Lights Turned On
Rogez Ready
It was the fourth league game without a win for the luckless Birds, as Cup holders Shining Lights outplayed a full-strength Grilled side in the rain. Grilled must have expected to put up a stiffer fight, with Canadian midfielder Erik Easley making a few high-profile errors early on, but they didn't capitalise and would come to regret it.
At least Shining were not prolific in front of goal either, as nippy German winger Rüdiger Bubolz pulled his grounder wide with Valdir out of position. He was one of the many players who were adversely affected by the rain, with his Belgian counterpart Hijmen Huf clattering heavily into Han Kok. Despite Huf's protests that he lost his footing, the referee showed no mercy and dished out an official caution.
Things didn't continue Grilled's way for much longer, and they eventually fell victim to Huf's off-the-ball running on the right. Canning picked out his winger with a huge ball from his own penalty area, and Huf wasted no time in forwarding it to an eager Armel Rogez. Rogez didn't quite put his foot through the ball, but a slip by Valdir meant that it would cross the goalline anyway.
Valdir would be beaten again, this time directly by Huf, after another bad mistake.
Han Lik-Tsun appeared to have gotten in the right position to intercept a cross, but stepped on a puddle when trying to leap, and ended up hauling down an opposition player instead. The referee was nothing if not consistent in calling the foul, and Huf hit it hard enough to thwart Grilled's goalie from the spot.
Grilled were clearly unhappy at the decision, and it seemed to stick to them as they allowed Jerry Jacobs to run at the defence straight from the second-half kick-off. It took all of Valdir's talents to deny the midfielder then, but the Birds hadn't heeded the lesson, and let in a third goal, again due to the irrepressible Huf. Another assist for the Belgian, and another goal for Rogez.
The Birds were on course for a hiding, with Valdir saving a second near-certain goal, this time from Canning. There appeared no time to even blink as Canning struck from four metres, but Valdir stuck his left leg out like lightning and somehow blocked the ball off his line.
Branbilla then got a consolation as Penati, who has slowly been adding much-needed consistency to his game, turned his defender inside out. It is a testament to the development of the Italian starlet that this happens at least once each match, and he had the presence of mind to lay it off for Branbilla, who continued the brillance of the move with a cheeky chip over Ping Hung.
Shining always had the game in the bag, though, and that gem of a goal didn't have much of an impact. It was Rogez who could have completed his hat-trick when he broke past Árva on the left, but the impressive Belgian didn't keep his effort down.
