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FIXTURE HISTORY |
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Season 77 | W | 2 - 0 | Tournament (Playoffs) |
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Return Of Tigers
Malaysians Flying High
Liga Perdana leaders Malaysian Tigers would once more be grouped with Grilled Birds in the Pacific Cup tournament, but unlike four seasons before, this would not even be close. Unlike the Birds, the Tigers had remained competitive through judicious refreshing of their squad, with wingbacks Aleksa Popović and Emil Hráský to remain from that last meeting. Many of the Birds' finest had gone too, of course, but they had not been adequately replaced just yet.
Aw Keng Chuan would for one return to sitting in front of the defence, with
Bhavya Panigrahi eligible for this game, and Tian would go for youngsters Baena and Trindade to provide the width. As against Deinos, this would not be a real match for an actually-seasoned veteran midfield, but Grilled did manage another bright start - and the opening goal. After some ten minutes of active if somewhat straightforward attacking with the ball,
Bilal Mohammad Harun would find himself jostling for a shot... only to slip it on to
José Luiz Velho. The Brazilian forward was on to the deception, and tapped it past Uruguayan goalkeeper Ivo Rabuñal before he had a chance to reset himself.
That was about as far as the Birds would get, although Panigrahi would have his chances, as
Chan Ze Han went about trawling for free-kicks as usual. Rabuñal would prove himself impervious from distance, however, as the Tigers worked their way back into the lead with an air of inevitability. French playmaker Clément Cavelier would be nearly untouchable at times, and he would be the main figure in Daniel Cărăuşu's goals, coming in the 30th and 36th minute.
That second strike would be followed by a quite nasty sliding tackle from Ignasi Pinatella on
Teo Chuan Yong as Grilled sought to press for an equalizer, and the Spaniard was perhaps lucky to be able to stay on. Velho, who had faded after his early goal, would be replaced by
Prokop Mottl for the second half, and the Czech forward's energy would see him lash a half-chance some feet over the crossbar, 64 minutes into the game.
This was about it for Mottl too, however, and the Birds would again find themselves out of breath, in the final third of the match. Aw would try to keep it all together as best as he could, but the dam finally broke with Dimitar Baychinski rushing through for 3-1 in the 77th, all but putting paid to Grilled's hopes of a draw. Victor Leblanc would then volley it past a sorry-looking
Manuel Vadalà on the Tigers' next possession, which had to support Tian's emergency recruitment of Germanakos.
There would be more to come with a bedraggled Aw going off for
Chad Thach with ten minutes remaining, with Thach having little of the positional discipline of his senior. Pinatella would drive in close before trying a finish to the near post straightaway, which actually came off, and Georgian defender Tornike Dadalauri would cap the rout with
Gilbert Webb unable to keep pace.