Shadows Hunted
Josefsson First
Grilled qualified for the fourth round of the Cup without too much fanfare, as
Anders Josefsson came up with his first competitive goal for the club. Unlikely as it may appear, the two sides do have some history, with Grilled nudging past an earlier incarnation of the Shadows, then called Rui Hui, 25 seasons ago.
That was all a distant memory as the two sides took to the field, and Grilled were clearly not inclined to be cautious, judging from their 2-5-3 lineup. The Shadows, composed of semi-professional players, could do nothing to test Grilled's token defence, and fell behind to Josefsson's clumsy-but-adequate strike in the fourth minute.
Sensing blood, Grilled pressed the initiative, and
Quah Han Kok came close to an immediate second, with only Fan Yisong's reflexes on the line saving the Shadows from collapse. It was but a temporary respite, though, and
Björn Olsson lofted one past the Shadows goalkeeper in the sixteenth minute.
Young forwards
Safri bin Mohamad and
Tian Yonghang got on the scoresheet before half-time, with Safri's being his fourth of the season, taking him to the top of Grilled's charts.
The Birds continued plugging away after the break, with acting captain
Niculae Stanca rallying the troops. The Romanian has led by example since his arrival, and could have put some gloss on his day with a well-planned dribble and strike. He didn't count on Shadows goalie Roshadi bin Abu Bakar being up to the challenge, and saw his shot warded off at the last instant.
Han Kok's failing speed was sadly put in the limelight, as he failed to lead a breakaway despite having a headstart on wingback Chng Wai Ting. Quah would have the last word, though, with a late penalty conversion followed by one from open play, to take his Cup tally to 44 - the same as his league one.
Edvaldo Mourão had put Grilled five to the good before that, with an under-par
Kyou-Chull Kim missing a sitter, which must leave him in doubt for the weekend's tough fixture at newbies are newbies.
