EV Averted
Tian Foursome
There was some trepidation as to whether Cup opponents The EV would spring something unexpected, but were eased after they opted for Dutchman Tjeerd Goris as lone striker to accomodate a four-man defence. Rodney Yun, who played a big role in the hosts' 2-0 win over Real Balmoral, was further omitted, as Grilled boosted their midfield with the rested
Zhu Changchun.
For once, the Birds revved it up immediately after kick-off, and in the first raid badgered Masa Kössö into tripping
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim accidentally, barely a metre outside the penalty area. The aggrieved forward took it himself in a change from the usual, but his lack of practice was evident as the free-kick went skyward.
Pang Tze Guang brought some much-needed composure to The EV's backline as his simple but effective shielding techniques eased the pressure more than once, but it was only a matter of time before the Birds' fluidly-interchanging attackers got through. All that running about finally worked in the 16th minute, when
Tian Yonghang weaved through and bent it past Belgian custodian Jochen Martens.
It was a tale of two stories for the two captains, as
Qassem Madaini again proved a livewire at fullback, which has led to calls for him to move permanently wide. In any case, the 34 year-old passed Prateek Aakula in the 19th minute with a burst of speed that belied his age, just in time to bang Zhu's through pass in.
The EV were not out of it by any means, and Siu Lai Boon had what looked like a decent shout for a free-kick denied by referee Mirko Bladys, who then carded Siu after persistent complaints. Goris also had an open shot a Noubaryan's goal after
Walter Ross spaced out, but for once got nothing behind it.
In between Tian, had gotten his second from some distance, and the second half restarted with
Djan Bacelar nodding in from up close, off an excellent early cross coming in from the left. That finally scuppered the hosts' hopes, and
Ling Fuquan improved on his assist by chipping home on a counter just before the hour was up.
Leong Wan Kang and
Shiya Shaahee were then put on to get their minutes, but it was
Tian Yonghang who would sear his name onto the day's events with two more goals, for his first four-goal showing ever.
