Indian Arsenal
Fighting Frunzã
Grilled dropped by the populous city of Mumbai as they came up against Division Two Arsenal_FC in their 35000-capacity Highbury Arena, and gambolled to a four-goal lead before Romanian import Alexãndrel Frunzã injected panic into the Grilled team by cutting into the deficit ruthlessly.
The cosmopolitian Arsenal side, comprising two Germans, two Dutchmen, a Frenchman, a Swede, an Italian, a Swiss, a Romanian, a Dane and just one Indian, presented plenty of class. Swiss winger Sebastian Sulzberger plunged headlong into the attack, entering into a dogfight with
Nui Pakpao for a loose ball which ended with the Thai defender clutching his hamstrings.
Rottman returned to scoring ways in the 27th minute, as he swept Paullin's disguised pass over the goalline. Frunzã won over the crowd with his never-say-die attitude, chasing lost causes and making things difficult for Grilled's defence in general. He nearly dispossessed Seng-Huat in his own penalty area in the 30th minute, but tripped the defender in the process, a yellow card offence. Rottman applied himself to the game, heading a Grilled raid and getting himself jostled badly. He recovered in time to pick on an error by youth teamer Balvindra Sadagopan, blocking his pass upfield and then rounding him to put the ball past Paul Anders for the second time.
Tim Hobson added a third as Arsenal tried to play the ball out of defence from the restart, and
Joe Stern disrupted their movement. His hasty pass tricked behind a couple of advanced players to the feet of Hobson, who struck with panache. In the preceding rush, Arsenal's Pleunechau got his foot trod on, and received some spray to deaden the pain.
The classic combination of Hobson and Stern clicked well, with Stern teeing the ball up to Hobson to miss a header in a fun gambit.
Joe Stern did eventually make his mark, off a missile that bulged Arsenal's net as two defenders advanced towards him. Some players would have been discouraged by his empathic finish, but not Alexãndrel Frunzã as he directed an all-out assault on the Grilled goal from the resulting kick-off.
Italian Fabrizio Grazziani pushed the ball at a terrific pace down the right and turned Dewilde inside out before releasing a superb cross. Frunzã didn't break stride as he ran onto the pass with his head down, crashing his header under
Frank Öhmo.
Lorenz Paullin's creativity confused Arsenal's midfield long enough for him to turn the ball over to Stanton, who spotted Hobson all by himself. Hobson ran onto Stanton's lofted pass and clipped it at an empty net, only for Sadagopan to sprint back in time to get a foot on the ball.
Weng Seng-Huat was booked for an off-the-ball incident as he verbally assaulted Grud Jensen for sticking to him at the other end. Arsenal cranked into offensive gear as Jetse Thybaut orchestrated some decent chances. In the 60th minute, he dribbled down the right flank with Grazziani, acting as a decoy as he sent the winger free. Grazziani sped along the touchline as Seng-Huat kept a distance, before playing it to Frunzã who was ready at the near post. Curiously, Arsenal tempered their game after their second, and the remaining half-hour was slow going.
