Flipped Aside
Dutch Dismay
The Birds ended up dead last at the halfway stage of the league, but it was always likely given the strength of the reigning champions. What made it all the more difficult for the home fans to take, was the fact that Grilled appeared to be on course for a huge upset at half-time, thanks to characteristically clinical finishing by Rotteveel.
Despite being on their own ground, Grilled set up very defensively, in contrast to the visitors' expansive 3-4-3. The Grilled players had obviously been given instructions to break up play and harass the opposition whenever possible, judging from the way they closed space down. All these tactics would go out of the window where Rotteveel is concerned, though, and when a defender missed an interception in the third minute, there was only one thing on the Dutchman's mind.
Rotteveel swirled around and got a headstart on a hesitant Geosits, with the defender not being able to stop him without being sent off. Rotteveel didn't slow his stride, and nudged the ball past Wang You De in a goal that reminded many in the stands of Tayyip Nazim's finish earlier this season.
The Void Deck scored a second goal in that match by the fourteenth minute en route to a dazzling 4-1 victory, and Rotteveel threatened to emulate that. Talib got carded very early for a necessary saving tackle, and MacKinnon might have done better after
Feng Darong set him up on the left side, but it was Rotteveel who did the business. Han Kok's fluffed shot was pinged by Subri to his partner, and Rotteveel pulled the trigger to perfection.
That made Grilled only the third side to score more than one goal against the Penguins this campaign, other than The Void Deck and Egyptian champions, Cactus. The fact that both these teams won, plus the sight of Grilled actually defending competently, lifted the home support, and they came into full voice.
Grilled should have gotten more organized during the fifteen minute break, but if anything it appeared to dampen their ardour. The Penguins won back the initiative with a slew of attacks down Grilled's right, pinning Penati back, and just three minutes after the restart, Hylke Emmeloord supplied a pinpoint cross for Kyle Mowat to head in.
The Birds went into full defensive, but the pressing tactics slowly took their toll on their not-very-young legs. Valdir appeared to have saved Grilled's bacon with a stunning recovery after punching the ball weakly, making it over to push Kronabether's instant reply around his post. While that was roundly applauded by Grilled's support, there was a nagging feeling that the goalkeeper could have done better on the initial ball.
Valdir almost instantly lost the goodwill he had gained, as he missed the corner kick completely, and only Lik-Tsun's putting his body on the line stopped Sun Nee from tapping into an empty net. That proved a momentary respite, sadly, as Lik-Tsun could only scramble the ball a few metres out to Tze Sian, and the Canadian ex-U20 international reached his ten-goal milestone for the season with a full-blooded punt.
The way that Grilled were floundering, the third goal was a near-certainty, and in the end it was Dutch winger Hylke Emmeloord who broke his duck. The ball took a slight deflection on its way through, but fingers will rightly be pointed at Grilled's embattled Valdir, whose confidence seems to have taken a mauling in recent games.
