Texan Toasting
Riviera Comes Good
Now in the S-League, Grilled could be forgiven for looking a bit dreamy versus fellow league-toppers Witnica Texans. The Polish side featured a developing midfield much like Grilled's, with Dane Jørn Rask putting in a stellar showing in his final hurrah for the Texans, slated to leave for domestic club JKS CZARNI RAFINERIA 1910 JAS£O in days. He excelled in clearing the lines as the Texans sat deep in the starting minutes, one of his pumps falling right for winger Jakub Soboczynski, who made a detour round the middle en route to beating debutant
Clair Harlow at his right post, not a bright beginning for the 19 year-old New Zealander in goal.
Au-Yong Siu-Yue was still full of zest after participating in the successful qualifier, and made all sorts of trouble with
Ma Dai-Lin down the right. Both had been tried and tested in midfield and on the wings, and a sweet exchange of roles had Siu-Yue bearing down on goal. He could have gone further as he was yet unchallenged, but saw
Antonio Fernández Riviera running in from the other flank and lofted in a floater. Gleefully, the Spanish winger headed it in. Four minutes later, Riviera added another from a free-kick that bent away from goaltender Stefan Ciepielak.
The Texans forced their way back into the game, as they advanced through Latvian Arkadiy Korotkaia on their left flank. He knocked several promising balls in for his forwards to hunt down, but Grilled's defenders were often a foot ahead. Veteran Romanian striker Marinel Gavrilã attempted to level the playing field with some little tugs on Seng-Huat's jersey, but was spotted and carded.
Skilful Egyptian midfielder Hossein Al-Hossein enlivened things in the 50th minute as he took a blast as the Grilled defence parted to stay close to the forwards, and would have scored but for Tuan-Mu who as the last man slid in to turn it around the post. Soboczynski had a charmed day as he got the better of Seng-Huat with a blatant run-around and then held off Tuan-Mu to level. The nine thousand odd home supporters got into the mood then, waving and cheering, and the Texans' play went up a notch. The season's top scorer, Albert Guynot, was diligently shackled by Grilled's sweeper, but he came away with an assist as he put a pass into space that Gavrilã got to first, having started his run early. His shot on the run was magnificent, high enough to beat Harlow but squeezing in below the bar at the end.
The only consolation for Grilled's goalie was that he kept his nerve to deny the Texans a fourth just a minute later, holding his ground professionally as Gavrilã capitalised on a moment of weakness by Pakpao to steal the ball. Korotkaia, seeing no way past Harlow, then played it across to Guynot, who hit a pinpoint grounder to the other post, but Harlow somehow sprang across to press the ball onto the line.
