Seluraralc Staved Off
Talib Walks
It was a game of two halves, with the pivotal moment being Talib's dismissal just before half-time. Newly promoted seluraralc were strangely subdued when the match began, which was bad news for them as Grilled's midfield was in fine form. The home fans put up a warm welcome for goalkeeper
Valdir Dias Paes, who appeared touched at his chants reverberating around The Cooking Pot.
Nothing of note happened until twenty-odd minutes into the game, when Grilled finally managed to string a collection of passes together. Han Kok then split the visiting defence with an intelligent through ball, and Subri made the most of it with a great first touch that put Swiss defender Ruggiero Ballner out of the picture completely. He then swung a curler past Luciano Martín Sarmiento in the seluraralc goal to get Grilled going.
Valdir appeared to be fully restored after his leisurely turn out against Fishwhiskers United, and his catching of Mario Chambordon's decent attempt was loudly cheered by the home fans. That was to be seluraralc's only shot on target in the first half as Grilled moved the ball around, and vice-captain
Quah Han Kok gave Grilled a deserved two-goal lead with
Dani Spirig's stiff effort coming to him off the goalkeeper's legs.
A moment of madness then threatened to ruin Grilled's day, as
Nawaz Talib deliberately went for Sevket Bilger's legs in an awful challenge. The Turkish striker had gotten his face in Talib's for most of the match, and the Pakistani was the victim of a push or two, but such a response was simply unforgivable. The referee was on the spot and sent Talib off instantly.
After the still-angry Talib was escorted off by his captain, Subri padded Grilled's advantage with his quick feet after
Sandy Edmond swung in a wild cross from the right. It was headed to the side by a defender, and most forwards would have let it run out for a corner; not Subri though, as the Malaysian confidently first-timed it through Sarmiento's legs for a memorable goal.
Grilled were three up but a man down at half-time, and the arrangements made by both coaches during the break reflected that fact. Grilled understandably drew back to protect their lead, while seluraralc, who had little to lose, pressed forward vigourously. Sng Wan Rong might have punished a poor goal kick by Valdir as it was trapped and sprayed back out to him, but he was just a tad too slow to hit it into an empty goal.
Rotteveel wilted noticeably in the searing heat after an hour of defending from the front, and this only resulted in more pressure on the defence. Wan Rong made up for his lack of pace with good technique, as he leapt forward and volleyed sweetly past Valdir to make it 3-1. It was coming, in all honesty.
All Grilled could muster was a direct free-kick by Sid which was almost converted, as seluraralc owned the second half. Eventually, defender Ruggiero Ballner, who had virtually been playing as a forward for the final fifteen minutes, sent an uneasy vibe through the spectators as he flung himself into a diving header to put his club within a single goal. Grilled grimly held out, though, and survived to the final whistle.
