Tychy Taichi-ed
Mabrouk Rousing
The Birds would get this World Battle tourney off on a winning note, as they saw off GKS Tychy (Tochigi) of the Japanese II.3 by five goals to three in Tokyo. Tychi had split their first three matches in the league, but are flying high thus far in The Emperor's Cup, as they defeated three-time Challenger Cup victors Kyoto Antlers 2-1 just two days ago. Combative winger Ryo Hirai was sent off with three minutes to go in that game, but former Polish international Rafał Ornoch won it for them with a sweet finish from a counter, six minutes into extra time.
Both players would feature in Tychy's preferred wide 3-5-2 today, captained by Polish national star Kazimierz Przeciot at rightback to Ornoch's left. While the Tokyo club had an average age well on the wrong side of thirty, they were definitely not wanting for experience, with midfielder Konstantinos Koukoglou and forward Tarek Mabrouk having won caps for Greece and Egypt respectively. At the back, 36 year-old Romanian custodian Nicu Dinulescu had popularly been criticized as the team's weakest link, but his unspoken retort has been a personal medal collection to make most fellow professionals envy.
Grilled would deploy their usual first team setup against Tychy, with the exception of
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko slotting in for
Darko Andrović at left wing. Their fourth-minute goal would come from a more-classic source, as it happened, with
Lim An Keng showing Koukoglou little respect with a direct run. Grilled's Number Eight won that game of chicken as Koukoglou yielded instead of risk a free-kick, but this led to a pinpoint assist to the prolific
Chad Thach.
This looked like a blip in Tychy's usual solidity as they carried on with remarkable nonchalance, before the Birds' younger legs had the rough equilibrium crumble after some seventeen minutes, that saw
Aw Keng Chuan bury an optimistic effort from a narrow angle into Dinulescu's side-netting. The Japanese club would have their best chances in breaking after turnovers in the Birds' half, and one such incursion in the 29th minute had
Brian Reddy stick it into his own net at the near post, in trying to cut out a pacy low cross by Nils-Gösta Ivarsson.
Intended target Tarek Mabrouk wasn't about to be picky as he wheeled away in celebration as if he had been the one to put it in, but Grilled would be back ahead in three minutes anyhow.
Aw Keng Chuan was back at it with one of his beefy smacks from afar that recalled a peak Bilal Mohammad Harun, but further hits by Aw and
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko would be warded off by Dinulescu. Konstantinos Koukoglou had his moment as he juggled the ball past
Chia Kwang Tse in the 41st minute, but too close to
Radomil Marcol, who collected just in time.
The second half began with a full-throated raid led by 29th birthday boy
Hwang Teck Fu, who had been able to put aside his marking duties for once; drifting to the left side of Tychy's penalty area, Hwang's initial strike would be a right-footed curler that was blocked off the lone by Slovakian sweeper Bonifác Chvastáš. Dinulescu had to clear however he could under
Gandhik Chitre's watch, however, and
Lim An Keng would immediately loft it back to Hwang, who made no mistake on his second attempt.
This was 3-1 to Grilled, but the scoreboard had yet to be updated when Tychy reduced to 3-2. The Birds had not expected their opponents to rush them in numbers from kick-off, this being contrary to their playing style thus far, but this was what in fact happened. With the Birds backline outnumbered four to two, Tarek Mabrouk would be free to knock it past Marcol with
Raúl Himadas otherwise engaged. Tychy's Croatian head coach Božo Torkonjak definitely looked extremely pleased at himself, given that this was what he had ordered from the touchline.
Grilled remained the team able to retain most of the ball, for all of Tychy's cunning, and this would inevitably bring a constant stream of opportunities.
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko might not be an out-and-out winger by trade, but his unorthodox behaviour would serve him well against Ryo Hirai in the 57th minute. Having dug a cross into the box early, Dinulescu appeared heavy favourite to make the catch... but for
Lim An Keng to somehow catch the bottom of the ball with an unbelievable leap, and spin a glancing header in off the foot of the post!
This was Hein's first assist for the Birds, and from how he was mobbed by his new teammates afterwards, it was well-received. The Myanmar star was not much longer for this game as he would be taken off for
Darko Andrović in the 65th minute, which coincided with a period of Tychy activity.
Gandhik Chitre was unable to take advantage of Bonifác Chvastáš overextending himself 75 minutes in, and Bahman Hayeri got onto the end of Tarek Mabrouk's excellent takedown of a spectacular sixty-yard pass out of defence.
There was no time to rest as the Birds tried their own instant reprisal, which had Chitre earn a free-kick five metres off the head of the box, but
Raúl Himadas missed by inches with Dinulescu stranded at the left post. This seemed enough as
Tian Yonghang ate away at the final minutes with the substitutions of
Mohd Marzuki Khairul and
Genki Nagano on for Thach and Hwang, but this was unsatisfactory for Himadas, who set his own record straight in injury time with an unstoppable drive for Grilled's fifth.
