Testimonial Thrashing
Reifels Rifle Ten
Though it was just a testimonial for 37 year-old Reifels Juniors defender Zou Chi-Shing, the scoreline was still slightly embarassing for the Birds' second team, who weren't planning on being that generous at all. Having
Lan Tuan-Mu (44) and
Weng Seng-Huat (37 himself) as their defenders and
Hang Bao-Tam (41) as the goalkeeper might have contributed, with Reifels' two forwards each nicking four goals off the three-man unit with a combined age of well over a century.
Grilled didn't waste the opportunity to throw all their youngsters in for some actual match experience, being fresh out of the cup, and the teenagers didn't exceed expectations as they fell into disarray after minutes. Their coach
Marcus Liehner didn't seem all too concerned as he smirked through the match, however, and one suspects that he had meant it to be a wake-up call for the impetuous teenagers all along.
Finnish striker Matias Åhman got the opener as he easily passed Lan through the middle, though age cannot be the main excuse as Åhman is 35 years old. The difference in fitness levels between the two veterans was easily observed, but Lan cannot be overly blamed as his major duties for the past few seasons have been acting as a defensive coach, mentor and doughnut man for the squad.
Local star Sapian Yunos, who is nearing his century goal for Reifels, then prepared for the feat with a hat-trick by the 36th minute. All three were hit hard with his powerful right foot, but Bao-Tam had little chance of stopping any of them. Goals by midfielders Li Yao Yew and Chai Wen Chi made it 6-0 to the visitors by half-time, and thankfully few of the Grilled fans among the barely two thousand spectators took the game very seriously at all.
It became 8-0 four minutes after the restart, as Sapian Yunos switched to sheer finesse to latch onto an oddly-timed cross by Chai Ming Seng. Bao-Tam thought that he had the angles covered, but Yunos' early take placed the ball unreachably beyond the floundering keeper. Matias Åhman reverted to pure force for the next goal, as he thumped it off Seng-Huat, wrong-footing Bao-Tam completely.
Yunos somehow managed to strike
Ahmad Tharmini bin Selamat's woeful half-baked backpass right at the keeper in the 58th minute, as Grilled's youngsters enjoyed their best spell of the day. Their consolation goal would not come from open play, though, as
Ivaylo Mirchev snatched at a dead-ball placed by his teammate, surprising the Reifels goalie. It is doubtful if it would have stood in actual league play, but at eight goals down the referee must have felt that he could give the home side the benefit of the doubt.
Mirchev came close with another free-kick, this time fanning it out to bin Yaacob, but it would be Reifels who would breach into double dights as Åhman didn't let up.
