Maniac Overtime
Silva Sausage
Grilled Birds couldn't catch a break as they fell to a third defeat on the day, though the volume of games might be a legitimate excuse in itself. It would be Austrian III.1 club Vienna Maniacs to kick them out of the HATTRICK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE at the Round of 32, as the reigning Blauer-Zweigelt-Cup holders delved deep into their reserves, in extra time.
The Group B runners-up had lost to Swiss Nationalliga A participants Nosgoth United by the same scoreline in the group stage, though that was after Tobia Gallmann foolishly got himself sent off in the 19th minute. A repentant Gallmann was back on the right side of central defence today, as the Maniacs depended on Moldovan lone forward Nestor Arici in a cautious 4-5-1. Cape Verde wing star Américo Silva lined up against
Phillip Nagata on the left, while former Rapid Mollgasse custodian Jochen Bach kept goal.
Tian Yonghang kept up with his experimentation with
Chia Kwang Tse now on the left flank, but it was soon evident that Vienna Maniacs wanted to bypass Grilled's defensive lines altogether, if they could. They had little issue getting to within about twenty-plus yards, and even less in pulling the trigger from that distance. Some, such as Philipp Neumayr's entirely off-cue lob in the twelfth minute, didn't even require
Radomil Marcol's attention, but then there was also the likes of American skipper William Collins, whose cannon of a left boot powered it home in the 19th minute.
That effort did come from within the box, to lessen the blame on Marcol, but Grilled had bigger problems in finding it difficult to pass the ball through the persistently-compact Maniac low block.
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko sort of managed it in the 34th with Philipp Neumayr leaving him just a bit too much room, and
Chad Thach finished it off first time.
Chia Kwang Tse would then be booked for tussling with Veit Ferdig on the touchline, and all but pulling him over by his jersey.
There would be one last notable exchange for the half with about five minutes to go, as Arici's craft won his team a free-kick about three metres outside the penalty area. French defender David Bordé lined it up, and his fierce strike was destined for the bottom corner, but for
Radomil Marcol's magical diving save despite being unsighted. Marcol wouldn't waste time on receiving congratulations either, and his immediate throw out to
Phillip Nagata nearly resulted in
Mohd Marzuki Khairul giving Grilled the lead.
Bach was fortunate that Marzuki put it a foot wide under Tobia Gallmann's strong intervention, but the Maniacs goalkeeper proved quite adept at the shot-stopping thing too, as he swung out a fist to prevent
Chia Kwang Tse's sneaky prod from getting past him in the 53rd minute. Sigi Haider forced
Radomil Marcol into a block of his own on the counter, and Chia then got a second chance as the ball was banged downfield by
Hisham Zubari once more - but there was just no getting past Bach.
Chia was visibly agitated at his second miss, and the rest of the ninety minutes of regular time would similarly be dominated by the goalkeepers on both sides. Nestor Arici came closest to deciding the game with his rampage past and almost through
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko before crashing it hard off the upright in the 66th minute, though that did also spark a rare Grilled counterattack, from which
Chad Thach likewise whiffed it by inches.
Grilled Birds were probably the more-productive side in the final twenty minutes or so, but no winner was found, and so the game would enter extra time. I wouldn't take long for the direction of the next half an hour to be set, as Austrian winger Veit Ferdig ghosted up the right side with nobody tracking him. Arici sat on the ball patiently until Ferdig came within about twenty yards, before enabling a wonderful curler than
Radomil Marcol had no hope of reaching.
The Maniacs lived up to their name after this as they burst forward after Grilled lost the ball seconds after the restart, and Mika Ahonen's attempt deflected off
Hisham Zubari for the corner. William Collins couldn't put it in due to some courageous defending, but Ferdig would soon turn provider as his team held on to possession. Spotting Américo Silva free at the head of the penalty area, Ferdig found him in the 95th minute, and the Number Seventeen did not disappoint with a rocket in off the bar.
