Jhee Whisked
Riviera Driven
The Birds beat hardworking Vietnamese V-league mainstays Jhees kids with extra diligence of their own, as Jhee's own flashy Spanish forward gave his side the advantage in the sixth minute with a nod of the head off Gascon Salvadó's outswinging cross.
The small but vocal crowd went wild at that, but Grilled kept their heads and began probing for chinks in the Jhee armour. They finally found one in the 19th minute as the hyperactive defensive trio got scattered by rapid switching of play between the sides, and the middle was cleared for
Joe Stern to run through and equalise.
Imported goalie William Jackson would fare better the next time he came up against the Canadian, parrying a stiff drive from Stern after his defenders failed to block it. The pace began to get to Grilled, however, and Nor Suhaimi was fortunate to earn just a yellow card after several ugly late tackles.
The fifteen-minute break did Grilled's organization a world of good, and they began threatening the Jhee goal in earnest.
Lorenz Paullin's free header at a corner kick was stopped by the man on the post, but
Antonio Fernández Riviera threw himself at the ball and tumbled into goal along with it.
Now behind, Jhee cranked it up a gear, which was a bother for the tired Grilled players. Local boy Liu Ju-Ok ran Alcántara ragged and might have gotten a memorable goal from no angle at all, but
Hang Bao-Tam arrived just in time to put his body in the way.
The hosts were finally vanquished by a
Antonio Fernández Riviera volley out of the blue, and all that was left was for Grilled to protect their lead, and that they did with
Milen Kolesov being booked in the process.
