Crusaders Repulsed
Lee Again
Carratt's Crusaders may have picked up their first Northern Irish title with a 7-0 bashing of Londonderry City, to go with the Cup they won in July, but went down 0-1 to Grilled in their international friendly. Grilled struck first through their first serious attack, with
Lee Jie Siong netting, then saw the game out with no further goals.
Lee had scored after ten minutes against Naxxar Lions, and cemented himself as a fast scorer when he ducked in under Danish sweeper Eigil Risum's arms to nudge a short intra-box pass past the occupied goalie. Liehner then won and took a quick corner, which Paullin headed on the run to Han Kok. Han Kok squared himself to the ball and hit a tremendous rocket that nearly split the bar, and actually rebounded outside the penalty area.
French striker Samson Tanghe, who poached ten goals for Carrat's in their victorious Cup run, nearly did Grilled in with a mighty strike while charging at goal. It actually hit Harlow's arms on the way, but for some reason Alcántara was behind his goalkeeper and managed to execute a flying kick to clear. That won him a deserved pat on the back from his grateful keeper.
Hobson took a tumble in Carratt's box after 24 minutes, and very graciously let Liehner do the honours. Hobson might have regretted it when the German defender dug his shooting foot into the turf, and produced a soft hit that Mathieu simply walked over and picked up.
Midfielder Mauro Torreblanca sounded a warning just before half-time when he rose to head a bullet header, but Harlow scrambled over and fisted it out of bounds.
Astoundingly Grilled had the better of the chances even in the second half, as Hobson, Hjortlind and Siu-Yue all came within inches of making it two-nil or better for the visitors. Siu-Yue's thirty-metre effort was the most spectacular try, and many spectators even thought that it had gone in as it rippled the side-netting.
