Lifted Team
Talisman Hjortlind
Ulf Hjortlind returned to the S-League as Grilled's lucky charm, guiding a soft pass for
Johan Dewilde to convert as time ticked away. The checkered white and blue of Team Singapore would have walked all over Grilled on paper, with last-minute S$12.8 million signing Ulf Lewfeldt making his debut on the wings, financed by the departure of loyal servants Alfonso Aparisi Miralles and Daniel Andertorp. Emerging wing wonder Patrik Tranlius remained on the right side, and Olsson, Jonsson and Örnskog made up a very strong Swede center.
So it was that Team Singapore carried the early proceedings, and had sole local Lin Hee-Jun kept his cool after a high corner drifted to him, Grilled's conviction might have been broken. The near-miss moved the home side into action, and
Au-Yong Siu-Yue responded with a mad run which closed off with a snap-shot that came agonizingly close. Two minutes later Dai-Lin hit a long one crossfield for Martinsson to chase, but the striker's flying swipe barely connected.
Focus shifted to the other flank, as
Aznan Noor Yadah watched for the holes that appeared whenever Tranlius ventured deep. On one such calculated run the Malay stalwart found
Shen Kek-Tjiang unmarked, but the holding midfielder didn't trouble transfer-listed Dutch goalie Joop Kamphuis with his slow strike. Aznan flew past Michael Sörensson on his next raid, and this time Martinsson was the culprit as he had just to stick out a foot to turn the ball into the net.
A forward of Martinsson's calibre can be expected to stick some in, and when Siu-Yue sent him on his way in the 47th minute, he needed no invitation to skip away from Almbrant and skim it in off the grass. Siu-Yue's fragility cost him again as he was sent sprawling into the advertising boards after a skirmish with Sörensson on the byline. A gash on the forehead saw him replaced by
Jon Andrea Rottman.
Seizing on the loss of Siu-Yue, Team Singapore switched to offensive mode. Lewfeldt by now had taken his measure of Dai-Lin, and Grilled found themselves harried on all fronts. It was the dynamo Patrik Tranlius who created the equaliser, as he left Dewilde eating his dust as he headed outside. Robin Andersson cemented his reputation as the S-League's hottest property for the moment with his sixth league goal of the season, deflating the stands.
The horror of the previous games began playing out as Grilled failed to hold on to a lead for the fourth time. Team Singapore sensed blood and pushed for the three points, Lewfeldt getting the second yellow card of the game for dissent. Some fans were already leaving when the 32 year-old
Johan Dewilde steamed in onto a pass into the middle. The defenders watched for the outlet ball, but Dewilde charged on like a boy half his age and sidefooted unreachably to the right of Kamphuis.
With a first league win only seven minutes over the horizon, Grilled kept the ball in the opposition half, and Stanton gestured for a penalty when he got the worst of a clash with Jonsson in the danger area. The referee was having none of it and added Stanton's name into his book, but the glory of victory belonged to Grilled for the day.
