Cristal Clear
Hjort Hobbled
Grilled were back to experiencing new horizons on their sojourn to the historic capital of Peru, Lima. Sporting Cristal got together a sizable crowd of some seventy-one hundred in their 65000-seater San Martin de Porres, good news for many in the Grilled side who had precious little match experience recently.
Right winger
Antonio Fernández Riviera stretched his legs with a few devil-may-care runs, sprinting away from the otherwise solid Björn Knutsson.
Ulf Hjortlind, publicly sore at being dropped for Grilled's Cup knockout at the hands of Carpmael Rovers, gave his coach foor for thought with a natural finish past Cristal's homegrown Martín Luca de Tena in goal.
A long period of Cristal dominance came, as the awkwardly cobbled together Grilled defence were shaky against the opponents' attacking onslaught. Miguel Hernánde Llacer did everything right in the 32nd minute, but his beautiful attempt after a mazy run came back off the post. Two minutes from half-time, seventeen year-old Norwegian John Idsø selected his position well and was able to plant a strong header into Bao-Tam's net.
Nui Pakpao got a yellow card for his failed push on Idsø. John Andrea Rottman restored the lead in a jiffy, as Barbour's wide run bypassed all defenders.
Llacer nearly started a fracas seconds before the interval when he ran at full speed into Hjortlind's back while trying to steal the ball. Not expecting such a collision, Hjortlind toppled onto the side of his head and lay still. Langeland instantly confronted Llacer, but Cristal's captain Sergio Maldini cooled things down. The referee waited until the concussed Hjortlind was stretchered off before booking Llacer and signalling for the end of the period.
The mood of the game had darkened slightly as the second half was characterized by destructive play, until Langeland made it three for Grilled from a superb spinning lob from Paullin. Javier Olano fed on a thoughtful cross by Llacer, only for
Hang Bao-Tam to extend himself cat-like across goal to save. Hjortlind's substitution
Tim Hobson could not shake off his rust as he missed a few easy connections before hitting the woodwork from a must-score situation.
Cristal's French forward Christian Barrusseau flared up when
Hang Bao-Tam prevented him from acquiring the ball as the linesman deliberated on whether to give a corner, and had a few strong words with the umpire that warranted a booking. Langeland had the perfect chance to end on a high when he carried the ball into the six-yard box in the last minute and bested de Tena, but Gunnarsson covered the line in time.
