Brändökungarna Out
Esnazabal's Parting Shot
The Birds progressed to the finals of the 32-team Bovag Cup, with a 3-1 taming of Finnish Division Four representatives Brändökungarna, in a match that was somewhat less problematic than feared. The Finns did boast of a finely-tuned classic 3-5-2, and the unquestioned verve of Anssi Keisanen down the left in particular, but it was the Birds who would rue not settling the matter completely in an utterly-dominant first half.
Brändökungarna saw no reason to make any changes from the side that had beaten F C Viry-Noureuil in the previous round, and there was no real reason to; much the same side had been very comfortable in defeating FC ABV in the league over the weekend, and there was talk that their wing emphasis would pose many questions of the Birds. To this, Bakhtiar would seek to reframe the situation altogether - while
Heng Dong Chu did start together with
Teo Chuan Yong on the right, both were clearly ordered to compress play, with a view towards forcing the game to conform to Grilled's strengths.
For the most part, they succeeded. This had not yet become evident when Grilled went ahead in the third minutes, however, as that was more from
Bernie Egan's individual pace. Heng did his part, threatening the outside run to tie Fredrik Koskenoja up, and Egan would somehow maintain control as Mikko Saarentaus dove in with the challenge, before slotting it in whilst falling over.
The rest of the half would be one nearly-unthinkable miss after another, as the Birds flirted with a second goal throughout, but never got to home base through a combination of oh-so-close miscues, and Reinhold Stjärnell's goalkeeping.
Chan Ze Han was first with a raking drive in the 11th minute that Stjärnell somehow got a palm to despite a deflection off Ármin Baleda, and Heng would be guilty of ball-watching, when
Mateja Jeftić overlapped down his flank for the perfect short cross, in the 25th.
The most incredible missed opportunity of the day would follow, beginning with
Bilal Mohammad Harun soaring highest to meet Jeftić's delivery in the 28th minute for what looked like a certain goal, only for Stjärnell to block at point-blank... right to
Heng Dong Chu, who glanced it off the upright. Bilal would happen to be closest, having impressively kept his balance on landing, but swept it into the side-netting, with the entire side of the goalmouth waiting.
Stjärnell would claw Jeftić's 35th minute free-kick over as Brändökungarna stayed very much in the game, and it would take another Egan solo masterpiece, for Grilled to extend their lead. They were having great trouble breaking Brändökungarna's press decisively despite holding midfield, until
Chu Xin Lee lofted it behind their lines, with Egan coming up with a brilliant mid-air takedown. Baleda was onto him, but the Irishman teased this way and that, and poked it home before Stjärnell could adjust.
Brändökungarna would be forced to come out more strongly at that, and they had their first real chance of the day with twenty minutes left, coming after
Kalle ter Berg's own try had been stopped on the line. The smooth counter had Keisanen carry it at pace down the left, as they had always planned for, which led to Miikka Lehtoaho thundering a left-footer from twenty yards that had
Manuel Vadalà totally beaten. Unfortunately, the post stood in its way.
The Finns had become overexcited at that, so it turned out, and their defence was left understaffed for once as Grilled turned the attack back on them.
Heng Dong Chu was no slowpoke down the left either, and with Egan heavily in support, the winger was allowed a glimpse at Stjärnell's near post. That was all he needed, and a stiff finish by the shortest route had the Birds up 3-0.
It was really too late for Brändökungarna now, despite them gaining a second wind, and Vadalà helped with a good save off Tuomas Bogdanoff's direct effort, which went over. Spanish captain Urtzi Esnazabal would finally find a way past Vadalà by taking Bogdanoff's cross early next, but that was as far as they went.
