Cup Surrendered
Pănned By Alexandru
The Match Losers put up a counterattacking masterclass, as they ended Grilled's Cup defence at home with a magnificent tutorial on how to stop the Birds' free-flowing style. While the less charitable visiting supporters might have insisted that the hosts rode their luck to an extent, it remained true that they did it on the back of two outstanding performances, from goalie Alexandru Pănescu and central defender Gregers Boesen.
For all of Grilled's pre-match declarations about not taking the game lightly, it was inevitable that they would have expected to go through, given that their Pasir Ris opponents had never gotten past this round in their history. Moreover, it was not like the Birds were resting anyone, with
Clément Meyer the only switch from the eleven that started the last Cup final, and that only due to an injury to
Zhu Changchun.
Further, while the Match Losers had been undefeated in their last six matches, they had managed only six goals in their last five - but a one-all draw against Cup semifinalists Ropelearner FC on Sunday pointed to just how assured their defence was. Additionally, Ropelearner only got the draw at the last gasp, with Romanian custodian Alexandru Pănescu making a magic save from Seow Chu Ming immediately before that.
There was still no reason for the Birds not to be confident, and
Tian Yonghang nearly put his team one up from Grilled's first attack. The homegrown captain has been irrepressible in recent games, and looking at how he completely fooled Jesús Peña with a swish of his head, the home fans justifiably feared the worst. Tian put it narrowly wide and managed a smile at the miss - but that would be nowhere to be seen when the final whistle went.
The easy opening turned out to be an exception, as the home side set their plan into motion. Playing a very compact seven-man covering system, they abandoned midfield from the start, but made up for it with a swarming style that disconcerted Grilled's forwards, who thereafter found it difficult to even turn on the ball.
They couldn't be shut out completely, though, and 23 minutes in
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim earned a free-kick, going over after some contact from Polish centreback Aleksander Skrzypczyk. Skrzypczyk was adamant that Mohd Safri had backed into him, but
Wong Ping Shun sure wasn't listening, as he zinged it right into the top corner.
Normal service resumed, the Grilled fans relaxed and awaited more, but Match Losers were made of sterner stuff. They held firm and bided their time, and when
Zhao Jing Wei made an out-of-character mispass in the 34th minute, Roman Barszczewski pounced. The Birds were spread extremely thin with most of their men having pushed into the opposition half, and in the ensuing mad rush, it was home skipper Gregers Boesen who got ahead of
Gene Filippone to equalise.
Shocked but still sure, Grilled restarted and immediately returned to their all-out offense, eager to restore the lead. Once again, however, they were caught with their pants down, as Tommy Blommo snatched the ball after
Wong Ping Shun caught his boot in the turf. Boesen once more made a lung-bursting run up in support, and the crowd went wild as he just about reached Blommo's incoming cross to tip to over
Wong Tian Han.
This was a completely unexpected development, but Grilled could have lessened its impact had they made their most of their next chance. A penetrating dribble by
Low Aik Jia from the kickoff negated Match Losers' numerical advantage for once, and a leveller appeared certain when Tian ghosted in to create a one-on-one against Pănescu. Pănescu made himself big and held his ground, though, and denied Tian with some insane footwork.
Even then, the Birds were not unduly worried, and after the half-time breather went about their patented grind. The hosts for their part kept faith with their approach, and the match became distance shooting practice for Grilled's attackers, which suited Match Losers well enough with Pănescu having a blinder.
The strikes came thick and fast, but Pănescu was equal to them all -
Clément Meyer could have introduced himself properly to the Grilled fans with a delightful curler, only for it to be palmed over the bar;
Wong Ping Shun slung a knee-level cannonball at the far post, but Pănescu met it with a strong fist;
Chow Ying Lee blazed past the last defender, but somehow Pănescu scrambled across to cut out what would have been a certain goal for Mohd Safri.
Their supporters, who had been quietly upbeat all this while, were finally beginning to show signs of anxiety as the hosts protected their lead with grim diligence. They then heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Birds broke through after carpet-bombing The Match Losers' goal, with
Ling Fuquan slipping inside for a moment - long enough to sidefoot Chow's first-time pass into the net.
This was going to the script at last, and songs about last season's epic comeback against East Coast Warriors were still being sung, as
Wong Ping Shun steamed down the right side intent on becoming a hero. He seemed to have done it for a moment, as he vaulted Peña's sliding tackle and unleashed a ferocious grounder... that came back off the far post.
It would still have been alright, had Boeson's wild clearance not soared downfield and right in front of German forward Gerhard vom Berg, who had just been waiting for an opportunity like this. Once again overcommitted,
Low Aik Jia tried to make up the ground, but the gap was too much even for his considerable pace.
Wong Tian Han stood his ground, but vom Berg's finish was exemplary.
The reverse stunned the away section into total silence, and they had yet to recover their voice when
Chow Ying Lee seemed to be in a position to tie it up a few minutes later. Somehow, he ballooned it, and judging from how the Grilled supporters covered their faces almost as one, there was a sense that it would be the Birds' last hurrah as defending holders - and so it was.
