Wonder Maikel
Sid Hits Trick
Maikel Rotteveel just couldn't stop scoring, as a lacklustre overall performance was embellished by two almost lazy swings of his boot, both of which turned into a goal. Division Four PPP Wonders had a decent well-balanced side and chose their counterattacking tactics well, but were unable to stop either Rotteveel or Sid, who broke his Cup duck this season with a hat-trick.
Having just employed the same strategy to good effect against Durian_picker, Grilled were wary when PPP Wonders tried the same, though with a thin backline. Hong Kong centerback Law Jun was accurate with his long kicks out of defence, but Bona was simply too strong in the air. A quick break by both Subri and Quah through the middle gave the latter a clear sight at Chan Kong Choon's goal, and the Singaporean ex-U20 international finished the chance with aplomb.
PPP Wonders had a glorious chance to peg Grilled back when they found Bona far more beatable on the ground, as the young Rendert van Solkema got behind the German by pushing the ball past him and overtaking him on the outside. Countryman Fred Lisser made himself available with an intelligent run to the far post, but could only hit his shot onto the outside of the post as Valdir flung himself belatedly at the ball.
Subri contrasted with Rotteveel as he busied himself and was possibly the most influential player on the pitch, but somehow couldn't keep his own streak going. A dainty lob over Chan came back off the crossbar, while a seemingly clean tackle found him in the referee's pocketbook.
Grilled dampened PPP Wonders' hopes through a Sid penalty, which came after Dominique Muntinga was judged to have shoved MacKinnon away from an inswinging corner. The hosts looked very much in it at a single goal down, but two would be a different proposition from counterattacks.
Sid, having just collected his first Cup goal of the season, found his appetite whetted and powered a rocket straight at goal when there were quite a few passing options. It proved the right decision, as Chan was baffled by the strange flight of the ball, which appeared to twist and turn en route.
It appeared likely that Rotteveel would find himself shut out for the first time in nine matches, as the Number Ten was woefully poor throughout the first half. Not since Season Five had any Grilled player scored in nine consecutive games, and the only player to do so, and twice, was
Tim Hobson, though under arguably less challenging circumstances. Ola Martinsson himself never came close to that, but had three streaks of seven in his illustrious Grilled career.
Rotteveel then demonstrated the value of a born poacher, though, when he shrugged off his sluggishness to zoom forward at the same instant that Spirig released his arcing pass. That was telepathic understanding - or getting lucky with the percentages - at its best, and Rotteveel easily slipped it beneath a disbelieving goalkeeper to make it an astounding fifteen goals in nine matches.
The Dutchman would add his sixteenth and catapult himself into the ranks of top five scorers in the Singapore Cup, after Sid rounded off his own hat-trick with a madly relaxed touch that just managed to roll past Chan's good dive. Rendert van Solkema got cautioned in the 79th minute for further hard play, while Subri tried to capitalise on a questionable backpass by 21 year-old midfielder Lin Yong Jie, but blasted it right at Chan.
