Lagann Run & Gun
Phan Times
Venezuelan II.2 Tachira giants Team Lagann FC gamely engaged in a free-for-all against Grilled Birds in this Friday's World Battle tourney fixture, and came up on top of the nine-goal thriller. It could have gone either way with how loose the defending was at both ends, and although the Birds support had to watch their team go down, they were definitely not shortchanged for entertainment.
The match would also at least continue to document the return to form of
Gústav Thoroddsen, but in this he was probably overshadowed by current Venezuela midfield general Victor Goncalves, the 28 year-old pride of Team Lagann FC. Together with academy buddy Camilo Álvarez, Goncalves made a very mobile unit capable of turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye. Other than that, they also had Aldemaro León who was four years their junior, but only more cunning in his passing.
French head coach Manuel Butel had gone foreign for his wings, with German Niklas Schreer on the left, and Romanian Radu-Lucian Voian on the right. Many teams would have quailed at so accomplished a central five, but the Birds were hardly cowed.
Brian Reddy was for one only too happy to face a kindred spirit in Schreer head-on, and their very-watchable touchline duels would result in the first goal of the game in the eighteenth minute. Reddy dug it out early, it fell kindly for Thoroddsen, who threw Szabolcs Kolonics off-balance for a second with a slight feint, far longer than he needed to breeze past and shoot.
That did not indicate any failing on the part of Lagann, who had been matching Grilled stride for stride, but the Venezuelans would fall further behind three minutes later. Reddy was just slinging them in at the first opportunity now, and this direct route paid immediate dividends with
Lim An Keng drifting to the correct spot, and nodding it past Thomas Ly. The winds of fortune would then blow Lagann's way, and from Schreer's intelligently-worked free-kick in the 24th, Camilo Álvarez nipped in to mop up after
Dimitris Germanakos' strained block.
Lagann were controlling the ball now, and with Goncalves bossing it around, they always looked the more likely to score next, and so they did ten minutes before half-time. Truth be told, there was not much penetration involved here, as Kolonics ranged in search of an opportunity, and let loose from over twenty yards out. Lagann came out from the break by far the more positive team, and León would tease his exceptional technical skills just three minutes into the second half, taking a forward lob down with the ball stuck to his toe before lobbing it perfectly over Grilled's goalkeeper.
The Birds were unable to arrest Lagann's sheer exuberance at this stage, and it was all they could do to try and batten down the hatches - but not for too long, as it became Schreer's turn to flummox Reddy. A deft turn left the Grilled Number Seven lagging in the 59th minute, and an unbelievable low pass scythed across goal had Aussie Roy Phan make it 4-2 for Lagann.
Gústav Thoroddsen tried to reply, and did incredibly well to dismantle their entire left defence on his own, but Ly would stand his ground and save.
With Thoroddsen denied, Grilled would have to find another saviour, and
Gandhik Chitre did not want for application. However, he was simply not getting through today, but his incessant movement would open space for
Brian Reddy, who proved as adept sprinting through the middle as down the wing.
Chia Kwang Tse provided, and Reddy made it 3-4 Grilled in the 66th minute. Roy Phan was only getting started at the other end too, though, and when
Ha Qicai left it - too early as it turned out - for Germanakos eight minutes later, Phan slid full-on for the loose ball, and prodded it into the net just ahead of the goalie.
With about fifteen minutes left to make up the two-goal deficit, it did not look great for the Birds at all, and Radu-Lucian Voian for one was not taking any chances as he slammed into
Federico Parada in the 77th minute, for the only card of the match.
Aw Keng Chuan came on for
Damian Hutter with ten minutes left, and in a final roll of the dice,
Teo Chuan Yong entered for Thoroddsen as stoppage time beckoned. Teo would in fact knock it in thanks to a controversial header seconds after his arrival, but that was as far as he could take it.
