Sharp Senses
Chow Chow Train
It was a game of one half and quicksilver exchanges as the Birds barely held off a spirited SKANKS side at The Cooking Pot. While
Wong Tian Han wouldn't get a clean sheet on his competitive debut, he got the next best thing, with a win following a commanding presence throughout.
Other than Wong, Grilled again relied on their settled outfield, with
Qassem Madaini's omission the only deviation from the norm. Taking his responsibility as captain was a very serious-looking
Tian Yonghang, who gave every impression of treasuring the armband.
UNITED SKANKS, who had gone down 2-4 at home to the Birds, before coming back with successive wins over AdidasFC, were confident enough to bring an unchanged starting eleven to the Pot. Jabulani Nxumalo and Maximilian Lässer were the stars of those matches, and were at it again within twenty minutes.
The South African playmaker sidestepped challenges in rapid succession before diverting the ball wide left, where Lässer blew
Ling Fuquan away in a footrace. A simple square ball brought Andy Thury an easy finish, which had the away fans singing that they would have won the previous meeting had Lässer not gotten injured.
Grilled clearly weren't listening, as they drew back level in three minutes. With the forwards making a right nuisance of themselves, Zhu had the wisdom to discern that an aggressive run might be successful, and indeed worked his way within eight metres before chipping Per Wettergren.
It was then
Chow Ying Lee's turn to shine, as his friendly form finally surfaced.
Wong Ping Shun's accurate corner dropped smack in the middle of the SKANKS penalty area, where
Zhao Jing Wei came through with a running bullet header. It was all Wettergren could do to punch that away, but sadly for him, Chow was there.
Chow nearly struck again right from kickoff, with a breathtaking sprint that will make the highlight reels despite him finding the post in the end. SKANKS were not to be intimidated, and some gutsy running of their own from Pedro Pablo González resulted in an excellent cross that American midfielder Fredrick Eskwandem headed downwards past Wong.
Grilled's speed master would not let the storyline shift, however, and he broke through the middle immediately after to restore the Birds' lead before the break. SKANKS skipper Giani Negreanu could only shake his head in the aftermath at the unfairness of it all, after Chow had put him off with a basic but devastating shoulder-fake.
The derby was hardly dusted, but the visitors would be put off by Wong's control of his area in the second half, with several promising incursions neutralised by the new goalie coming off his line without delay. Mohd Safri nearly closed it off with a first-time volley in the 77th, but saw it flash just wide.
