Temka Taming
Sub Saviour
Grilled may have bested sides named Liverpool and Chelsea in the past fortnight, the Georgian Gunners were another matter. Temka Football Club, who had just secured fourth place in the Umaglesi Liga, went ahead by three, were then spectacularly overtaken, but still had enough in the bank to take the Birds to extra time, where they won it in short order.
Over 6600 bought tickets to the game, making it The Cooking Pot's second-best attended friendly of all time, where they were soon to see Temka trotting out in their away grey-and-black, led by captain and current Georgian national player-coach Gia Kurdadze, who was followed closely by Portuguese striker Leopoldo Aguiar, on nine league goals this campaign.
Grilled's own forwards were again planted in central midfield, with
Tang Hengcai and
Teo Yong Yau in charge up top.
Abdul bin Jantan and
Shiya Shaahee took the wings, as they attempted to work their way back into the first team. Shiya did his hopes no harm by winning a fourth-minute corner through sheer doggedness, which
Colby Awyong crashed home after Prokop Darivčák dropped it at his feet.
The visitors then took charge, and while Awyong managed to catch up with 38 year-old Paulo Veloso to ward off one attack, Arshak Isahakyan climbed above both him and his partner
Hilal Bakhtiar to head in an equaliser off a welcoming cross from David Kurdadze, fresh off his eighth cap for Georgia's U-20 team. There was a natural rivalry with Shaahee as the two got tangled up more than once, including right the next minute, which allowed Veloso to claim the ball from the mess and rush ahead to score.
Grilled regained some of their bearings after that second goal, and a spellbinding period of flowing football was rudely broken when Awyong swung blindly with his foot and caught Aguiar, who had flung himself in, square on his knee. It was abundantly clear that the unlucky striker would not be able to continue, which required his countryman and strikemate Quiliano Cachaço to pick up the slack.
Cachaço marked his entry with a bang as he scored with his first touch, an astounding overhead hook that left Noubaryan speechless. Half-time couldn't come soon enough for the Birds, but there was little indication that it helped, with Veloso taking his second with the usually-faultless
Mayur Gudivada completely beaten on his inside.
Unexpectedly, that was the signal for Grilled to let it rip, and they made up all the lost ground and more in just ten minutes.
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim kicked the recovery off with another synchronized run together with
Chow Ying Lee, to which
Tang Hengcai added a dangerous but justified diving header goal as he, not mindful in the least of Aguiar's injury, launched himself face-first into a mass of flailing boots.
Cachaço then had his head in his hands as he rattled the crossbar in a futile effort to slow the Birds' advance, which was followed by Shaahee pulling clear of Kurdadze for once, to add a goal to his earlier assist. Gudivada, who had honestly been plainly atrocious as a defender, salvaged some of his name with a characteristically scrappy finish to put Grilled in front, 5-4.
Grilled would not enjoy the lead for long as teenaged wingback Beso Nikabadze levelled on a delightful through ball by fellow former youth academy member Anzor Sulaberidze, and after a trio of substitutions by the Birds, Cachaço won it in style at the beginning of extra-time, putting his foot through a misplaced pass and driving it right into the corner of the net.
