Fancy Footwork
Did Not Matter
Grilled concluded the dead rubber against Footwork FC with defeat, having already secured automatic promotion into the second division. It was not that they threw the game away, though, as they were arguably superior for large swathes. Footwork came through when it mattered, however, and finished in the top half of the table with their victory.
In their last game of the season in front of their own fans, Footwork FC settled on a high-tempo pressing game designed to harry Grilled out of their usual rhythm - rather like their previous meeting, only that this time the match didn't degenerate into a chaotic mess.
Still, things went well for Footwork, who had scored at least thrice in their last four, and perhaps more impressively, had not been held goalless in the league since their 2-0 loss to Grilled on the opening day of the season. Moldavian defender Valeriu Nică had a glorious opportunity as early as the sixth minute, but didn't have the touch to convert it.
Footwork's next chance came after a visibly annoyed Chuancheng pushed an opponent just yards outside the box. Victim Azmil bin Said wasted no time in stopping the ball and knocking it towards goal, nearly embarassing Valdir who barely managed to return in time.
Azmil had more luck in the second half, as he turned around and hit a dipping shot in the general direction of the goal. It appeared to brush Árva's boot on the way up, which was enough to take it over a dumbfounded Valdir.
Grilled had not quite regrouped when Nică buried the second goal after a rapid three-on-three attack by the hosts. Grilled's defenders tried to play the offside trap, but Talib couldn't step forward in time, and the defender this time made no mistake.
Subri knew something about taking opponents by surprise too, and the Malaysian striker made it 27 goals for the season by guiding the ball over Zebir's head in a tit-for-tat move. He made sure to thank Penati for the assist, a move that was greeted with an appreciative hug by the fast-developing winger.
Grilled would not threaten any further, allowing Footwork to go on the offensive and put in several more shots on target. While Grilled lost the battle, however, the war had long since been won.
