentine Division Five side Paco Lerte, and this after all but marking German player-coach Thorben Bummer out of the game. They then claimed a fourth win in five matches, disposing of German Division Six challengers Lauderdale Strikers 4-2, after they had come back from two down.

The Buns' dreams would however be dashed by Guatemalan II.3 champions FC. TRIANGLE, who had just come off a splendid 2-0 win over two-time Pakistani Consonation Cup holders Befiquistan. Brendan Leung again wowed with a powerfully-hit tenth minute opener, but TRIANGLE's move to a 4-5-1 - dropping star striker Müslüm Binhan - would pay dividends in the longer run. Winger Guaicaipuro Arámbula levelled in the 26th, and José Iván Bustamante carried on with his scoring habit by finding the winner 66 minutes in.

Goals were tough to come by for Grilled International, as the toll of their title-winning season seemed to have finally hit. There was a forgettable nil-all draw against Colombian Division Five side Shaka Football Club to begin with, in which Osertz Indurain and Wang Chu Chi's combined booking for their 75th minute dispute with the officials was probably the highlight.

Israeli VI.26 champions then smashed International 4-0, with two of those coming from left striker Doron Englander. Another goalless draw was then on the cards, with International absolutely dominating possession against Belgian Division Six club Royal Sporting Club Eendracht, however to no productive end as they barely threatened Eendracht custodian Raphael Geribá.