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| FIXTURE HISTORY |
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| Season 23 | W | 4 - 1 | Qualification |
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Geo Grind
MacKinnon Shocker
Another day, another man out for Grilled. Although a draw away at Charlene's Playground would probably be considered a decent result for any team in the league, the way things panned out still left a sour taste in the mouths of Grilled's supporters as they were again left to rue dropped points.
Blame for the first goal could be placed squarely at the feet of
Han Lik-Tsun and no other, however. The usually dependable defender was all at sea when Julio Aguirre de Cárcer got a routine pass with his back to goal, as he allowed himself to be pushed around like a schoolboy by the Spanish wingback. By the time his fellow defenders realised what was happening, de Cárcer had spun his way into a good shooting position, and plonked the ball straight into the net.
Han looked rightly disgusted at himself, but it was just not his day as he continued to be less than effective in central defence. Grilled just about managed as the other defenders pitched in to help out, and then a truly distasteful incident occured.
Unhappy at MacKinnon getting a palm into his face as the two wrestled for control, temperamental German striker Siegmar Sadlo ran after the Scotsman after the matter to discuss things. MacKinnon was not one to back down, and after a loud forehead-to-forehead exchange, Sadlo drew back and drove his skull into MacKinnon's chest.
This caused players from both sides to rush up, as Sadlo continued his tirade standing over the now-prone MacKinnon. It could not have been anything other than a straight red for the German, and the referee appeared to consider booking MacKinnon too for his part in the affair, but thought better of it. MacKinnon managed to stand dizzily after receiving attention, but was in no fit state to continue, and for the second game in a row, Grilled had to call upon
Peter Fjällbratt.
Grilled were unable to use their man advantage in the emotional aftermath, as Geostarz were good value for several more goals despite having just one striker. Henrik Knudsen was unfortunate not to score from a dipping free-kick, while lone forward Vurnon Hassert did enough work for two men but sliced his first look badly. He didn't repeat his mistake after Kornelijus Kikariovas danced by Sid on the left side, though, and Grilled went two down into the break.
The Birds displayed much better spirit after they came out of the dressing room, though, and the sight of MacKinnon in the stands for the second half appeared to have boosted morale greatly. That was especially evident as the Grilled players fearlessly ran at the ball, which eventually led to
Nawaz Talib smashing a loose ball under Arie Ottens to get one back.
Grilled's revival was complete when
Zoltán Árva pulled out one of his trademark wonderpasses, lifting his foot to head level to redirect a lob to Rotteveel. Nobody expected that, but the Dutch striker found his bearings faster than most, and proceeded to round Ottens to make it two apiece.
The game was now Grilled's to win as they tried to make their extra man count, but Geostarz shut up shop and might even have scored against the run of play, when Henrik Knudsen headed dangerously close to Grilled's goal, and a missed kick by Talib only added to the disarray until Valdir finally took command and smothered the ball.
Grilled engaged in some rough play as they tried to force the issue - first Branbilla, and then Subri were booked as they snapped at the heels of their opponents. In Subri's case, he caught goalscorer Vurnon Hassert badly enough that he had to go off, and now without any recognized striker at all, Geostarz defended even more resolutely. Grilled had barely a sniff at goal after that.
