Infelicitous
Zemerov In Flight
One defeat followed another, as the Birds fell to two-time Russian Emerald Challenger Cup winners Felix2006 - lately of the second division - in their World Battle test. With a squad all but unchanged since Ukrainian goalkeeper Maksim Gultyaev's arrival two full seasons ago, player-coach Tsezari Chikava's inherited band would evince the expansive, attacking manner that they had become celebrated for, in Tatarstan and beyond. Grilled were not so much outplayed as outscored, as they failed to raise themselves to their opponents' level of desire today.
The next largest factor in their defeat would be Ferdinand Mkuchika, former Tanzanian youth international custodian, for whom Gultyaev had failed to unseat. A S$27.2 million signing from Ghana's A.S. Cephaledium, and briefly of former Chilean cupwinners PATAGONIA GUNNERS FC, he would have made for a stark contrast to
Jānis Salmiņš, had his team's goals not been born near-wholly of the striker's arts. There was certainly no blame to be attached for their 16th minute opener, which had Valentin Zemerov spring into a perfectly-timed header, to glance Samson Rwilomba's cross in off the far post.
Grilled had nothing to put up against that in defence, but they were not exactly short of genius, in their own frontlines.
Chan Ze Han could be irresistable in his own way, as he was when
Kalle ter Berg bent in a fascimile of Rwilomba's delivery, also from the right. Vitaliy Trandin leapt in to block the expected volley, but Chan brought it down to his other foot instead, and picked out the top corner with a deliberate lob.
It was shaping up to be an enthralling contest indeed, with neither team willing to forsake their hard-won identity, in going at each other. The equilibrium would again be broken by Felix2006 in the 35th minute, as Valeriy Kosobryukhov - capped 21 times for Russia, with more possibly to come - made the most of a slight
Sølve Lunde stumble, to poke it home. Three minutes later,
Salah Kamel would force Mkuchika into contorting himself to bat a fierce strike around the post for a corner, and while that was cleared, Kamel would nod
Mateja Jeftić's cross home for 2-2, on the next press forward.
There were few indications as to how this would turn out as half-time rolled about, but it would be the Russians to power out of the gates for the second half. Central to their charge would be Valentin Zemerov once more, as the Number Three set himself up as the pivot that Felix2006's play would revolve around. Not that he was shy about bringing others into the game either, as he did in the 55th minute with an oh-so-slick nick out left for the oncoming Ignacio Yañez, who returned the favour by serving the assist up on a plate for Zemerov.
This would become 4-2 for Felix2006 some eight minutes on, as Grilled proved unable or unwilling to shut their wing attacks down. Neither
Kalle ter Berg nor
Salah Kamel were natural defenders down the flanks, and this would increasingly show as Felix2006's wide men hugged the touchlines all the more. Pace has been Rwilomba's calling card, and it was flaunted in full with his raid and cross for Nikolay Makarikov in the 63rd.
Sølve Lunde's not-very-good day would come to a close in the 70th minute, as
Hilal Bakhtiar sent
Gilbert Webb on to replace the Norwegian, which was probably a good trade on hindsight. The Birds would be able to attack more freely from the back with Webb's fresh legs, and
Kalki Parvathaneni had an incredible chance to reduce in the 74th, after being put clean through by
Chu Xin Lee. This was a position that he had scored from so many times over the last season, roaring in from the left, but alas he would send it straight at Mkuchika today.
More substitutions were in store for the Birds, as they made their remaining two with ten minutes to go;
Bernie Egan would enter in midfield, replacing
Teo Chuan Yong, with
Heng Dong Chu on for Kamel for more bite on the left. They would soon combine to make it 3-4, with a foul on Heng winning a free-kick from which Egan would finish, if somewhat messily, but Grilled would not find a fourth goal before time ran out.
