Thank Yew, Come Again
Dimitar Dumping
Grilled's stay in II.2 has almost certainly been extended once again, after Yew Tea emerged 4-3 winners in the derby at Tea Lovers' Joint to keep their own chances of staying up going.
Tian Yonghang would not be denied as he got the Birds off to a superb start, but the unsustainable pace of this quite exhilarating season finally took its toll on the players' bodies.
Two Grilled men would at least get a mandatory break, as
Wong Ping Shun and
Ling Fuquan sat out their suspensions at home.
Qassem Madaini stood in for Ling and did double duty as set-piece taker, while
Abdul bin Jantan returned to serve as a tuck-in winger on the left, leaving
Low Aik Jia to enjoy free rein on the right.
It had not been a memorable campaign for the hosts, who had been runners-up last season, and a fixture in the S-League for six before that - with only two wins and two draws from eleven league games, they face a very real threat of automatic relegation, and were moreover on a five-game losing streak.
One wonders if they were merely extraordinarily unlucky, however, looking at the big names in their squad, many of whom had done well in the top flight. While centreback Raúl Arévalo Morales is not one of those, he had still earned a reputation as a determined tackler... which came to naught when
Chow Ying Lee ran at and skipped past him, before nonchalently feathering it square for
Tian Yonghang to claim his ninth league goal this term.
The long-suffering home fans, or at least those whom were left, were not impressed by that. With his job looking less secure by the day, Spanish head coach Aleix Picó had a long talk with midfield general Wilfried Rancke in the aftermath, but Yew Tea couldn't quite get a grip nevertheless.
They caught a small break in the 21st minute, when the veteran
Abdul bin Jantan fell on the seat of his pants awkwardly, after trying to follow Dimitar Baliev's movements. The embarassment was one thing, but the physical pain another, and the swelling along his calf was visible even on the television cameras. Nicula Stanca glanced at what was available, and eventually waved
Gleb Dorogan on, instead of
Nicola Vandeneynde.
It was a decision that the Grilled fans soon regretted, as Dorogan was clearly less than ready. He was left standing when Palestine winger Omar Zreeqat cut neatly past him, and the 37 year-old could only think to drag Zreeqat down after he had assisted Lasse Koskela. There were some shouts for Dorogan to be replaced, but Stanca bit his lip and stuck to his guns.
He might have gotten away with it too, as
Wong Tian Han pulled off a magic save against Kévin Denis' strike from nowhere. A few minutes later, the incalculable
Low Aik Jia made a mess of Yew Tea's defensive system with a wild dribble that drifted across the entire penalty area, before he stopped sharply, reversed course, and bent a lob past goalkeeper Damián San Gil Cortázar.
Grilled were countered immediately as Yew Tea attacked from the restart, as they sought to capitalize on Grilled's lack of pace down the left. The plan worked like a charm as Baliev simply sped straight by Dorogan, and Madaini came out only to leave Xuan Quesada space to get in behind him. Once the pass got through, it was as good as done. Two-all.
Stanca didn't make the expected swap at half-time, and the home team kept with the good thing they had going. It was plainly hard to watch as two former Grilled captains were helpless against the better mobility of younger legs, and Morales got his own back in the 52nd minute, again from a move originating from the right flank. Dorogan looked pained as the Yew Tea players celebrated taking the lead, but still shied away from looking to the dugout.
The Birds would always remain in the hunt with all three forwards on the field, though, and
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim came within inches of producing a goal from nothing, as his blind volley from outside the box came off the crossbar. It wasn't wasted, however, thanks to
Woon Shun An going in for what he thought would be a cross, and Woon reacted a split-second faster than Denis to clip the rebound in.
With half an hour to go, and a draw not being enough for either team, the play naturally became more expansive. The hosts would be the ones to take advantage, as
Gene Filippone made a rare mistake by allowing a pass to run across him. He hadn't seen the Bulgarian Baliev streaking in, and
Wong Tian Han had to rush out, but would always be second to the ball.
A goal down again, Grilled's aspirations would not be fulfilled as they visibly tired against a Yew Tea side that had perked up as their first victory in a long while came within sight, and thus it ended, 4-3.
