Tripos Failure
Sixth Again
Grilled lost a third game on the run, but were spared a zero as Langeland and Kek-Tjiang found their mark. Hattrick all the time knocked four in fearlessly, so Winning Eleven's defeat to FC RaZer Infernus was academic as Grilled could not better their placing from the previous season.
Grilled were ever on a ride down their peak as evidenced by their recent washouts, and not many held much hope against an improving Hattrick all the time side which was free to give their all. Hattrick, giving Norwegian 20 year-old Finn Karim his debut at the front, were overpowering in the middle. It was Langeland who opened the scoring however, as he found space between two defenders, flush with his midweek feats.
Grilled put in several intense challenges to stem HaTT's instant flood of attacks, but were left undermanned as Karim found space on the right. He looped in a high cross unchallenged, and Harlow chose not to come out as the opposing sweeper Zhu Chang-Ting went over the back of Bona to flip the ball into the far corner.
HaTT were just too much in the scoring third of the field, with Bona overdoing himself with multiple cut-outs. He was helpless however as Gogu Preda rampaged into the penalty area on a square pass and booted a direct stinger through Harlow's hands into the net. Grilled were not suffering overly yet, and made HaTT sweat when the inestimable
Ma Dai-Lin carved a route for himself on the right, but was stopped with a massive challenge by Chetas Menon.
Grilled were very much in the game in the second half, some interplay by the forwards bettering the HaTT defence. Martinsson had a good look at goal, but with just Alley between him and goal could not restrain his power and brushed the bar. HaTT then widened their advantage as most of the fifty thousand in The Cooking Pot groaned, with Chetas Menon combining well with Irish winger Carl Kerry on the left.
Kek-Tjiang put bite into his tackles, nearly amputating Zhu Chang-Ting with a stronger tackle than might have been necessary, a clear booking. His fire threw Grilled a lifeline, as the hithero invisible
Au-Yong Siu-Yue made his one memorable run down the left and clipped a tantalising cross just over head height. Shen appeared to have applied leverage on Rosblom while heading down over the line, but the referee let it stand.
That deliverance was short-lived, as nary a minute had passed before Preda slashed his way through an apprehensive Pakpao before testing Harlow with a routine grounder that the Kiwi fluffed. It was the first howler the Grilled first-choice keeper had made in a while, and it was of little consequence as Grilled never got close to the opposing goal in the remainder of the game.
