Relatively Black
Devils Improve
red&black_devils cut the 7-0 deficit that they suffered last week to 3-0 with the help of home advantage, as the dry Lagos pitch suited their running style just fine. The inclusion of Italian general Alessio Cazzulani in the middle also contributed to the steadying of the ship, as the Devils' dynamism carried them safely through the opening fifteen minutes.
Their all-new backline was, alas, not invincible either, and that was as far as they got before the recovering
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim split them apart. The thirty year-old was much more like his old self as he turned young Johnson Erico neatly, before slipping it on for
Che Harun bin Sabtu. Israeli centreback Gadi Ungar was sharp enough to slide it aside, but only to
Ling Fuquan who finished with aplomb.
Still, the hosts were looking much better than they had last week, and were unfortunate to concede another in the 31st minute. After
Nicola Vandeneynde had put it weakly wide, Fred Atuokwu made some headway down the right, only to be taken by surprise as
Chow Ying Lee swooped in from behind him.
Most referees might have called a foul for how Chow seemed to nudge Atuokwu over, but Chris Claus was deaf to the home fans' outrage, and Chow too ignored their protests as he raced straight down the sidelines.
Leong Wan Kang threw himself at the ensuing cross but missed completely, which was just as well as Che Harun was there to chest it down and put it in.
The second half saw two changes made by each side, with Ungar and Göransson off for livewire Giovanni Petri and speedy Martin Savimbi, as Devils coach Bola Iyamu felt that a fresh defence might fare better. The Birds for their part introduced
Pompeo Bellamoli for longtime comrade Leong, while also giving
Dan Seng a rare outing in goal.
Seng would probably not recover much match fitness from this, though, seeing as how the hosts never really threatened his goal. It was all one-way in the second half, and
Chow Ying Lee made it 3-0 off a stray pass from Inko Malminen, who hadn't counted on Chow being where he thought his goalie was.
Bellamoli, who nearly hit one straight after coming in, then had a part in setting Ling up for a volley, but this time the Grilled defender could only bounce it onto the post. Devils somehow avoided a fourth as Grilled exploded in the 60th minute, in an incredible sequence that saw Che Harun rounding the goalie only to have it cleared off the line, before Malminen nearly scored an own goal by whacking it off his own man.
Salvador Zegarra somehow managed to save that with his agility, clawing it back into play, right to
Wong Ping Shun who dived in headfirst. Luckily for the Devils keeper, the header went straight at him, and this time he could clutch it to his chest firmly.
Remco van der Ban entered for
Joan Cisquell for the final twenty minutes, but the best parts of the game were well over by then.
