Forwards Fury
Rotteveel Gives Warning
Grilled's two strikers promised to shine in the second division, as they deftly took Tinombala FC's much-vaunted defensive line apart in a four-goal raid. Tinombala, who will be Grilled's first opponents come the new season, played with a weakened midfield however, and as such the result cannot be said to predict the outcome of that game in any meaningful way.
Grilled badly needed a pick-me-up after a disgraceful series of nine defeats in all matches, and the full-strength side looked certain to supply it as they mercilessly dominated Tinombala's reserve midfield.
Quah Han Kok was particularly determined to have Grilled enter their new campaign on a high, and he worked his socks off on the left flank to create space for the forwards. That paid off after twenty minutes, as Quah slipped through a tantalizing pass that Rotteveel put beyond Quah's U-20 colleague, Wang Wai-Kit.
The Dutch striker was on target once more in the 27th minute, as he rushed beyond the usually-solid Ong Keng Soon to claim an early brace. It appeared as if Rotteveel would try for his hat-trick after Branbilla was hauled down just in front of the penalty area the very next minute, but he squared it wide to Spirig instead. Spirig didn't hit it either, simply pushing it forward to the onrushing Subri, who squeezed it in at the near post.
The visitors finally got their first real attack going after Grilled were caught overcommitting to attack, but their impressive Spanish winger Raúl Gracia ran out of steam after sprinting half the length of the pitch, and heaved his lob inches too high. Subri found ample time to aim as his teammates got the ball to him in double quick time, but Wai-Kit showed his class by diving in the correct direction to deny his a second.
MacKinnon did make it 4-0 before the break as he surprised all with a strong dribble into the box, and Tinombala finally pulled one back through Piotr Kalis' imposing jump, after they blew a great chance no thanks to poor finishing technique by Chi Tao.
Subri would again profit from an indirect free-kick routine as he won a brief struggle with Keng Soon directly in front of Wai-Kit's goalmouth, and Grilled's two forwards would end their day by getting booked as they defended from the front.
