Sporting Duos
Schwietzer Farewell
This seventh round match in the World Battle against Croatian II.3 leaders SuperSport Utd. would turn out to be
Johann Schwietzer's final game for Grilled Birds, after the former Swiss international agreed on an immediate exit to Portugal's Lanterna-Vermelha. He would be sent off on a winning note by his teammates, as two first-half goals brought the thus-far undefeated-in-the-league SuperSport down.
The biggest change for the Zagreb giants had been the S$7.1 million purchase of 35 year-old Comoros custodian Omari Fwaya a couple of months ago, and he would duly keep goal for them today. Estonian rightback Teet Lehepuu was also in, having started five competitive games for them so far, with Portuguese midfielder João Ângelo Lopes on the eve of his thirty-third birthday. Veteran Finnish winger Ville Pekkala skippered SuperSport from right wing, having grown into this role after his departure from former Suomen Joutsen-haastajacup winners, Macca club.
Johann Schwietzer trotted out in Grilled's away yellow for the last time in partnering
Hisham Zubari at the back, with
Genki Nagano still lacking match fitness. It was otherwise pretty much the Birds' first team including
Mohd Marzuki Khairul in midfield and
Lim An Keng on the left, but the first big chance went to SuperSport after three minutes, as
Hisham Zubari brought Petr Šantrůček down after misreading a pass. That could have been a red, but Zubari escaped that fate.
Ville Pekkala took the free-kick as quickly as he could as the referee was still engaged with Zubari, but the opportunistic hit flew wide of goal.
Radomil Marcol did not delay his goal kick either, and the unusually high bounce had
Chad Thach get away from Myron Wormhoudt. Fwaya showed his class with a flying parry, and the following corner was decisively cleared by former Scottish youth international centreback Roger Graham.
Not too much happened for the rest of the half-hour other than a rushed volley by Ralf Stefan Schwentke that had Marcol worried for a moment, with the opener finally arriving in the 31st minute after a sick stepover by
Ananda Hettiarachchi had him bearing down on goal. Omari Fwaya stayed focused and got his body behind Ananda's powerful drive, but
Hwang Teck Fu was waiting for just that block, and held his ground to clean up against heavy pressure from Nils Goppeln.
Goppeln would be booked after a separate incident two minutes later saw him tackle
Chia Kwang Tse after the ball had gone, but this would spark a bone-fide opportunity for SuperSport, after the free-kick was absorbed by the defensive wall. João Ângelo Lopes kept the ball moving in midfield as several teammates flew by him, amongst them Teet Lehepuu, who Lopes eventually found about twenty-odd yards out. The Estonian fullback smashed it full on, and
Radomil Marcol had to get both his hands onto that shot to prevent it from going through.
Grilled's second goal then came in the 38th minute, from more good work by
Ananda Hettiarachchi. The playmaker had been the Birds' main creative force up until now, and he kept with the tradition after
Hein Thiha Pyae Ko smartly dispossessed an opponent after a brief tussle. Ananda clipped it upfield and towards the left immediately, about where
Lim An Keng was already racing in. The finish was sublime, and it was two.
SuperSport Utd were not just along for the ride, though, and they would create the bulk of the chances in the second half. There was also a free-kick in a very promising position four minutes before the break, which had Schwietzer somehow escape a card after shoving Argentine star Ralf Stefan Schwentke over. Ville Pekkala was in no hurry to take it this time, but when he did, it was a beaut headed right for the top right corner - which took all of Marcol's considerable reach to get to.
The Grilled goalkeeper was roundly acclaimed by his comrades for that save, but there was plenty of work to be done. The match restarted for the second half with
Chia Kwang Tse wriggling through only to fire it straight at Omari Fwaya, after which SuperSport started to sit on the ball. Lech Wychowaniec took advantage of
Phillip Nagata's overextension in the 50th minute to sprint through, but his late effort from the left edge of the six-yard box sailed wide.
Wu Ping De's entrance for
Lim An Keng would provide legs but not much more possession, as the Croatians sought their response patiently. Grilled were looking fairly nervous at no longer being able to control the flow, with Joona Vesa being unlucky about his great long pass going just a few inches too long for Ville Pekkala to gather.
Hisham Zubari's rushed clearance wasn't the best, and Pekkala would have his go from eighteeen yards - which took all of Marcol's athleticism to stop once more.
The Birds were still flagging, but they had the consolation that SuperSport were not willing to commit men forward either. Their best remaining chance came in the 81st minute, when Joona Vesa went it himself after a brilliant through pass carved out by Goppeln, only to sky it badly.
Hwang Teck Fu then had a stunning curler pushed around the post by Fwaya, before he went off together with
Johann Schwietzer in the final minute, to a warm ovation by the travelling support.
