Deinos Down
Wingers Dominate
While it was not quite enough, Grilled bowed out from the TokCockSingSong tournament on a high note, as they rampaged past previously unbeaten group winners Club Dinosauria 6-2. It was not as if the Dinos had thrown the match either, with U-20 striker Ma Jing and Serbian Number Nine Danilo Bojadžić in support, but even the battle-hardened Fabien Jean-Baptiste and Namik Raković would not be able to constrain the Birds' sweeping wing play.
With Tian Youghang still on the treatment table,
Djan Bacelar was given the honour of supplying Grilled's two other main men, a job which the Brazilian happily applied himself to. After a while, though, Bacelar found himself increasingly knocking it across to
Wong Ping Shun, as the Dinos defenders marked Mohd Safri and Chow tightly.
Wong would remind them that they were not the only threat, and the new arrival began to really press inside from the right. Mohd Safri was desperately unlucky to find the post after Wong sidled it through for him in the 9th minute, but there was no missing the header after the Number Six's perfect cross headed his way in the 26th minute.
Dinos were just not able to shift the action out of their half, and as Ma watched in frustration beside
Walter Ross, his side gave away a free-kick as
Low Aik Jia's extended run was finally stopped with a body check. Romanian goalie Ciprian Maxim certainly didn't expect Wong to blast it right through his defensive wall for two-nil.
Woon Shun An knocked in a third before half-time, and the Birds continued in like fashion after the break. Ross had a brave stooping header saved by Maxim as he disregarded possibly having his head taken off by the onrushing Giovanni Malagón, before Low revealed that he had added a stylish chip to his repertoire, floating one in just beneath the crossbar in the 51st minute.
The Dinos fans, while not impressed, took it in their stride - they could well afford to, given how qualification had been guaranteed before the match. Of course, what they really wanted came four minutes later when club darling Ma gave Ross the slip with one of his characteristic burst forward, just as Abdul Samad bin Saad released it beyond the defence.
Wong Tian Han was eager to record his first clean sheet, but Ma knew a thing or two about one-on-ones.
Low immediately replied with a similar dash, which the Grilled fans very much appreciated. It was all going though the flanks by now, and soon after that Italian wingman Samuele Allegrini cut inside to again reduce it to 2-5.
Needing seven goals to have any chance of reaching the tournament semi-finals, the Birds gamely kept trying, and managed to make the margin four goals once again in the 68th minute.
Chow Ying Lee was through when he was tripped in the box, and referee Mao Anyan was content with awarding the penalty without reaching for his book. Maxim guessed right, but Wong's kick was just too strong.
With Joker 9 cruising comfortably by five goals against Isle of Flames, however, it was all academic at this point, and Grilled would have to be satisfied with a parting victory.
