Frozen Out
Late Lament
Grilled were dumped out of the Second Division in the cruellest possible fashion, as Snowman Athletic edged Grilled in the dying minutes of a mudfest at The Igloo. Those in attendance were likely more captivated by the live score update of the akodo vs. The Void Deck fixture supplied by the match commentators, and the uniform glee at the news that The Void deck had taken the lead in the 5th minute of that fixture was swiftly replaced by groans at Gunarasi Sushanta's 8th minute equaliser.
There was no such action of note at the rain-drenched Igloo, as the pitch, already trampled into dirt by the long season and various other events held in the stadium, became so slow that running with the ball was near impossible, and passes stayed where they fell.
This sorry state of affairs was best illustrated when the ball plopped invitingly in front of Peruvian forward Augusto Gil, who would have been odds-on to at least test Valdir in normal circumstances; Instead, his attempted chip rose to head level and was blown back into his face, which earned barely-contained chuckles some from the other warriors on the field.
The rain died down towards the end of the first half, and the pitch was restored to something closer to a playable state through an admirable effort by Atheletic's groundstaff at half-time.
Nawaz Talib took full advantage of the solid ground to spearhead a 53rd minute Grilled attack, and sank to his knees after his goalbound strike was clawed away by Snowman goalie Li Sun Tae.
The bad news that akodo had taken the lead through Soon Liang How broke at about the same time, making it all the more vital that the hosts get the breakthrough, for as things stood, all three relegation candidates would be on 14 points, with Snowman however having the poorest goal difference.
Grilled, who knew they just had to avoid defeat, defended doggedly, and traded space in midfield for bodies in defence. There were a couple of close shaves, as Lim Ying Eng was crowded out by three defenders and Alfred Eltschinger raked a speculative shot wide, but it appeared to be enough for the Birds.
Then came the moment which would decide Grilled's fate. On yet another ponderous attack, Gil flicked the ball up and onto Árva's hand just inside the area. The contact was clearly unintentional, and the referee didn't appear interested at first, but pointed to the spot after being mobbed by the Snowman representatives; Grilled's attempt to do the same brought no further changes.
After the bedlam, it was down to Portugeuse fullback Simão Marante to do the duty. Valdir attempted to intimidate the experienced professional by hopping about before the kick was taken, but it was all in vain as Marante steered the ball well away from Valdir.
With survival on the line, Grilled entered all-out attack mode, but were hit on the break by Eltschinger, effectively condemning the Birds to the drop. This was too much for Darong, who tried to make something happen by scrambling for the ball with Marante, but ended up being carded as Marante hobbled off hurt but triumphant.
