Pants On Fire
Subri Too Late
Grilled sank worryingly into the relegation zone, as newly promoted Isle of Flames outplayed a full-strength Birds side to earn victory at home. The Northern side were eager to recover after successive defeats at the hands of Arrogancae and Rollin' Thunder, and it was just Grilled's bad fortune to be at the receiving end of their attentions.
It began brightly enough for Grilled, as they found a way through the less than stellar Flames defence more than once.
Maikel Rotteveel in particular was not shy in taunting 32 year-old Finnish defender Janne Sarpa with his quick feet, and on one occasion sped handily past him to set Subri up for a clean strike at Baaijens' goal. The Malaysian didn't disappoint with his crisp finish.
While the hosts were lacking at the back, their front three were quite breathtaking, and tall German forward Micha Marquart used his large frame to great effect as he ran onto a through ball by countryman Detlef Feinbier. Try as he might, Lik-Tsun couldn't throw Marquart off balance, and the forward stroked the ball just past Valdir to level things.
It went from bad to worse for the Birds as Kok Lai Chang scored from an angle he had no right to in the 25th minute, and Valdir had barely got over that when he was confronted by leftback Kevin Wendig speeding clear through on goal, after Grilled's defenders lost their positions. The Brazilian took a low stance in preparation for the strike, but Wendig hit it far too hard for it to be blocked.
There could have been a fourth for the hosts, as Marquart again shielded the ball amply after it was played to his chest, and managed to get a shot off on the turn. The strike was clipped upwards by an unwitting Árva, and Valdir was helpless as it sailed towards the opposite top corner. Fortunately for Grilled, it ended up hitting the crossbar.
Playing a tight midfield four didn't help Grilled's penetration any, and it was left for Talib to pick out a roaming Sid from well inside his own half. The Polish defender took too long to line up his effort, unfortunately, and Andrea De Gasperi hacked it back into Grilled's half.
The curious series of goalkeeping injuries continued, as Flames goalie Frans Baaijens got caught in the knee by his own player, as Subri applied pressure from the front. Chia Yau Liang took over, and despite losing their captain, the Flames were still unceasing in their offensive duties. Israeli playmaker Omer Abbas Al-Rasheed crept in silently to tuck Feinbier's cross in early at the near post.
Omer and Feinbier had further chances prevented by Valdir, and Rotteveel gave his side some hope with an instinctive first-time volley that Chia had no hope of saving. Grilled never managed to build on that, unfortunately, and barely kept Flames from widening the lead again as Valdir made yet another near-impossible stop off Wendig.
