Racing Return
Darko Lifted
Current Palestine Premier League side Racing de Tona had steamrolled Grilled Birds 10-0 in their only previous meeting a full 28 seasons ago, and it was perhaps destiny that gave the Birds a chance at setting the record straight, in this Round of 32 fixture in the AFC ASIAN CUP. There would be a stark contrast in the teams' approach today, unlike then, with Grilled pitting their 3-5-2 against Racing's 5-5-0 waiting game.
Racing de Tona had won Group D with three wins and without even conceding, an obvious hint at their solidity, and although some pundits have suggested that their aging squad is due for a refresh, this season's successful Palestine Emerald Challenger Cup campaign, coming off a second-place finish in the Premier League, meant that Colombian boss Oreste Astolfo had to be doing a lot right. Criticisms about the advancing years of the players were not wholly unfounded, that said, but in Ivory Coast national custodian Albert Youkou, Racing had an unshakable rock on which to build their fortress.
Gandhik Chitre would return in attack for the Birds, while
Brian Reddy's absence due to injury had star of the moment
Raúl Himadas moved up to right wing, with
Genki Nagano filling in at his usual right centreback position.
Aw Keng Chuan would again be left on the bench as
Tian Yonghang tilted towards attack in assembling his starting eleven, which Racing immediately adapted to by tucking in their wingmen within minutes.
The slow, tactical rhythm imposed by the Palestine team suited them well, as they sought to blunt the worst of Grilled's offensive moves, while creating possibly-marginal shooting opportunities without committing more than a few of their own men. This tack came good in the 17th minute as Dominican Republic veteran Adriano Cardona shielded the ball intelligently against both
Ha Qicai and
Lim An Keng for some seconds, all the time waiting for Enrico Musazzi to make his run. Nobody picked up the Number Three, who thus curled the ball into
Radomil Marcol's top right corner, with a single swipe off the outside of his cultured left boot.
Grilled Birds did not have time to feel despondent, as they went at Racing straight from kick-off, and had
Darko Andrović freed on the left following a bold switch of play from Himadas. The cross was evidently hit with much more backspin than usual as it eluded the covering header of two Racing defenders, but not the waiting
Gandhik Chitre. Chitre's off-balance volley looked mishit at first impression, but it then dipped wickedly to fool Youkou too, and level the score at 1-1!
The game proceeded with Grilled attempting to make the most of their newfound industry, and
Chad Thach tried to set up
Chia Kwang Tse on a chaotic two-on-two in the 22nd minute, only to release his pass right as Chia pivoted away. Three minutes later,
Hwang Teck Fu's powerful drive had Youkou at full stretch, but that did allow Racing to break down their right. Nidhal Ameur feinted a cross before expertly playing it short for Jacobus Sepp, but it was
Radomil Marcol's turn to reprise the goalkeeping manual.
The biggest decision of the game soon followed on the half-hour, as Swiss midfield Jed Ignaz Bieli won out in a physical tussle just outside the box, only to apparently be brought down by Marcol as he dashed inside after the ball. All eyes turned to the referee, who watched impassively as the Birds goalkeeper calmly gathered the ball. A crimson-faced Bieli could not help but give the match officials a piece of his mind, to no reaction either.
Replays of the incident through half-time would not bring a conclusion from the gathered commentators in the local studio, and the second half started with Grilled Birds beginning to take over. Racing would not make it easy, though, and they had Youkou to clear up what few mistakes their defence would make.
Gandhik Chitre had a great drive smothered in the 57th minute, and although
Hwang Teck Fu forced Himadas' early cross goalbound in the 69th, Youkou would still manage to push it onto the woodwork.
Following the same pattern as the previous half, Racing de Tona started to come out of their shell after this, and a tentative short cross from Mats Bäumli after an impressive first touch, would be speared well wide by Ugandan Number Ten Ita Bazzekuketta. Enrico Musazzi would then embark on an epic solo run about five minutes later, but after beating three men through honest craft and graft, there was no getting past a prepared
Radomil Marcol.
Extra time was looking like the probable outcome here, but the Birds for one were out to avoid it if they could. This had Racing actually being the ones in control against all intuition, as they were happy to wait for Grilled to leave the backdoor open. They might have done that too, had
Darko Andrović not been so decisive in shooting on what felt like a poor opening off a deflection, in the 82nd minute. The winger somehow found a narrow gap between Lin Xinli and Youkou, however, and the Birds were finally in the lead.
It was Racing's turn to panic, then, what with barely ten minutes left for them to rescue their tournament. They would increasingly look to Bazzekuketta and Cardona for guidance, but truth be told, it was always going to be difficult for Racing to transition to an active stance on a dime. Instead, it would be
Paulino Trindade to ask the questions upon replacing
Darko Andrović in the 85th, and
Gandhik Chitre would seal the victory with his unstoppable rocket in injury time, following a sharp one-two with Chia on the move.
