Noureuil Humbled
Salah Air Delivery
The Birds booked their passage to the knockout stages of the Bovag Cup with a 7-0 over French sixth division opponents F C Viry-Noureuil, belying their own whitewash of crazy s.a. in the previous round. Gaétan Jacquet had made his concessions, with striker Ignacy Fronczak omitted to accommodate László Zalavári as an extra man at the back, but this availed them of little as they were still swept aside.
It should perhaps have been closer than it finished, with club captain and favourite Victor Ako assisted by Russian veteran Artem Kotik and understudy Robin Leblay in midfield, but any intent to contest Grilled on their own terms, evaporated after a first ten minutes of jostling. Viry-Noureuil would realize to their horror that they were getting outplayed in the same way they had mastered crazy s.a. previously, and as with then, the pressure built to a penalty award -
Chu Xin Lee would be shoved over in the box after a busy start to the match, and
Bhavya Panigrahi made the conversion against Lebanese custodian Rami Dirani in the 20th minute.
Now, American defender Vicente Pittí remained unafraid of getting suitably physical, such that the Birds' forwards didn't seem happy to go up directly against him; Grilled's solution was to rely more on crosses from wide, and it turned out to be a particularly good day for them.
Kalle ter Berg, deployed at right wing, would be allowed to get a few in by a lax Riccardo Gilbo, and
Salah Kamel threw himself at one of those in the 28th minute for a just-right glancing header that made it 2-0.
Grilled were really containing Viry-Noureuil towards the end of the first half, and this license to roam saw several of their players pop up in somewhat odd positions, as they pushed the envelope.
Sølve Lunde volunteered himself for a corner in the 35th, and just as well too, as he climbed above a couple of defenders to power it home. Chu, still yet to get on the scoreboard, would fire from midfield a few minutes later, to discouraging effect.
The game resumed with
Bernie Egan's curler from the right kept out by Ársæll Lýðsson on the goalline, as Viry-Noureuil attempted to work their way back.
Heng Dong Chu's departure for
Wu Jinglong interrupted the Birds' flow sufficiently to give them their best opportunity of the day around the 60th minute, and excellent thinking and a delicate first touch by Ako had Béranger Garcia slip by the last man, just the way he wanted it.
Jānis Salmiņš was watching for just that move, unfortunately for the French side, and got the drop on Garcia.
The Birds turned the scoring back their way in a jiffy, with
Wu Jinglong eager to make an impression as always, and his hard running against Nicolas Pariset on the left flank would result in a successful dribble deep inside, 66 minutes in.
Teo Chuan Yong would be useful support as Wu continued to maneuver his way towards goal, and he would eventually assist
Moey Xin Seng after having attracted enough attention. Wu's vigorous play was not without its drawbacks, though, and he would afterwards be booked for slyly clipping Lýðsson from behind.
Grilled were not prepared to wind it down just yet, and they would muster a number of strong drives from midfield;
Bilal Mohammad Harun went it by himself from the edge of the penalty area despite several teammates calling for it, but was vindicated by how it absolutely blew past Dirani. A minute later, Ter Berg would put in a facsimile of his first-half assist, and Kamel was again up to it, with a stylish diving header at the far post this time.
Lifted by that incredible finish, the Birds continued to attack, and Wu's partial contact with Lunde's delivery in the 77th would wind up as
Moey Xin Seng's gain, as the Grilled skipper asserted himself against an indecisive defence.
Bernie Egan would trot off to be replaced by
Vikram Mudaliar with ten minutes remaining, but the Number Nine was again not eager to exert himself towards a long-won cause.
