Bluffed Win
Sanctioned Theft
Kampung United were cheated of not one, but three points at their home ground of Deception Point, as Grilled's refinement of highway robbery tactics continued.
Björn Olsson could claim some credit along with the defence as a whole, while
Maikel Rotteveel did what was required at the other end, with a return of a goal in each half.
The Grilled midfield was still showing the effects of last week's epic struggle against heimu XI, and conceded control of the match to Kampung's trio. Mourão was dropped despite his role in that victory, and Penati restored to the starting lineup.
What followed was an unusual string of events, in which the Birds made mistakes aplenty, but turned them into opportunity each time; for example, Quah was booked for hacking Kampung captain Zhu Yeow Chu down in the 17th minute, but the free-kick was blocked and Rotteveel then hit the crossbar in the very next minute through one of his own. To top it off, Zhu had to hobble off, and replacement Abdul Hadi bin Mohd Nor didn't have quite the same presence.
Kampung always looked the more likely to score first, but
Ronny Behr was a rock in defence, while Olsson played his supporting role well. Grilled's first serious breakout came after 30 minutes, though Penati appeared to be crowded out when he hacked at the ball in desperation, and it unerringly found Hugo Castberg's outstretched arm.
The referee had little choice but to give the penalty, and Rotteveel obliged with another of his near-unsaveable takes to the bottom corner, which Polish custodian Serwacy Fietko could do nothing about despite guessing correctly.
Grilled were then in danger of having a winger crisis on their hands as Penati hobbled badly after a robust challenge from Rosman bin Fadzim, but the Italian recovered a bit too quickly for the home supporters' tastes after he realised that he wasn't getting anything out of it. Alejandro Navarro Ros, who beat Valdir the last time they met, had an open look in the 38th minute, but held on for too long and was headed off by Behr.
Kampung United couldn't figure out how they managed to remain a goal down, especially after Chow Kwang Min's excellent effort in the 71st minute bounced up and against the post to be scrambled away by Vukota. Then, Wilstra came out of midfield and sent a screamer at an empty net after Valdir was forced into a diving save, only for Olsson to anticipate it and stick a leg in, in the process more than repaying his modest transfer fee.
Even the corner turned out to be a blessing for Grilled, as Bögengang leapt highest to clear, and Han Kok together with Penati led a three-on-three counterattack on the outside that ended with Rotteveel coming in at the right moment to make it two. That was it for the Dutchman, as he was substituted with Safrinho after having done enough to secure the win.
