Maximum Firepower
Firing On All Fronts
Grilled's fortunes finally turned around as they achieved only their second league victory this term, and their first ever against BDSM FC. This was all the more unexpected as it came at S.T.A.D.E D.E S.P.A.R.T.A with the fresh-faced
Zhu Changchun linking up with
Seytek Djekshenkulov in midfield in a brand-new partnership, although the hosts' poor form so far made it slightly less implausible.
Both teams badly needed a league win, with Grilled's last coming seven rounds ago against a weakened newbies side, and BDSM FC eight against CharlesCheesePie; with just a single point between them in three weeks, it was no exaggeration to say that the outcome would be a key factor in the relegation battle.
The Birds abandoned all caution to the wind as they left top earner
Qassem Madaini out of the matchday squad entirely, with
Lin Jungui on the bench. Taking their places in a two-man "defence" were
Rosendo Chinchay, who had impressed last week against Shining Lights, and French midfielder
Yvan Lefébure, both of whom had instructions to keep a very high line.
It was clearly all or nothing for the visitors, compared to the home team, who laid out a conservative 5-2-3 that dared Grilled to advance. The threat of former U-20 stalwart Wira bin Mahmood and, even more potently, national striker Lee Siong Nie always loomed, and with Lee having scored the winner against Jamaica on Friday, it took a very brave man to bet that a makeshift backline could hold their nerve against such an attack.
That was exactly what Grilled coach
Han Lik-Tsun did, and the first half-hour did little to convince him that he was right, with his side saved only by a lot of running and a few very close offside calls. Djekshenkulov sought to buy time for his teammates to retreat in the 16th minute by booting the ball away after his foul, which forced the referee to hand him a yellow card.
There was little indication that Grilled could survive much longer, when
Safri bin Mohamad changed his gear all of a sudden and cut through the flat BDSM FC defence. Rosman Bampe forced him to the left, but Safri had enough in his locker to pull ahead and bend a low shot around Fan Shui and into goal. The hosts were still stunned when Safrinho again nearly went all the way from the restart, but their relief soon turned to horror as Dorogan's header from Lefébure's corner was deflected to Chinchay, who couldn't believe his luck as he scooped it home.
Grilled were two-nil up out of nowhere, and it might even have been three as
Zhu Changchun showed why he is regarded as one of the top local midfielders of his age-group by making space for himself with a simple touch from the outside of his boot, before whipping a shot in that clipped the post. BDSM FC's response to that was fast and effective, with Grilled finally being overrun at the back, and Lee Siong Nie drew Stacey out before finishing easily.
Grilled were determined to see out the last few minutes of the first half without conceding again, and
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim did his part with a necessary tackle on Wira that saw him receive his first booking in three seasons.
If some felt that Han would play safe and try to protect the lead, they were wrong, as the Birds came out with an even more offensive mentality if anything. Of course, this might have a lot to do with them simply not having the personnel to defend. In any case, Changchun soon rifled in another attempt that hit the post, before Mohd Safri volleyed Grilled's 1100th league goal from an
Erik Back cross.
It finally dawned upon the home crowd that they actually could lose this, and BDSM FC's urgency grew with each passing minute, but they were unable to see enough of the ball to mount a serious siege. Their hopes came crashing down in the 79th minute as Chinchay hacked Wang Kwang Liang down, together with the ball, and to the supporters' intense displeasure the referee waved play on as Wang rolled about on the grass.
Chow Ying Lee was not about to stop as the clearance broke kindly to him, and he burst through to make it 4-1.
Wang did have his vengeance quickly enough, as Grilled were caught napping from the kick-off, and Lee drew the entire defence over to his side before leaving Wang with a straightforward one-on-on with the keeper. BDSM FC might even have mounted an incredible comeback as the sizzling hot Lee got another back from a counterattack after
Erik Back's header was saved and thrown out quickly by Fan Shui, but the Birds were wise enough to clam up after that, and two well-timed substitutions ate away the final minutes.
